Review: Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes
Review: Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes
No One Can Stop The Reign
INTRODUCTION
This is a quick review of the newly released film Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes. Keep in mind this is but one of the many movies I watch every year, and that whatever initial grade I come up for this film could change for better or worse with time. To better keep up to date with both my thoughts on other movies and if my feelings on this film changed, follow me on Letterboxd.
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THE PLOT
Via Letterboxd: Several generations in the future following Caesar’s reign, apes are now the dominant species and live harmoniously while humans have been reduced to living in the shadows. As a new tyrannical ape leader builds his empire, one young ape undertakes a harrowing journey that will cause him to question all that he has known about the past and to make choices that will define a future for apes and humans alike.
QUICK REVIEW
In preparation for watching and reviewing this film, and taking advantage of having been unable to attend the press screening I was invited to, I went ahead and binged the entirety of the Planet Of The Apes franchise. From the 1968 Charlton Heston classic that spawned a couple shlocky to decent seventies sequels, to the often-maligned (though which I admittedly ended up really liking) 2001 Tim Burton remake, to the reboot trilogy from the 2010s that was so widely critically praised. What stood out to me was that the 1968 original was an A-tier product in my eyes, but the franchise never seemed to hit the same highs as that first movie did up until the reboot trilogy - which has become some’s choice for being one of the all-time great film trilogies.
Now seven years removed from the third and final film of that trilogy, we see the story continue on with what is planned to be a new set of films. Director Matt Reeves and the characters of those films aren’t returning, but the lore those movies built on will be. And thus we begin a new chapter in this modern saga of the franchise with Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes. And with the weight of three A-tier movies from last decade to follow-up on, does the movie deliver? I am happy to say it absolutely does, and this franchise only gets stronger because of the existence of this film - however, I must admit this is an investment film in the same way 2011’s Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes was.
From a pure filmmaking standpoint this movie delivers a great score that at times pays tribute to some music from past films, has some impressive production design, and is bolstered by what might just be a lock to at the very least make my personal ballot for visual effects. The motion capture and voice-over work that breathes life into the characters the stunning VFX creates is also a compliment to the movie. I found myself invested in the new protagonists and worried for the threat posed by the antagonists.
The one major thing that could effect how one views this film though is the fact that it is an investment into the beginning to a grander story we can’t fully appreciate yet. The pacing can feel sluggish here or there and I was left scratching my head over certain story decisions made - especially in the second half. This is because the movie is setting down building blocks for certain arcs these characters will go through in the planned next two films. Re-watching Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes, I was struck by how much knowing the future events of the next two entries in the 2010s trilogy helped enhanced the experience of revisiting that chapter in the franchise. Because of this patience may vary with the way this movie sets up its many subplots. But the finale left me feeling confident that the writers have what we pro-wrestling fans like to call “long-term booking” in mind.
All in all Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes is an action-packed adventure that builds on previous lore and starts to create new lore as it introduces us to a new saga in the franchise. Its an investment in certain story decisions it makes and its future grading from me will depend on how the upcoming films play out. But for now I thoroughly enjoyed this and was left incredibly intrigued by what the future of the franchise could evolve into. I give Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes an initial grade of A- with he right to drop it to B+ depending on what kind of taste the next two installments leaves in my mouth.
INTIAL GRADING
