Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes Review: Decent Yet Unfulfilling!

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, set 300 years after the events of the last film, War, follows the story of Noa, a coming-of-age ape, who takes on a treacherous journey to save his family from the dictatorial rule of Proximus Caesar, a ruthless monarch leading a clan of apes in search of human tech. While I appreciated the darker themes in the previous trilogy under Matt Reeves’ direction, this new installment, which might mark the beginning of a new trilogy, may not resonate with everyone due to its fairly slow pace.

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Beginning with the positives, Kingdom, much like its predecessors, allows ample time for character development, mainly focusing on Noa. Bearing a striking resemblance to Caesar in facial features, Noa undergoes a compelling character arc, transitioning from a young teenager to a determined individual who must step up to protect his village.

Throughout his journey, he grapples with loneliness, while simultaneously learning and adapting to each new challenge he faces. His chemistry with the orangutan named Raka, as well as his friendships with Soona and Anaya, added depth, despite the limited screen time allotted to these interactions.

Furthermore, Kingdom presents a simple yet somewhat unclear storyline, compounded by its status as the first installment in a rumored trilogy. While character development and the themes of dictatorship, religion were a strong point, the movie’s action and strong drama were sparse, with occasional standout moments.

However, with a 143-minute runtime and a thin storyline, the pacing emerged as a significant drawback and struggled to maintain momentum, often feeling one-tone and dull. Wes Ball, the director and writer Josh Friedman seemed focused on character establishment while being cautious not to reveal too much of the overarching story in one film. However, this approach resulted in a loss of footing.

Although the previous trilogy (Rise, Dawn, and War) achieved ground-breaking milestones in motion capture technology and visual effects, this film surpasses them. It distinguishes itself primarily through its focus on the Apes, who dominate the majority of screen time, with only one human character, Mae, portrayed by Freya Allan. The seamless integration of VFX ensured the computer-generated animals/imagery were never distracted from the emotional depth required in the majority of scenes.

Overall, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is a satisfactory movie. While it may not qualify the typical ‘Summer Blockbuster’ tag, it stands as a respectable addition to the Apes franchise as it offers a good blend of action, drama, emotion, suspense, and thrill. However, a few (like me) may find the pacing and partially revealed storyline somewhat disappointing. Nonetheless, it still remains a decent pick at the theaters for the weekend or a one-time viewing when it debuts on streaming.

‘Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes’ Rating – 3/5