Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes

Rating:

Many years after the reign of Caesar, a young ape goes on a journey that will lead him to question everything he's been taught about the past and make choices that will define a future for apes and humans alike.

Cast & Crew

Wes Ball

Director

Owen Teague

Noa

Freya Allan

Nova

Kevin Durand

Proximus Ceaser

William H. Macy

Trevathan

Lydia Peckham

Soona

Travis Jeffery

Anaya

Peter Macon

Raka

Eka Darville

Sylva

Neil Sandilands

Koro

Sara Wiseman

Dar

Kaden Hartcher

Oda

Ras-Samuel

Lightning

John Paesano

Composer

Gyula Pados

Cinematographer

Josh Friedman

Writer

Wes Ball

Producer

Joe Hartwick Jr.

Producer

Amanda Silver

Producer

Jason T. Reed

Producer

Rick Jaffa

Producer

Release Date:

10 May-2024

Run Time:

145 min

MPA Rating:

PG-13

Where to Watch:

Theater

What a wonderful entry!

N.B: This review contains spoilers for Matt Reeves' trilogy

 

5 years ago, Matt Reeves gave us the best entries in the Planet of the Ape trilogy. Well, after a long wait, we finally got Wes Ball's take on the franchise. "Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes" follows a young ape who goes on a journey that will lead him to question everything he's been taught about the past and make choices that will define a future for apes and humans alike after Ceaser's reign. 

Owen Teague (Noa) in Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes (2024)

As you might have guessed by now, the story is nowhere as good as Reeves's trilogy. The drama lacked and it felt too adventurous. Don't get me wrong, it's still fun but it missed that grounded and dark feeling that we got in Reeves's movies! I really enjoyed the new characters, especially Noa. But who truly held the film together was Proximus Ceaser! Not only was he terrifying but Wes Ball managed to make him a complex and deep villain. Dare I say, he's the best villain in the entire franchise! On that thought, I have to praise Kevin Durand's performance. The moment he got introduced I instantly knew that he'd make this villain so memorable and iconic! Also, I'd be lying if I said it wasn't nice to see underrated actors get the spotlight specifically Durand! Praise should also go towards Owen Tague and Freya Allan. Teague wonderfully brought Noa to life and Allan did an equally good job. 

Freya Allan (Nova)  in Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes (2024)

Last but not least, I must praise the CGI here. Everything from how their fur moved to their facial expressions blew my mind! It's seriously impressive what they did here. I mean to be able to replicate this 1:1 by looking at the raw performances is enough for me but those CG artists went the extra mile and paid so much detail to the little things which added to the immersion! Lastly, I have to address the elephant in the room which is the runtime. Clocking at nearly 2 hours and 30 minutes, the film is unnecessarily long and you can feel it especially since the second act faces a lot of pacing issues. Ball could have easily removed 20 or 30 minutes from the film and it would have made it miles better. Despite everything, it's a miracle to see a franchise stand on its legs for THAT long, and "Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes" is nonetheless a solid entry.