Review: Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes

By Christian DiMartino

For the last week, I have basically spent the bulk of my free time watching Planet of the Apes movies. This weekend’s Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes marks the 10th in the series, and I watched six of them: the original, its direct sequels, and Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, which I’d seen once. I have seen the rest, but either knew them well, or need not bother (the Tim Burton one is pretty tough). I actually had a nice time with them. The sequels were a bit kooky, and only 90 minutes. Was also surprised by how much overlap there actually was with the most recent trilogy of these films.

That trilogy ended with War for the Planet of the Apes, which I absolutely adore, and watching that film, it made me wonder if there was greatness in this franchise all along, and I just didn’t know. The original Planet of the Apes is a great film with a dynamite mic drop of an ending, and yet even I have trouble giving it a four star rating. I have no complaints, maybe it’s just the talking apes thing. But like, it genuinely is so good, as was War. I loved War so much that when Wes Ball, of The Maze Runner movies, announced he was making one, I felt skepticism. His franchise never appealed to me, and also the way that Matt Reeves concluded the trilogy was deeply moving and just an ideal trilogy capper. I figured we didn’t need to bother.

Now Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes has come along, and I gotta tip my cap to Wes Ball. Well, I don’t wear hats, but nonetheless. There is something about seeing these films in a theatre that unlocks these films for me. Rewatching Dawn, it was as good as I remembered, which was pretty good. Watching Kingdom, it made me wonder if I undersold Dawn, like I’d been underselling the Charlton Heston original. These movies, at their best, are really good, if you’re willing to let them wash over you. If you can’t take a talking ape seriously, we can’t blame you. That said, the best films in this series ultimately get you to surrender to them. You know you’re watching apes, but there’s an undeniable investment.

I saw Kingdom in IMAX, and I was quite dazzled by the whole thing. Some critics are saying that the movie was what I feared: an unnecessary cash grab. While the argument is in play, there is really no claiming that Ball is half-assing it. Kingdom is a marvelous spectacle, one of the year’s most visually exquisite films so far. Not to mention, it’s just really entertaining, and if you enjoy spending time in this world, the film will do the trick. With some stellar set-pieces, impressive performances, and sweeping visuals and moments of grandeur, Kingdom is the kind of franchise filmmaking I can happily endorse.

The film opens pretty much following the events of War, with the funeral of ape leader Caesar (Andy Serkis). But that chapter is over, and surely enough we flash forward centuries later, and onto a new chapter. Our new hero is Noa (Owen Teague), who lives a peaceful existence in his village with his friends and family. That is, until there is some gorilla warfare (guerilla?) and a troop of gorillas attack the village. These gorillas claim to be wreaking this havoc in the name of Caesar, clearly taking the wrong lessons from their long deceased ape messiah. Noa gets his ass handed to him, and wakes up to find his village is gone.

So Noa goes on a search for them, hoping that they’re still alive. Along the way he befriends an ape named Raka (Peter Macon), and this ape has got “the riz.” It’s really undeniable. Raka is also a believer in the methodology of Caesar, but he knows that the opposing team has certainly been led astray. There is also a human running around named Mae (Freya Allen), who is a way more interesting character than she seems. Mae appears to have a mission of her own, and they all find each other on the same quest.

Won’t go into the journey, but I gotta talk about Proximus Caesar. I knew Kevin Durand was in this movie, and kept trying to guess which ape he was. I felt in my bones that my guesses were wrong. Enter Proximus Caesar, the leader of the gorilla gang who runs an ape enslaved kingdom with a gorgeous ocean view and a secretive vault. In one syllable, I knew Kevin Durand had come to play. Indeed, he treats this material like it’s King Lear, mixed with like a heel at a WWE event. It’s really wonderful, and it breathes life into a movie with plenty of momentum to spare.

Plot wise, perhaps some of this ground has been covered. That said, didn’t give a damn, because Kingdom is a very good version of the thing. The movie works, and even if it’s perhaps a little long at nearly two and a half hours, it moved at a fairly gracious pace for me. Along the journey, Noa and Co. find themselves in new locales that truly took my breath away. How none of these have been in the conversation for the Best Production Design Oscar is beyond me. Honestly, it was pretty thrilling. I wouldn’t say this is action packed, but when there is action, it’s really well staged, and with all of the different Oscar worthy visual effects at play, I was really left kind of in awe. How did they do that?

Having watched six of these in a week, I have to say that Ball’s film here at times really echoes the Heston original, and I quite liked the score too, in the way it parallels with Jerry Goldsmith’s. It all leads to a final act that, well, ripped. I swear, for the last like 25 minutes or so, I felt the same exact way that I did watching Paul Atreides ride the worm in Dune Part II. I about levitated out of the theatre. Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes might not be quite as good as that film, but man, is it a good ride. A really well made one where you get your money’s worth. See it, and then see The Fall Guy. I know you haven’t, you’re missing out, and it’s your loss.