Support NeoGAF

[Draugoth]

• Rotten Tomatoes: 86% (77 Reviews)

• Metacritic: 64 (30 Reviews)

Reviews:​

Deadline:

Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes proves, without a doubt, that there is still life on this Planet with plenty room to grow. I am psyched for the next one.

Hollywood Reporter (80):

Josh Friedman’s smart screenplay takes its cue from its recent predecessors in reflecting the politics of its time. But the movie works equally well as pure popcorn entertainment, packing its two-and-a-half-hour running time with nail-biting thrills but also allowing sufficient breathing space to build depth in the characters and story.

Variety (70):

“Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes” invites us to embrace the drama of apes fighting apes. By the end, though, in what is in effect a teaser for the next sequel, it looks as if the franchise’s blowhard version of the human race will be back after all. That could be enough to make you want to escape from the planet of the apes.

The New York Times (80):

It probes how the act of co-opting idealisms and converting them to dogmas has occurred many times over. What’s more, it points directly at the immense danger of romanticizing the past, imagining that if we could only reclaim and reframe and resurrect history, our present problems would be solved.

IndieWire (B):

This is a far cry from the thrill-a-minute blockbuster that its early “summer” release date might lead you to expect (if the “Apes” franchise has always unfolded at a different register from the rest of its multiplex competition, that difference has never been more pronounced than it is here), and the pathos simply doesn’t run as deep as it did by the end of Reeves’ trilogy, but the final moments of Ball’s film make it easy to imagine that its sequels could reach similar dramatic heights. That’s ominous news for this franchise’s latest generation of characters, but heartening information for anyone who can appreciate the cognitive dissonance of a “Planet of the Apes” movie that leaves you with a renewed sense of hope for tomorrow.

Paste Magazine (7/10):

Despite its deficiencies, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes possesses enough of its own intriguing trajectory for Ball’s new stab at the franchise to have the opportunity to grow into its own singular new strand within the Apes canon. After 55 years of different directions, this is far from the most exciting Planet of the Apes has been, but it’s also far from the worst, and I’m open to seeing wherever this leads.

SlashFilm (8/10):

Previously, Ball has only directed three "Maze Runner" films, each of the artifacts from the '00s and '10s Y.A. dystopian trend. The "Maze Runner" movies were based on a nonsensical conceit — teens are memory-wiped and then locked into a moving maze populated by monsters (??) — and Ball, for whatever slick effects and sexy young actors who could throw in, couldn't quite salvage the material. Here, Ball seems more assured, letting his $165 million franchise picture contain scenes of walking, of rest, and of quiet. After a decade of hyperactive action and nerdy mythos construction, the quiet moments are appreciated.

The Guardian (60):

The film becomes rather jumbled and preposterous by the very end, but not before some perfectly good action sequences, and the CGI ape faces are very good. This franchise has held up an awful lot better than others; now it should evolve to something new.

Total Film (3/5):

Alas, try as he might, Teague just isn’t as compelling as Serkis in a sequel that exhibits little of the Rise/Dawn/War triptych’s grand thematic sweep. And while the film’s striking vision of a California overtaken by foliage never fails to dazzle, particularly in scenes where Noa and orangutan Raka (Peter Macon) explore what was once LAX, there’s not enough that’s fresh here to make you salivate for the future instalments its ending invites.

ScreenRant(80):

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is a rousing action-adventure in the ruins of the human world – traces of the past remain but this is Noa's story.

Slant (50)

By the time the demands of big-budget spectacle take over in the final act, a film that initially stands out from the pack in imagining a different perspective of the world ends up looking all too disappointingly like everything else in the current mega-budget cinema landscape.

The Wrap:

Perhaps I shouldn’t be too surprised that the first “Apes” movie released under Disney ownership is empty franchise gruel that thinks all audiences want is a bunch of CGI coupled with a recognizable IP. That approach has worked out for the studio in the past, and maybe people will happily embrace whatever this is. But it’s certainly not a movie worthy of the “Planet of the Apes” moniker.

Collider (70)

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes explores the past while creating a new future, starting this fresh angle on the series to a rocky, but promising start.

