The previous Planet of the Apes trilogy is, in my opinion, one of the best in recent memory. Combining great VFX, great acting and great character work, I highly recommend them. Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is a follow-up taking place 300 years later, telling a new story with new characters. And it does that mostly well.
To get the obvious out of the way, the CGI is stunning. Just like it's predecessors, every facial emotion, tweak and detail is captured beautifully and the film is visually gorgeous. All the Apes look real and while there are some instances of clear CGI, it's only in small instances. This is bolstered by some good performances by Owen Teague and Kevin Duran.
The characters are all fairly good for the most part although they do not reach the heights of the previous trilogy (at least not yet). Noa is a good enough protagonist who goes on a standard journey throughout the film. Proximus Caesar is a clear standout with Duran giving it his all. My only gripe with him is he lacks the screen-time to really flesh him out and make him a truly great villain like Koba or The Colonel. Freya Allen also delivers a solid performance as Mae although she could've been given more defined motivations.
The main issue with this film is the plot and the pacing. This film definitely could have been shorter. The first half feels quite stagnant barring the inciting incident and it feels like stronger pacing would've alleviated this. This could then mean we spend more time in the second half exploring Proximus' motivations. There are also some moments in the plot that are a little bothersome and some of the worldbuilding doesn't quite add up. There is also a large issue of morality regarding humans and Apes that I feel should've been explored more thoroughly instead of running through to the third act. Hopefully these worldbuilding and theme gripes will be ironed out in the sequel.
Overall, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is a pretty good time. Great visuals, acting and action make this worth watching on the big screen. It does not reach the heights of it's predecessors and the pacing, plot and worldbuilding do need some sorting out but it does lay the groundwork for something interesting to come. Let's just hope it doesn't repeat previous the entries.
To get the obvious out of the way, the CGI is stunning. Just like it's predecessors, every facial emotion, tweak and detail is captured beautifully and the film is visually gorgeous. All the Apes look real and while there are some instances of clear CGI, it's only in small instances. This is bolstered by some good performances by Owen Teague and Kevin Duran.
The characters are all fairly good for the most part although they do not reach the heights of the previous trilogy (at least not yet). Noa is a good enough protagonist who goes on a standard journey throughout the film. Proximus Caesar is a clear standout with Duran giving it his all. My only gripe with him is he lacks the screen-time to really flesh him out and make him a truly great villain like Koba or The Colonel. Freya Allen also delivers a solid performance as Mae although she could've been given more defined motivations.
The main issue with this film is the plot and the pacing. This film definitely could have been shorter. The first half feels quite stagnant barring the inciting incident and it feels like stronger pacing would've alleviated this. This could then mean we spend more time in the second half exploring Proximus' motivations. There are also some moments in the plot that are a little bothersome and some of the worldbuilding doesn't quite add up. There is also a large issue of morality regarding humans and Apes that I feel should've been explored more thoroughly instead of running through to the third act. Hopefully these worldbuilding and theme gripes will be ironed out in the sequel.
Overall, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is a pretty good time. Great visuals, acting and action make this worth watching on the big screen. It does not reach the heights of it's predecessors and the pacing, plot and worldbuilding do need some sorting out but it does lay the groundwork for something interesting to come. Let's just hope it doesn't repeat previous the entries.
Tell Your Friends