Rating of
3/4
Evolution of the Franchise of the Apes
Chris Kavan - wrote on 05/21/24
Jumping far ahead from the time of Caesar and the rebooted Apes trilogy - 300 years to be exact - we see a world in which mankind has devolved and apes have formed their own society. But, of course, not all is as peaceful as it seems as Noa (Owen Teague) prepares for a rite of passage in his Eagle Clan. Along with his friends Anaya (Travis Jeffery) and Soona (Lydia Peckham), their traverse the overgrown ruins of mankind and climb high to claim the egg of an eagle for themselves - one they will raise as their own.
But the ruins hold something surprising - echoes (aka humans) - who nearly never venture this far into their lands. When one such echo happens to show up in the village late at night, Noa loses his hard-caught egg and must venture back into the city late at night to find another before the ceremony in the morning. But this decision leads to the discovery of another clan of apes - one that wields strange (and effective) weapons and they have little problem subjugating the Eagle clan, leaving Noa for dead in the process.
But Noa isn't dead and he vows to save what is left of his people. He soon joins forces with a wise orangutan, Raka ( Peter Macon), one of the last who follow the original teachings of Caesar and a determined human female (Freya Allan) who is much more than she seems on the surface. The trio make their way to the coast where a tyrant named Proximus Caesar (Kevin Durand) rules with an iron fist and will stop at nothing to get in a tightly-sealed vault where treasures of the past await. He is helped by Trevathan (William H. Macy) one of the few humans willing to help the apes.
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is a visual treat - and the technology means that the landscape and the apes look unbelievable. While the story is just adequate (and the trailer spoiled one of the best reveals), it still holds up well enough for the series as a whole. Teague gives a fine performance as the soft-spoken but strong-willed Noa, whole Allan is a dynamo (much like her Witcher character) who is both a survivor and a danger. I'm guessing we'll be getting at least one (if not more) films in this series and I, for one, am very interested to see how the dynamics play out given how the film ends.
The film doesn't get too deep but it also gives you enough to chew on to make it worthwhile, especially if you've enjoyed the previous entries in the series. I'm sad that the always-reliable Andy Serkis couldn't be a part of the series anymore, but I also realize the time jump was important for the evolution of the the franchise. It's certainly a solid start for something new and I'm willing to go along with it.