---

Synopsis:

Director Wes Ball breathes new life into the global, epic franchise set several generations in the future following Caesar’s reign, in which apes are the dominant species living harmoniously and 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.

Cast:

• Owen Teague as Noa
• Freya Allan as Mae / Nova
• Kevin Durand as Proximus Caesar
• Peter Macon as Raka
• William H. Macy as Trevathan

Director: Wes Ball

 

[ManaByte]

APES TOGETHER STRONG

 

[BaldingAshCrimson]

I don't know if this is petty or not, but I really hate the title... I guess is the two "of the" in the title.
Or just how weird it is to have Kingdom and Planet in the same title...

 

[DetectiveBananas]

Just rewatched the Serkis trilogy and still enjoyed the hell out of it. Would go watch this new one if it’s at least B- territory. Here’s hoping

 

[What A Shame...]

So this should be good news for the Zelda movie, right?

I don't know if this is petty or not, but I really hate the title... I guess is the two "of the" in the title.
Or just how weird it is to have Kingdom and Planet in the same title...

I had the same nitpick back when Rise came out but then I realised all the OG Apes movies had the same titling format, so at least they're consistent.

 

[jason10mm]

Taking my kid to see this.

I'm just curious if Ciri is gonna bang that monkey. Or if a rocket arrives from past earth.

 

[Miyazaki’s Slave]

Taking my kid to see this.

I'm just curious if Ciri is gonna bang that monkey. Or if a rocket arrives from past earth.

”Say hi to your mother for me.”

I’d watch the movie for that cameo.

 

[ManaByte]

So this should be good news for the Zelda movie, right?

No Avi Arad is producing that.

 

[cormack12]

Why does the ape on the right look like Adam Sandler

 

[Miyazaki’s Slave]

Why does the ape on the right look like Adam Sandler

 

[clarky]

Seems its not a total car crash which is surprising. Not going to the movies for this one though, its got streaming in a month written all over it, ill join you guys with my thought then. Enjoy!

 

[Toons]

The last trilogy was astounding.

Im very much looking forward to seeing this

Edit: just saw it. My expectations were exceeded. This franchise remains untouchable in the modern age.

This was a masterpiece, and one of the best movies I've seen in a while. Its chock full of amazing visuals, fantastic music, solid writing and compelling themes. Its everything a POTA film should aspire to be.

 

[Trilobit]

Edit: just saw it. My expectations were exceeded. This franchise remains untouchable in the modern age.

Wow, that's good to hear. The first thought I had with the "original" from 2011 in combination with its amusingly long title was that it would be an entertaining but mediocre film. That we got such a stellar trilogy and frankly great third final act is mind-blowing.

I didn't have much hope for this one though, but it seems now that I'll have to go watch it. Keeping my expectations somewhat in check though.

 

[ManaByte]

The last trilogy was astounding.

Im very much looking forward to seeing this

Edit: just saw it. My expectations were exceeded. This franchise remains untouchable in the modern age.

This was a masterpiece, and one of the best movies I've seen in a while. Its chock full of amazing visuals, fantastic music, solid writing and compelling themes. Its everything a POTA film should aspire to be.

Do the astronauts return?

 

[Lambogenie]

The poster is terrible. The central monkey is distracting.

Still excited to see this though!

 

[Andyliini]

The last trilogy was astounding.

Im very much looking forward to seeing this

Edit: just saw it. My expectations were exceeded. This franchise remains untouchable in the modern age.

This was a masterpiece, and one of the best movies I've seen in a while. Its chock full of amazing visuals, fantastic music, solid writing and compelling themes. Its everything a POTA film should aspire to be.

I also saw it yesterday, and loved it. The visuals especially awed me multiple times during the film. This is promising for Zelda movie, Wes Ball should at least be able to deliver a beautiful Hyrule.

I wonder why Disney treated the film like this. They showed almost everything beforehand in trailers and clips, and even allowed reviews to go up on launch day. Reviews seem mostly positive, like word of mouth. I hope people find this film, as it deserves to be seen.

 

[EverydayBeast]

The speculation of whether humans or the apes committed the crime of slavery is put into the audiences heads, planet of the apes is one of those premier movie franchises you have to see.

