Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes – Review
One of my favourite series of movies as a kids was the Planet of the Apes. You might think I was a “purist” that would reject the reboots but it is exactly the opposite. I have thoroughly enjoyed them
We have had a trilogy of Planet of the Apes movies that ended with the death of Caesar, the rise of the apes, and the human race losing the ability to speak. This sets us up for a new trilogy that begins with the Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes.
In some ways, this one was the most like the original series of Planet of the Apes movies. This movie revolves around a chimpanzee named Noa, who begins a quest to rescue his clan from a much more aggressive clan. In this, Noa is joined by an orangutang named Raka and a human named Nova.
But Nova is actually an intelligent human named Mae, who has more about her than she originally lets on. They find themselves in conflict with the clan of Proximus Caesar, the ones who kidnapped Noa’s clan.
Part of Proximus Caesar’s goal is to gain entry into a larger armoury filled with human weapons. With this weapons, Proximus would be unstoppable. He had already become very dangerous with some other human weapons, thanks to the help of another intelligent human.
I won’t spoil the movie for those who want to see it. I will say that it is very good, even if it is not quite up to the standard of the first trilogy of this reboot. Part of that is because of the development we had of the first intelligent ape, Caesar.
Still, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes has much going for it. One of the themes is how the legend of Caesar shapes and motivates different apes. Some use the memories of Caesar (who died a couple of centuries before these events) to seek power over others, while some use them to show compassion and mercy, even to unintelligent humans.
For part of the movie, I was unhappy with the portrayal of Mae. She seemed to know far more than even an intelligent human should know. While we don’t get all the answers, the ending of the movie points us in the right direction and it helps to make sense of Mae.
My main complaint is with the use of Trevathan, portrayed by William H. Macy. I felt like there was more potential for this character. I was disappointed with what we got.
Beyond this, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is a great movie. It bridges from the first trilogy to this new era of the apes-ruled planet earth. The ending sets up the next movie and leaves us hoping for more.
If you enjoy the Planet of the Apes movies, you might enjoy the novel, Planet of the Apes by Pierre Boulle, which is the inspiration for these movies. This is an Amazon affiliate link.
