“Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes” is the 10th installment to date in the long, long running “Planet of the Apes” franchise (the original, Charlton Heston starring film was released way back in 1968).
It picks up the story begun in a trilogy of films made in the 2010s starring Andy Serkis as Caesar, the ape who led a rebellion against humankind.
“Kingdom” opens long after Caesar’s death, in a world that has reverted. Apes are still in charge of the Earth, but they can no longer read or write, and they’ve split into squabbling factions.
Human beings have been reduced to mute, foraging creatures — their nickname by the apes, “Echoes,” is a pointed comment on how far the species has fallen.
Noa (Owen Teague) is part of an ape tribe that trains eagles, but when his tribe is enslaved by a warring gorilla faction, he must travel many miles to free his people from the clutches of “Proximus Caesar” (Kevin Durand), a warlord who has established himself as a kind of messiah figure.
Along the way, Noa meets Raka (Peter Macon), an orangutan who claims to be the last true disciple of Caesar’s teachings; and Mae (Freya Allan), a young “Echo” who is cleverer than most.
The plot of “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes” is fairly traditional “heroes’ journey” stuff — a young man (or ape, in this case) is forced by circumstance to answer the call to adventure, in the course of which he meets allies, faces enemies and finally proves himself.
The outlines of the story are well executed by screenwriter Josh Friedman and director Wes Ball; they tell this well-worn tale with care, creating characters we care about, heroes worth rooting for and villains worth hissing.
I noted with some amusement that the dialogue in this movie — mostly grunted, broken English on the part of the apes — is not appreciably different from the stunted, clunky expository dialogue you find in most modern blockbusters that don’t have protagonists who have half forgotten how to speak.
Ball’s direction is unfussy but effective; the CGI sometimes strains in long shots, but close-ups are remarkably lifelike, convincing and nuanced.
The straightforward story allows more time to explore the world of “Planet of the Apes,” which, after all, is the main attraction. In its depiction of what Darren Mooney dubbed “the story of empires in decline,” the film plays around with some interesting concepts.
I liked the cynical way the film suggests that Caesar, heroic martyr to the cause of apes rights, could in death easily be repurposed. As a symbol, divorced from his actual words and beliefs, his teachings can become twisted for the use of others.
Perhaps apropos for a film released during a time when political differences in America seem increasingly, frighteningly irreconcilable, “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes” is ultimately a story about how impossible it is for us to work together. Alliances are only temporary; even those who mourn division can’t find a way to reconcile it.
Not only can apes and humans not work together, apes can’t even co-operate amongst themselves. The arrogant Proximus Caesar is fine with the mantra “apes together strong,” as long as the united fist that apes wield is for his benefit.
“Kingdom” also benefits enormously from its willingness to take its time. There’s been a lot of (understandable) kvetching about how blockbuster movies keep getting longer, but the two and a half hour run time of “Kingdom” feels well spent.
It allows the movie to breathe. An eerie moment of “Echoes” congregating at a river actually sits for long enough that when the next big action scene breaks out, it feels appropriately jarring — rather than hectically shambling from one set piece to another, “Kingdom” is confident enough to let us soak in its world.
One minor gripe: it does feel like the relationship between Noa and Mae gets short changed — he has to switch from “I hate Echoes” to “I’d better save this girl” pretty quickly, and it feels like a transitional moment or two got lost in the edit.
The film invests us enough in its characters that I wasn’t even irritated when the story ended on the dreaded cliffhanger, promising more conflicts on the horizon. I, for one, am happy to go back for more.
C.B. Jacobson is an Annandale native who makes independent films at Buddy Puddle Productions, and writes about movies at picturegoer.substack.com. Keep an eye peeled for him at the Emagine Monticello movie theater on Tuesday nights — seated in the middle of the auditorium, with a book in hand.
At a glance
What: “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes,” rated PG-13
Director: Wes Ball
Starring: Owen Teague, Freya Allan, Kevin Durand, Peter Macon, William H. Macy
Running time: 145 minutes
Rating: ★★★½ out of ★★★★★
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