 

[Toons]

I also saw it yesterday, and loved it. The visuals especially awed me multiple times during the film. This is promising for Zelda movie, Wes Ball should at least be able to deliver a beautiful Hyrule.

I wonder why Disney treated the film like this. They showed almost everything beforehand in trailers and clips, and even allowed reviews to go up on launch day. Reviews seem mostly positive, like word of mouth. I hope people find this film, as it deserves to be seen.

I generally have a policy of only watching the very first trailer and nothing else.

So I was almost completely blind as to the plot of the movie going in. Thats the best way to experience it.

I keep forgetting this is a Disney film lol

 

[Toons]

Do the astronauts return?

Spoiler: Spoilers

No, but there is a lot of hinting and visual ques at that being a plot point down the line

 

[Draugoth]

Came back from the cinema

Slightly better than Rise but still a good movie

 

[jason10mm]

This was surprisingly good. Like the previous 2 it has a fairly modest plot that circles, over and over, around 2 leaders in conflict. Not a huge amount of action but good attention to the characters connections, the ape CGI is getting damned good, and if the human aspect is underbaked thats kinda ok. This almost could have been a Conan or Kull story, really, the post-apocalyptic stuff is essentially just scenery now.

Ciri did an ok job, she's in good shape at least. They criminally underused Dichen Lachman though....nuuuuungghhhh! Not sure the timeline really adds up to what we see, but I did like the idea that Caesar is passing into religious myth. The relationship between humans and ape is well done as well, only a few apes were ever in human captivity, and the land is objectively NOT the ape ancestral homeland, so who really has the right there? It cleverly subverts some of the tedious human arguments. Still kinda wondering how the hell they manage such a small steady group of gorillas and orangatans, you never see a female one. And all the echoes were white and kinda hot....being mute and on the run is good for the physique

 

[poodaddy]

I don't know if this is petty or not, but I really hate the title... I guess is the two "of the" in the title.
Or just how weird it is to have Kingdom and Planet in the same title...

It is petty, but I completely agree lol.

 

[Represent.]

This movie was fantastic.

Right up there with the Reeves trilogy.

My theater literally gave it an ovation, really really loud clapping.

What a great year this has been for movies so far.

This director is going to knock the Zelda movie out of the fucking park.

 

[Men_in_Boxes]

Am I allowed to classify these movies as capesh**? I understand I'm on the edge here.

 

[Mr Reasonable]

I saw this yesterday, I think it was pretty good, my girlfriend enjoyed it. I'm surprised at how positive people are being though. Not because I thought it was bad, but it felt like it took a long time to get going, a lot of the first hour felt like quite well trodden world building, and indeed the rest of the film too, that this was part 1 of a multi film new story was never in any doubt.

Nitpicky things are there too but, that's not to say it was a bad film, I'd happily give it a solid 7/10. Will go see the next one and would happily recommend it.

 

[Werewolf Jones]

Am I allowed to classify these movies as capesh**? I understand I'm on the edge here.

They aren't Capeshit so no.

 

[DAHGAMING]

Im going through the trilogy at the moment, just finished the 2nd, forgot how good these films are, will watch War the next few days then hopefully watching the new 1 with my brother next weekend, looking forward to it.

 

[Men_in_Boxes]

I saw this yesterday, I think it was pretty good, my girlfriend enjoyed it. I'm surprised at how positive people are being though. Not because I thought it was bad, but it felt like it took a long time to get going, a lot of the first hour felt like quite well trodden world building, and indeed the rest of the film too, that this was part 1 of a multi film new story was never in any doubt.

Nitpicky things are there too but, that's not to say it was a bad film, I'd happily give it a solid 7/10. Will go see the next one and would happily recommend it.

I feel like all the modern Apes movies fall into the blurry mess of mediocrity. They're all 6 or 7/10 movies where the plot boils down to "Humans are mean to monkey. Monkey must unite and fight."

 

[DKehoe]

Am I allowed to classify these movies as capesh**? I understand I'm on the edge here.

What makes them capeshit to you?

 

[Men_in_Boxes]

What makes them capeshit to you?

