With a $131 million opening weekend, it’s no surprise that “Planet of the Apes” franchise fans will be excited for its fourth modern installment, “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes.” A cinematic feat with sweeping panoramas and stunningly-realistic Performance Capture apes, “Kingdom” is certainly a transportive science-fiction romp.
The film is set 300 years after “War for the Planet of the Apes” (2017), which detailed the Human-Ape War. This was led by the revered and heroic Caesar, whose rules for enduring peace are now being perverted by a tyrannical Proximus Caesar. In the midst of this new world perches Noa, a peaceful (or perhaps just contented) member of a chimpanzee clan who raises eagles as hunters.
For all he’s been taught, humans — or “Echoes,” as they call them — have been reduced to the shadows; but after an Echo infiltration, his clan becomes targeted by interspecies enemies who unveil new truths. Along Noa’s journey to rescue his kin, he meets the hermit Raka, a wise member of the Order of Caesar who inspires him to lead a rebellion; and Mae, a “rarer” human who retains an ability to speak and think intellectually. Seemingly linked by no commonalities, the unlikely trio undertake a harrowing journey that could redefine the future for apes and humans alike.
While it may not be the most thought-provoking film you see this year, “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes” is still a zestful look into power dynamics, morality, secrecy, and contempt. It’s a fun, semi-complicated watch that will leave you wondering where you would stand in the face of (or the fight towards) world domination.
Movie Times: Click Here
Genre: Sci-fi | Action
Director: Wes Ball
Actors: Freya Allan, Kevin Durand, Peter Macon, William H. Macy & Owen Teague
Run Time: 145 minutes
Rating: PG-13 for Intense Sci-Fi Violence & Action
