Pan and Slam

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes

PG-13 2h 25m

• Director
  • Wes Ball
• Stars
  • Owen Teague
  • Freya Allan
  • Kevin Durand

by Jason Koenigsberg

The Apes have returned for the first time as part of the Disney company since they bought 20th Century Fox which owned the Planet of the Apes franchise. Fox was the apes home since the original classic in 1968 all the way up to the previous film War for the Planet of the Apes (2017) which concluded the prequel trilogy in superb fashion. But obviously Disney decided they could make more money from this beloved franchise and the Apes continue their reign over earth with Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes. This movie was meant to make money and create a revenue stream with more Planet of the Apes movies and that is not necessarily a bad thing. The writing, directing are competent and the performances are engaging. There are splendid moments that make Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes worth visiting.

The movie opens up with text to catch the audience up on the recent trilogy of apes movies with a shot of Caesar, the main character of those films, at his funeral before cutting to a wide shot in broad daylight with the words “many generations later”. Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes takes its time setting up the new characters and by the end we will care about them and their relationships. Unlike some movies in this long running franchise, this entry might be the best example as a stand alone Planet of the Apes movie other than perhaps the 1968 original and the 2011 prequel/reboot Rise of the Planet of the Apes. That includes the 2001 Tim Burton one-off Apes movie that most people forget, or try to forget about. The filmmakers world build and establish a unique story within the world audiences are familiar with from all of the previous movies in this franchise. Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes has some clever references to the first film with the scarecrows, Nova, the mention of Fort Wayne, Indiana, but thankfully they are subtle and this film does not rely on those homages to tell the story or cater to the viewers and make them feel smart. So many legacy sequels like this patronize to their audiences. Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is focused on tellings its story, creating new characters, and giving us some spectacular motion capture special effects. The ape actors are effortlessly blended in with their CGI visages.

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes does not neglect or deviate from what some of the best movies in this franchise focus on, a social commentary about mankind and our current political situation. Instead of dealing with racism and our treatment of other less fortunate groups, Kingdom chooses to make a statement about hero worship and religion. Timely, considering the situation in the Middle-East and how both American political parties are stating that the founding fathers and political leaders from the past would champion their cause and not the other factions. The villainous gorilla tribe and their self-appointed ‘king’ exploit Caesar’s name as their cause of violence and destruction of other apes. A clear allegory for Jesus or Muhammad as people exploit their names to justify horrific acts. Using great iconic names out of context to obtain power is wisely condemned by the filmmakers but is a fraction of why people should see this movie. Despite the fact that Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is unnecessary other than to keep this franchise going for years to come it is a very entertaining and engaging special effects blockbuster. It goes on a little too long and could have been edited tighter, just like many other movies in recent years. The benefits clearly outweigh the tradeoffs and Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is worth the price of admission.