They just seem like market tested, CGI fests with dialogue written to be approached by the average 5th grader. The money shots are the same (super hero landing in 3 point stance) is (angry monkey riding on sprinting horse). The plots are all the same (bad guy is trying to get the glowing sword, we must stop him) is (humans are mean to monkey, monkey must unite but not evil monkey). When I see Oppenheimer I feel like I'm seeing a creation from a unique person. When I see these movies I feel like I'm seeing a creation from a giant machine. That's about the extent of it I guess.

 

[Heimdall_Xtreme]

• Rotten Tomatoes: 86% (77 Reviews)

• Metacritic: 64 (30 Reviews)

Reviews:​

Deadline:

Hollywood Reporter (80):

Variety (70):

The New York Times (80):

IndieWire (B):

Paste Magazine (7/10):

SlashFilm (8/10):

The Guardian (60):

Total Film (3/5):

ScreenRant(80):

Slant (50)

The Wrap:

Collider (70)

---

Synopsis:

Cast:

• Owen Teague as Noa
• Freya Allan as Mae / Nova
• Kevin Durand as Proximus Caesar
• Peter Macon as Raka
• William H. Macy as Trevathan

Director: Wes Ball

I went to an event in Mexico, and I saw the protagonists in an interview, I was only there for about 6 minutes, because I had an appointment to meet Giancarlo Esposito and I wasn't interested in the interview... And I was in front of the line at where were they xD

 

[clarky]

They just seem like market tested, CGI fests with dialogue written to be approached by the average 5th grader. The money shots are the same (super hero landing in 3 point stance) is (angry monkey riding on sprinting horse). The plots are all the same (bad guy is trying to get the glowing sword, we must stop him) is (humans are mean to monkey, monkey must unite but not evil monkey). When I see Oppenheimer I feel like I'm seeing a creation from a unique person. When I see these movies I feel like I'm seeing a creation from a giant machine. That's about the extent of it I guess.

LOL at comparing a Hollywood summer popcorn trilogy to a 3 hour character study of a real person. What did you expect?

 

[Men_in_Boxes]

LOL at comparing a Hollywood summer popcorn trilogy to a 3 hour character study of a real person. What did you expect?

Cape****.

 

[jason10mm]

Am I allowed to classify these movies as capesh**? I understand I'm on the edge here.

I don't think so. They establish the ape capabilities and are very consistent with them throughout the series. There are very few "I'm MAD and now I have POWER!!!" bullshit moments that infect a lot of capeshit, it's usually "I was gonna be a nice guy but now I'll let you die instead". In Kingdom they establish the end "power" pretty early on, foreshadow it appropriately, and use it in a great way to move the character forward, pay off all the build up, deliver a satisfying end to the villain, and it's a crowd pleaser like nothing else in recent film (Dune pt 2, take notes!!!). This is really the antithesis of capeshit, which I define by a loose, if total disregard, for internal continuity, failure to use climactic battles to push character development, silly CGI physics, and in general just a lazy attitude towards the audience using snark in place of true emotional resonance. The recent apes films, all 4 of which I've seen in the past week, are AMAZINGLY free of this kind of stuff. So just "all CG characters" alone doesn't make it capeshit IMHO, it's HOW the CG and story is done.

 

[clarky]

Cape****.

I have zero idea what you mean.

 

[Men_in_Boxes]

I don't think so. They establish the ape capabilities and are very consistent with them throughout the series. There are very few "I'm MAD and now I have POWER!!!" bullshit moments that infect a lot of capeshit, it's usually "I was gonna be a nice guy but now I'll let you die instead". In Kingdom they establish the end "power" pretty early on, foreshadow it appropriately, and use it in a great way to move the character forward, pay off all the build up, deliver a satisfying end to the villain, and it's a crowd pleaser like nothing else in recent film (Dune pt 2, take notes!!!). This is really the antithesis of capeshit, which I define by a loose, if total disregard, for internal continuity, failure to use climactic battles to push character development, silly CGI physics, and in general just a lazy attitude towards the audience using snark in place of true emotional resonance. The recent apes films, all 4 of which I've seen in the past week, are AMAZINGLY free of this kind of stuff. So just "all CG characters" alone doesn't make it capeshit IMHO, it's HOW the CG and story is done.

