(L-R): Raka (played by Peter Macon), Noa (played by Owen Teague) , and Freya Allan as Nova in 20th Century Studios' KINGDOM OF THE PLANET OF THE APES. Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios. © 2024 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.
Courtney Howard // Film Critic
KINGDOM OF THE PLANET OF THE APES
Rated PG-13, 2 hours and 25 minutes
Directed by: Wes Ball
Starring: Owen Teague, Peter Macon, Freya Allan, Kevin Durand, Travis Jeffery, Lydia Peckham
The masterfully rebooted PLANET OF THE APES trilogy that began back in 2011 introduced us to an ape named Caesar (and Andy Serkis’ deeply moving motion-capture artistry), who was at the forefront of world change. He inspired a revolution that pit men against apes and apes against themselves. The films also ushered in a new era of evolving technology and bestowed further prestige on VFX and performance artists’ ingenious, indelible work.
Following in the franchise’s decades-spanning legacy (and located a slight notch below powerhouses DAWN OF THE PLANET OF THE APES and WAR FOR THE PLANET OF THE APES) is director Wes Ball’s KINGDOM OF THE PLANET OF THE APES. Gripping, compelling and exciting, this next chapter set many generations in the future astutely utilizes the building blocks of the former creations to craft a strong, worthy refurbished structure. Economically paced (not one second is wasted), emotionally enriched dramatics power this picture, sustaining the promise of the premise and the promise of more installments.
Brave, bright and impulsive Noa (Owen Teague) is a young ape in the Eagle Clan awaiting his bonding ceremony. As the son of the remote, peaceful village’s eagle master, he and his friends Anaya (Travis Jeffery) and Soona (Lydia Peckham) are hoping to take part in this rite-of-passage that will usher them into the next phase of their lives training their very own eagles. They’ve ventured into the high nests in the forests and chosen the eagle eggs they’ll nurture. However, Noa’s egg breaks and, not wanting to disappoint his father, he ventures back out to find a new egg in the middle of the night.
Noa soon stumbles upon danger in the form of a villainous, violent crew of mask-sporting apes, who are hunting down a spirited young woman named Mae (Freya Allan). And naturally that danger follows him home, bringing with it death and destruction. Noa sets out to rescue his mother and the rest of his clan from the clutches of cruel leader Proximus Caesar (Kevin Durand), who has twisted the real Caesar’s words to suit his own tyrannical inklings. Noa’s journey not only puts him in contact with kind-hearted orangutan Raka (Peter Macon), a disciple of the order of Caesar who teaches him about history, but also Mae, whose quest puts her on a path toward rebellion.
Ball and screenwriter Josh Friedman don’t overcomplicate matters, yet they include many intelligent complexities within. Everything is perfectly developed, from the apes’ interpersonal relationships and their views on feral humans, to these characters’ individual internal and external motivations driving the action. Emotions are palpably felt throughout this journey. Tension is escalated with sharp precision and grace. They’ve delivered an incredibly meaningful tale filled with hearty thematic commentary on political distortion and corruption, grief, violence, vengeance, coexistence, rebellion and enlightenment. All of the brutality is smartly juxtaposed against gorgeous, lush vistas of the human world now swallowed by vegetation, as well as the salt-water rusted, decaying ships on the shore.
Similar to other entries in the series, visual effects are astoundingly realized and mind-blowing. These actors and artists provide an immersive experience, whether through a character’s facial expression of heartfelt vulnerability or the authenticity of their physicality, from motion to fur texture. Their environments feel alive. Teague’s tenderness, strength and naiveté shine through in his eyes. Macon infuses wisdom and clarity into his movements and intonations. Durand’s charismatic, deadly edge comes through in his character’s nuanced gestures and hulking build.
While the film is too intense for tykes, tweens seeking more sophisticated entertainment will find the clean-lined story palatable with the deeper layers revealing themselves as they mature in later years. That’s quite an accomplished feat. Though the narrative gets a wee bit shaggy and contrived during the 3rd act, it leads to a crowd-pleasing resolution so it’s ultimately forgivable. Leaving a few overarching, heady questions open at the end blessedly doesn’t frustrate audiences either, because we care enough to continue our adventure in the future.
Grade: B+
KINGDOM OF THE PLANET OF THE APES opens in theaters on May 10.
