By Callum Walmsley
Many franchises fall victim to overstaying their welcome, damaging what once was a franchise for the ages. Director Wes Ball prevents this from happening to “Planet of the Apes” in spectacular fashion. In the previous installment “War of the Planet of the Apes,” a war started between the apes and the humans due to an ape named Koba shooting Caesar, the leader of the apes, and blaming it on the humans. By the end of “War of the Planet of the Apes,” Caesar recovers from being shot to rise up and kill Koba, regaining his position as leader, whilst also ending the war against humans that Koba started. Time then passes, and Caesar, who remained front and center of the first three movies of the franchise dies.
With Caesar dying in “War of the Planet of the Apes,” there is no doubt that it would be difficult to generate the same level of excitement as before. A plot that could live up to the previous installments would have been daunting, but this obstacle is one that the 2024 “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes,” rated PG-13, leaps over with relative ease.
The newest movie in the franchise of “Planet of the Apes” is set many generations into the future. Yet Noa, the protagonist, has a striking resemblance to Caesar, even though there is no mention of any relation between the two in the movie. Noa shares the same values of compassion that Caesar shared in previous installments, which may suggest that the two are related in some sense, as well as a similar birth mark, but that is all that we know about the connection between the two.
The antagonist goes by the name Proximus Caesar, who has ambitions to gain total control over the apes. He wants to gain this by obtaining an enormous amount of technology that has been locked away since the era of Caesar. The humans are seen as a lower species at this point, with a lower level of intelligence than the apes.
What is unique about this installment is that this is the first time in the franchise that we have seen the apes out of oppression and in control over the humans. With the developments in their level of intelligence we see many of the same flaws that humans possess, such as greed and a hunger for more power.
Seven years have passed in between the release of the third installment and the most recent “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes.” The Covid pandemic was partly responsible for this large gap, but there may not have been any intention of continuing with the franchise if it wasn’t for Disney acquiring 20th Century Fox before the development of the film began. Wes Ball was given directing responsibilities, and he is no stranger to the demands of a blockbuster film franchise, as he directed the well-known “Maze Runner” trilogy from 2014-2018. This time around, he brought to life the work of Josh Friedman, who is responsible for the writing of what looks to be the start of a new trilogy within the franchise, representing a new era and a new direction for ‘Planet of the Apes’ fans to be excited about.
Mae, played by Freya Allen, is the human who is tasked with preventing Proximus from stealing the lost technology, and she plays this role brilliantly. Currently also playing Ciri in “The Witcher” on Netflix with Henry Cavill and now Liam Hemsworth, her career seems to be going in a clear upward trajectory, and her performance as Mae will only enhance her future prospects.
Overall, “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes” explores a fresh new direction for the franchise, establishing what looks to be a new leader in Noa, while maintaining the core ideas and values that allowed it to grow into the blockbuster that got it to where it is today. Thanks to this installment introducing a fresh set of characters and motivations, a new direction has opened up in the franchise. We may have seen the end of Caesar, but I doubt we have seen the end of the Apes just yet.
“Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes” is currently available to watch on Hulu and Disney Plus with a subscription.
My Review: 4/5
Comments