Killer response. Appreciate it.

 

[DKehoe]

I don't think so. They establish the ape capabilities and are very consistent with them throughout the series. There are very few "I'm MAD and now I have POWER!!!" bullshit moments that infect a lot of capeshit, it's usually "I was gonna be a nice guy but now I'll let you die instead". In Kingdom they establish the end "power" pretty early on, foreshadow it appropriately, and use it in a great way to move the character forward, pay off all the build up, deliver a satisfying end to the villain, and it's a crowd pleaser like nothing else in recent film (Dune pt 2, take notes!!!). This is really the antithesis of capeshit, which I define by a loose, if total disregard, for internal continuity, failure to use climactic battles to push character development, silly CGI physics, and in general just a lazy attitude towards the audience using snark in place of true emotional resonance. The recent apes films, all 4 of which I've seen in the past week, are AMAZINGLY free of this kind of stuff. So just "all CG characters" alone doesn't make it capeshit IMHO, it's HOW the CG and story is done.

Do any of the apes wear capes though?

 

[jason10mm]

Do any of the apes wear capes though?

There is a blanket that is a minor plot point

 

[Porcile]

The human aspect and ending was so weak IMO

Spoiler

Okay, I get that it's possible for humans to have splintered into two entirely groups due to exposure to the virus but 300 years later the actual capable humans speak the same and look the same as the average clientele at Starbucks in 2024? Surely by that point, after so much inbreeding, lack of sunlight, entirely altered diet whatever, they would at the very least speak with a different accent and have very different mannerisms to humans today? The non-feral humans, especially in Beneath the Planet of the Apes, and even somewhat in Battle for the Planet of the Apes if I remember correctly were different to humans today.

In regard to ending, did anyone else think they would use the satellites to contact some humans who had managed to colonize the Moon or space? The film seemed to be hinting at that with the telescope but instead they managed to contact some other humans in... Indiana lol? It wasn't really established how long ago the capable humans lost contact with each other, but FFS just go outside and you'll probably find some other humans who can also speak ? It clearly isn't an ape-friendly environment everywhere on the planet, and apes do not migrate over long distances as far as I know so surely some fairly established safe paths/zones for humans would exist?

I dunno. Everything about the ape society seemed well thought but it felt like they had to throw in some token Hollywood actor in for the sake of it and it ruined large portions of the film. A little too sloppy I thought.

 

[EverydayBeast]

Kingdom of the apes reminds me about the relationship between man and animals there will always be a connection.

Rebuilding the world now looks like walking dead, you’ll see radios, bunkers but you don’t see other communities.

 

[jason10mm]

The human aspect and ending was so weak IMO

Spoiler

Okay, I get that it's possible for humans to have splintered into two entirely groups due to exposure to the virus but 300 years later the actual capable humans speak the same and look the same as the average clientele at Starbucks in 2024? Surely by that point, after so much inbreeding, lack of sunlight, entirely altered diet whatever, they would at the very least speak with a different accent and have very different mannerisms to humans today? The non-feral humans, especially in Beneath the Planet of the Apes, and even somewhat in Battle for the Planet of the Apes if I remember correctly were different to humans today.

In regard to ending, did anyone else think they would use the satellites to contact some humans who had managed to colonize the Moon or space? The film seemed to be hinting at that with the telescope but instead they managed to contact some other humans in... Indiana lol? It wasn't really established how long ago the capable humans lost contact with each other, but FFS just go outside and you'll probably find some other humans who can also speak ? It clearly isn't an ape-friendly environment everywhere on the planet, and apes do not migrate over long distances as far as I know so surely some fairly established safe paths/zones for humans would exist?

I dunno. Everything about the ape society seemed well thought but it felt like they had to throw in some token Hollywood actor in for the sake of it and it ruined large portions of the film. A little too sloppy I thought.

These are all good points.

Spoiler: 5th film speculation

i wonder if these humans are cryosleep (like in the 1968 film) preserved or something, to explain their 'modern' manners. Did Mia sacrifice herself to get the harddrive? Is she immune to the virus or going to succum to it? what are they seeing in that telescope? A satellite, a space station, or a ship from the past (hinted at with the Mars mission in Rise?).

regardless, I'm excited to see where they go with it.

