Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes (2024)


The strange thing about the modern Planet of the Apes series is that no one really talks about it.  It has to have done well at the box office, and while all three movies were high quality Dawn of the Planet of the Apes and War for the Planet of the Apes were quite a bit advanced from the original Rise of the Planet of the Apes.  The films are far more consistent when compared to the later movies in the original series and wisely ignored Tim Burton's remake. 

However, it has been seven years since War came out.  I think most people forgot this series even existed until the trailers showed up for Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes.  The previous movie left it open for a sequel, hinting at the end that Koba had survived after Caesar had sacrificed himself, suggesting that there was going to be more going forward from that end.  New director Wes Ball, working with writers Josh Friedman, Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver, decided to let that period in the Ape timeline rest and show us what happens "many generations" down the line.

Noa (Owen Teague), Anaya (Travis Jeffery) and Soona (Lydia Peckham) are chimpanzees that are part of the Eagle Clan.  The tribe lives in towers near the ruins of Los Angeles and has a symbiotic relationship with eagles, who they train to aid them in hunting and scouting.  The trio are about to go through their bonding ceremony when a human (Freya Allan) is seen stealing their horse blanket.  Concerned, one of the elders goes to find her, but instead finds a warlike tribe that burns their village and takes the survivors into a forbidden neighboring valley.

Noa follows their tracks and, in the process, meets an orangutan named Raka (Peter Macon) who is one of the few left that follow Caesar's true teachings.  The marauding apes belong to a band led by Proximus Caesar (Kevin Durand), a would-be emperor that is trying to bring all apes under his wing in a coastal village near an abandoned shipyard.  The human turns out to be a girl called May who, rare for humans, is able to speak and has intelligence equal to an ape.  Proximus is hoping she will work with another such captured human, Trevathan (William H. Macy), to help him get into a military vault so he can have access to the secrets within, while Noa simply hopes to return his clan to their home.

I think it was a good idea to ignore the story hints at the end of War for the Planet of the Apes and move forward with something different.  Although not specified in the movie itself the intended time is 300 years after Caesar's death, with most of Los Angeles overgrown and in ruins with some obvious influence from the old Life After People series on Discovery.  It is rendered beautifully, as are the apes and eagles that inhabit it.  It is a testimony to how CGI can be if done right, and that it doesn't have to look like a video game.  Also, like the other movies, it takes its time getting to know the characters and the world they are living in.

The problem is the writing.  It's not bad, but it is too predictable.  It's a by-the-book hero's journey, with every beat going the way one would expect, including who dies and lives.  What elevates it is that, like War for the Planet of the Apes, Kingdom is not afraid to spend long periods with the apes rather than the humans.  It is necessary because this is their story, not ours, but the temptation had to have been there to make the story more relatable by making it more about May.  It also helps that, since most of the actors were engaged in motion capture and voice acting, the need to use major stars was also diminished.  William H. Macy is the biggest one here, and he's only in it for a short period of time. 

While still as engaging as the other films it is not as satisfying due to being as predictable as it is.  Still, it may be interesting in seeing where the new story goes if it does continue.  This wasn't exactly a big hit in the United States, but it did well elsewhere, so time will tell if that's enough to keep Disney interested.

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes (2024)
Time: 145 minutes
Starring: Owen Teague, Freya Allen, Peter Macon, Kevin Durand
Director: Wes Ball

 

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