Since starting in 1968, the Planet Of The Apes franchise now spans over nine movies and Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes has the honour of being its tenth installment. Kingdom comes seven years after the end of the universally acclaimed reboot trilogy that began with 2011’s Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes and ended with 2017’s War For The Planet Of The Apes. Can this new follow-up movie live up to the unbelievably high standards set by directors Rupert Wyatt and Matt Reeves, as well as motion-capture master Andy Serkis?

Thank Caesar then, that the answer to that is mostly yes, as Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes is a wonderful start to a potential new trilogy for the long-running franchise.

Ape Escape

Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes can be described as a legacy sequel similar to other movies like 2015’s Star Wars Episode VII The Force Awakens and 2021’s Scream, which aims to be both a sequel to previous movies in the franchise and a new beginning for a new series of sequels. This movie is an example of a good legacy sequel, as it manages to do both things well. Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes doesn’t forget its past, as one of the major themes of the narrative is celebrating and honouring the legacy of the past. Despite the story taking place 300 years after the events of the previous movie, the way that it celebrates Ceasar’s legacy will make fans of the Planet Of The Apes reboot trilogy happy.

Taking 300 years after 2017’s War For The Planet Of The Apes may seem like a weird choice at first, but it allows the director to focus on brand new characters without being forced to shoehorn in previously established characters. Other legacy sequels have suffered from the problem of struggling to balance new and old characters, but Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes doesn’t have that issue. Since all of the previous characters are dead (this is not a spoiler, it’s logical since the movie takes place in the far future), the movie devotes the majority of its screen time to fleshing out its characters.

Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes is about 2 hours and 25 minutes long, but it never feels boring or plodding. The movie takes its time with its characters with meticulous pacing that gives viewers the time and space to connect with the main characters. The biggest difference between Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes and the last two movies of the reboot trilogy is that Kingdom feels more like a classic adventure movie and less like a tense war movie. Of course, Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes has its share of intense moments but it’s no longer a war between humans and apes, and it’s refreshing to see the movie explore new ground instead of simply retreading old ground.

Despite the absence of motion-capture actor legend Andy Serkis, the new cast is up to the task. Owen Teague is incredible as the protagonist Noa, showing off his potential to be the Andy Serkis of the next generation. Peter Macon’s orangutan Raka is instantly likeable from the moment you meet him, while Kevin Durand is unrecognisable (in a good way) and menacing as the antagonist, Proximus Caesar. One of the few flaws of the film is that there’s not enough of Raka and Proximus Caesar, since most of the movie is dedicated to Owen Teague’s Noa and Freya Allan’s human character, Mae. Speaking of Mae, while her performance is decent but still pales in comparison to the mo-cap apes, she proves that she can do more than just be known as Ciri in Netflix’s The Witcher series.

Back to how Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes celebrates legacy and explores new ground, the highlight of the movie is how Owen Teague’s Noa feels different from Andy Serkis’ Caesar. He’s not a natural-born leader and he doesn’t start out as a hero. We see him grow throughout Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes and to further distinguish him from Ceasar (who didn’t have many close friends as his arc was more focused on himself as a burdened leader), he has a unique relationship dynamic with two apes who are his best friends from childhood, Travis Jeffery’s Anaya and Lydia Peckham’s Soona. Another highlight of the movie is how Kevin Durand’s Proximus Caesar is twisting the original Andy Serkis’ Caesar’s words and teachings to suit his own personal goals and desires, at the expense and suffering of other apes. This is reminiscent of how some historical figures have used or twisted religion to pursue their own objectives.

The score and music in Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes is composed by John Paesano, best known for his work in The Mazer Runner movies (which he worked together on with Wes Ball) and games like Insomniac Games’ Marvel’s Spider-Man franchise (all three of them). Unfortunately, in comparison to the reboot trilogy (whose score was composed by Michael Giacchino), the score in Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes doesn’t sound as immersive or epic.

Last but not least, the visual effects and motion-capture performances are on par with anything from the reboot trilogy. It’s easy to forget that these apes are CGI, especially when they’re interacting with each other and the human characters. The facial animations and excellent motion-capture performances in Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes are the elements that elevate it above other CGI-heavy movies out there like Godzilla X Kong The New Empire or the emotionless live-action The Lion King movie.

Monkey Business

Rest assured, Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes definitely doesn’t feel like a no-effort cash-grab sequel and that’s great for this iconic franchise, which has endured since 1968. It’s a legacy sequel with a lot of heart and soul poured into it, and we’re certainly looking forward to seeing what’s next for The Planet Of The Apes moving forward.

FINAL SCORE: 80/100

We attended a press screening of Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes courtesy of The Walt Disney Company Malaysia. Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes premieres in Malaysian cinemas on 9 May 2024.