Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes
Many years since the death of their leader, Caesar, the primates of earth have become divided in their ways of life. Now, with the arrival of an unusual human visitor, Mae (Freya Allan), a young chimp, Noa (Owen Teague), is challenged in his own beliefs, turning his own world upside down; on a journey to save his clan, Noa, will have to make decisions that could further impact the relationship between humans and apes on a greater scale. And, what of this new Proximus Ceasar (Kevin Durand) and his own trajectory to subvert human technology? Will the humans and apes ever co-exist in harmony?
Written by Josh Friedman, Rick Jaffa, and Amanda Silver and Directed by Wes Ball this continuation of the Apes franchise continues to offer up impressive visual effects, largely utilizing motion capture technology and CGI to create a stunning illusion. But, from a screenplay and story angle a relatively stale and archetypal hero’s journey awaits the viewer in almost paint by number form leaving little suspense to the film’s conclusion and setup for…wait for it…another Planet of the Apes film. Sure the film works as a carrier for a recounting of present day politics through the sci-fi allegorical lens, but the tact used is relatively thin and there’s little new ground tread. Regardless, fans will still find plenty to enjoy, just don’t overthink the physics of liquids when it gets to act three. Running two hours and twenty five minutes in length, a sharper razor in the editor’s booth would have been appreciated, still, perhaps worthy as a matinee or a rental/stream later. Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is rated PG-13.