- Release year: 2024
- Director: Wes Ball.
- Producers: Wes Ball, Joe Hartwick Jr, Rick Raffa, Jason Reed, and Amanda Silver.
- Screenplay by: Josh Friedman.
- Cinematography by: Gyula Pados.
- Music by: John Paesano.
Synopsis: two tribeless apes and a human work together to reach their goals: liberating the apes taken to a colony and whatever mysterious goal the human has.
Shotgun Commentary: an adventure film that seems more illogical the less you know about the previous instalments.
Review
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is an adventure film protagonist by CGI apes and a human in which they try to save their respective species from an ape tyrant. It is quite entertaining, although tons of details make no sense, presumably due to this writer’s lack of experience with the franchise. Not too worried about this though, since according to this film, only the US seems to be affected. So, chances are the rest of the world is just chilling while the country is run by apes… Not too much of a difference there, really.
Because callbacks
The film begins with the Eagle Tribe, known as such for their affinity with eagles, whom they steal from their nests to raise them themselves, thus making their training process easier. This nice tribe knows how to speak, but also how to use sign language for some reason.
Presumably because Cesar used sign language to communicate at first (Rise of the Planet of the Apes, 2011), so parts of that education have been passed on through generations, even though none of their pretty short history has… And that is as much background as I have with the story. So if you, like yours truly, haven’t been able to finish Rise of the Planet of the Apes because the animal suffering was a bit too much and have remained traumatised ever since, stick around. This review is specially for you.
First things first, yes, some apes do die. However, whether it is the small screen or the general anesthetization humanity has experienced thanks to the last few years of horrors, they don’t seem too traumatic. After all, it is intelligent apes fighting intelligent apes, not cruel humans torturing poor defenseless animals. As such, it feels more like watching your average war film rather than the documentary of poor little Benny the baby gazelle.
Who run the world?… but not really
The most interesting character of the film is undoubtedly Mae (Freya Allan). She is the only non-clichéd character in the story. Her intentions or abilities are not disclosed from the beginning, but rather you learn what she is capable of much like you would get water from a dropper, slow and steady.
Her ability for violence is one of the most surprising parts of her personality. Of course, humans are destructive and blah blah blah, but that is not why she is violent. Above all, she’s strategic, everything she does has a reason for being, which is fascinating. Granted, the role isn’t crazy complicated, so Allan doesn’t get much opportunity to shine, but she does deliver a very decent performance as the captivating Mae.
As for her counterparts, well… they are more of the same, really. The CGI is great, obviously, but all the apes look exactly the same. Some ugly fringes here, change of colour there, and you pretty much got it. It is quite well executed, but don’t look for anything innovative. The voice actors are also quite good, yet they mostly have average voices, which can lead to confusion at times. Luckily, they repeat their names over and over, so you catch up quickly even if you lose track at some point.
All in all, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is an entertaining adventure movie that you must not think too hard about. Just have fun and don’t question it. Enjoy the special effects and don’t think about geography or common sense. Follow those rules, and you will have one hell of a time if adventure is your genre.
Advice to take from this movie:
- Violence is never the answer, but it might speed things up.
- Never trust people who preach about equality from a throne.
- Horses rule, zebras are pretty. Protect equines.
What’s your take? Have you watched Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes? Don’t hesitate to let me know your thoughts in the comments section below, or leave a message in my contact page! For more reviews and cinema-related articles, check out the rest of my blog! 😀