 

[Porcile]

These are all good points.

Spoiler: 5th film speculation

i wonder if these humans are cryosleep (like in the 1968 film) preserved or something, to explain their 'modern' manners. Did Mia sacrifice herself to get the harddrive? Is she immune to the virus or going to succum to it? what are they seeing in that telescope? A satellite, a space station, or a ship from the past (hinted at with the Mars mission in Rise?).

regardless, I'm excited to see where they go with it.

All plausible and interesting. It's a shame they couldn't put any of these setups in this film and instead will no doubt be dragged it out across three films. Can't go scaring your average Joe Schmoe audience with just the first film in your rebooted trilogy I suppose.

 

[LordCBH]

Saw it earlier today. Quite liked it. Not as much as the previous 3 sure, but had a great time at the theater.

 

[Doom85]

The human aspect and ending was so weak IMO

Spoiler

Okay, I get that it's possible for humans to have splintered into two entirely groups due to exposure to the virus but 300 years later the actual capable humans speak the same and look the same as the average clientele at Starbucks in 2024? Surely by that point, after so much inbreeding, lack of sunlight, entirely altered diet whatever, they would at the very least speak with a different accent and have very different mannerisms to humans today? The non-feral humans, especially in Beneath the Planet of the Apes, and even somewhat in Battle for the Planet of the Apes if I remember correctly were different to humans today.

In regard to ending, did anyone else think they would use the satellites to contact some humans who had managed to colonize the Moon or space? The film seemed to be hinting at that with the telescope but instead they managed to contact some other humans in... Indiana lol? It wasn't really established how long ago the capable humans lost contact with each other, but FFS just go outside and you'll probably find some other humans who can also speak ? It clearly isn't an ape-friendly environment everywhere on the planet, and apes do not migrate over long distances as far as I know so surely some fairly established safe paths/zones for humans would exist?

I dunno. Everything about the ape society seemed well thought but it felt like they had to throw in some token Hollywood actor in for the sake of it and it ruined large portions of the film. A little too sloppy I thought.

Spoiler

Why would they go out and look around aimlessly? As you saw with the person who met Mae at the end was wearing a hazmat suit, the people inside the facility most likely sealed themselves in before being exposed to the virus at the end of Rise of the Planet of the Apes. It would be beyond stupid to just roam about and risk more people getting exposed as hazmat suits are hardly indestructible.

Mae is clearly immune to both levels of the virus. A small percentage (the humans we see in Dawn and War) were immune to the first level that killed the rest of the humans, and Mae is the rare human (along with Trevathan) who was immune to the second level (that negatively affects their intelligence) when the virus mutated.

Remember, at one point, Mae suggests to Noa that what she seeks could be a vaccine for the virus. That’s what she hopes the humans contacting other human facilities will accomplish, that another facility has managed to create a vaccine. So yes, them contacting Indiana is potentially a huge deal, and if a vaccine is made and shared among the human facilities, it could lead to humans rising again and potentially a war against the apes.

As for speech patterns and such, that’s the kind of nitpicky stuff I don’t care about, plus wouldn’t speech patterns be changing less since there would be less interaction with different accents and such, not as much reason to invent new slang, etc.? I dunno, when William H. Macy popped up, I was thinking, “oh cool!” not, “but how does he talk like us in 2024?” Come on, we’ve got a movie with an ape king being taken out by trained birds, I’m not focused on human speech patterns, LOL.

Also, I wouldn’t be using Beneath and Battle as examples personally. I mean, Battle is pretty much entirely shit, and the psychic humans in Beneath were really, really corny. Honestly, only Escape and Conquest are the worthwhile sequels of the original continuity. Beneath was kind of doomed when Taylor is lazily written out and we get Taylor 2.0. and he repeats so many of the same plot beats as Taylor does before anything new happens. Yawn.

Honestly, it sucks because Beneath’s final scene is actually incredible and could have been on par with the original film’s ending. The problem is the original film is awesome start to finish, while Beneath gives a mediocre movie that just happens to have an awesome ending.