Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes

The Planet of the Apes trilogy that ran from 2011 to 2017 ranks among the best of all the trilogies as it charted the life of Caesar the ape who witnessed humanity's downfall but who always tried to avoid total conflict as the apes came into power. It was a great set of films from 20th Century Fox but Disney had plans to continue expanding on the story in 2024 with Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes. With all events eventually leading into the 1968 original, the audience reception proved there was still interest in the franchise but would a new director and studio have all the right pieces?

Set many generations after War for the Planet of the Apes, the once proud skyscrapers are now green, mossy ruins as apes are now the totally dominant species. Pockets of mute, primitive humans still roam across the lands but are no longer in control. With Caesar, his family and friends now all long gone, the story follows a new ape called Noa who lives in a peaceful community until a tribe of brutal apes attack and kidnap everyone who isn't killed. Miraculously escaping the attack, he sets on a journey into new lands and discovers a vicious kingdom. 

If this sounds very similar to Apocalypto, apparently that was the inspiration for director Wes Ball as he went about pitching his idea for the next film in the franchise. And that is certainly a good influence to draw from but I wish this felt as if I hadn't seen it all before. For much of the film's triumphs with its use of visual storytelling, highly impressive effects and a great cast, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes doesn't bring anything new to the table, feeling as if it was meant for newcomers to the franchise and will leave everyone else disappointed.

The first half of the film sets the scene well, even if it feels very similar to the last entry, and gradually loses momentum. Wes Ball does bring some interesting ideas with a villain fascinated in human history but he doesn't do enough to make them interesting, which is a shame as there are clearly a lot of talented people involved in this. I would hazard a guess that the next film might be more akin to what was initially planned but the studio wanted something safe and easy for audiences to engage with first.

In other words; this film feels very much like a starter. It's easy on the eye and gets you back into the world of this franchise but doesn't take any particular risks or do anything that will make me want to revisit it. Fans of the previous trilogy and newcomers will still have some fun but this isn't on par with Matt Reeves' films.