Stream It Or Skip It: ‘Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes’ on VOD, a Rock-Solid New Franchise Entry Proving That Apes Still Together Strong

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes (now streaming on VOD services like Amazon Prime Video) finds itself in the unfortunate circumstance of following the best trilogy of the best blockbuster franchise of the 21st century so far. (Can I cram more “of the”s in one sentence? Don’t tempt me!) Yes, better than Marvel or Star Wars. This is not that hot of a take: Rise, Dawn and War for the Planet of the Apes are neo-sci-fi classics, chock-full of big ideas and rousing action, and featuring CG/mo-cap performances so extraordinary, you’ll believe an orangutan has a deeper, richer soul than your grandmother. The trilogy told the epic saga of Caesar, Patient Zero of the ape uprising, who becomes a “Moses figure” for the apes in Kingdom, which is set 300 years after his death. Out is director Matt Reeves, who helmed Dawn and War, and in is Wes Ball, taking a big step forward from the Maze Runner films. Ball had an incredibly tough act to follow – and the fact that he made Kingdom a rock-solid continuation of the series is impressive.

KINGDOM OF THE PLANET OF THE APES: STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?

The Gist: We open on Caesar’s funeral, just so we can be gutted again (if the end of War didn’t leave you a blubbering mess, then check yer pulse). Then, MANY GENERATIONS LATER, we’re privy to gorgeous, sweeping establishing shots of a lush forest, which seems to have consumed what’s left of human civilization. Three young apes clamber up a cliff face: Noa (Owen Teague), Anaya (Travis Jeffery) and Soona (Lydia Peckham) are the chimp equivalent of teenagers on the cusp of a rite of passage. They each pluck an eagle egg from nests high, high, high up, in preparation for an impending Bonding Day ritual – their clan has domesticated eagles, and these young apes will soon foster their own birds. But as they ride their horses back to their village, they get the distinct feeling that they’re being watched. It’s what they refer to as an “echo,” one of the few remaining humans, who have devolved to a primitive state, and who these chimps consider to be lower than wild pigs. 

Here, we establish that Noa’s mother Dar (Sara Wiseman) is a kind soul, and his father, Kora (Neil Sandalands), the Master of Birds is – well, let’s just say there’s some father-son tension between them. It’s not explicitly stated, but the vibe is, Noa’s old man thinks he’s a bit of a screw-up, and Noa feels like he’ll never do enough to satisfy him. Kora instantly smells something foul: the “echo”’s blanket, which Noa found. Kora gives it to the clan elders, who send a party out to investigate. Now, if you’re thinking that the eradication of human intelligence has brought about utopia, perhaps you should ponder the concept of entropy instead. Unbeknownst to the Eagle Clan, another group of apes exists, and they’ve not only figured out how to build battery-powered tasers, it seems they’ve also discovered imperialism. They attack the Eagle Clan, burning down their homes, enslaving the citizenry and leaving Noa for dead.

And so, Noa’s destiny is laid out ahead of him: He will rescue his clan so they can rebuild their home. It’s a journey of discovery of self and the world around him. He pairs up with a lone orangutan named Raka (Peter Macon), who reads books and follows the old tenets of Caesar, you know, ATS (Apes Together Strong) and ANKA (Ape Not Kill Ape), the stuff he established in the previous movies. They soon come across the “echo,” and Raka teaches Noa that he should be compassionate instead of hostile toward the girl, who Raka calls Nova – “They’re all called Nova,” he says, winking right at everyone who’s seen the Apes movies from the 1960s and ’70s. But she’s actually Mae (Freya Allan), and she defies their expectations by talking and thinking rationally, unlike the rest of the remaining humans. She knows where the Eagle Clan was taken: To a stronghold ruled by Proximus Caesar (Kevin Durand), who has twisted the OG Caesar’s philosophies, and apparently interprets ATS to mean “let’s enslave other apes so I can be strong.” Hmm. It seems as if the apes have discovered another questionable human creation: Religion!

What Movies Will It Remind You Of?: The power struggles here, the post-apocalyptic-rebuild societies and the story of a commoner destined to be much more than common beg some comparison to Furiosa. Otherwise, here’s THEE ULTIMATE ranking of all the Planet of the Apeses, and yes, I’ve seen all of them: 

10. Planet of the Apes (2001) – Tim Burton’s remake is hot, hot garbage.

9. Battle for the Planet of the Apes (1973) – This is where the OG series ran out of money and ideas.

8. Conquest of the Planet of the Apes (1972) – A couple good ideas about racism and prejudice, not much of a budget.

7. Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970) – Rather wacky sequel to the first film has the most depressing ending in cinema history. (Yes, even more depressing than Miracle Mile.)

6. Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes (2024) – Like I said, rock-solid. More plusses than minuses.

5. Escape from the Planet of the Apes (1971) – Time-travel plot puts smart apes in 1971, opening the door to compelling fish-out-of-water plot (and, perhaps not so coincidentally, a reduced budget). 

4. Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011) – The rebirth of the series is smart, funny, emotionally engaging and boasts a humdinger of a final action sequence on the Golden Gate Bridge.

3. War for the Planet of the Apes (2017) – The heartbreaking, but hopeful conclusion to Caesar’s saga proves that the bridge over the uncanny valley leads right to the Planet of the Apes. 

2. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014) – Fraught with ideas and wrought with riveting action. A new marvel among high-tech blockbusters.

1. The Planet of the Apes (1968) – GOD DAMN YOU ALL TO HELL! A sci-fi all-timer rife with succulent irony, an iconic score and That Final Scene.

Performance Worth Watching: One of the traps Kingdom falls into? The villain eclipses the hero’s charisma, thanks to Durand, who imbues Proximus with a vivid and colorful lust for technology and progress – read: power – that renders him an instantly complex figure. 

Memorable Dialogue: Gross irony: “For Caesar!” yell the bad-guy apes as they zap other apes with their taser sticks and enslave them.

Sex and Skin: None.

Our Take: I’d be fine with hanging out with the Eagle Clan chimps, taking in the ins, outs and what-have-yous of their culture in a quiet, observational drama dubbed The Anthropology of the Planet of the Apes, but alas, tentpole blockbusters require high stakes and vigorous action sequences. Which isn’t to say Kingdom is disappointing – it’s a reasonably well-balanced film, Ball applying visual rigor to both the smaller, more intimate scenes and the bigger, more thrilling moments of physical conflict. Although it’s not up to par with the previous trilogy, it’s still a worthy successor, concluding on a bit of a cliffhanger and therefore establishing the arc of a new, planned trilogy that we should greet with open arms.

On the surface, Kingdom isn’t quite as immersive as its predecessors; if we’re splitting hairs, the CG here is merely excellent instead of mind-blowing like Dawn or War. There’s a general sense that the ending and overall run time could be tightened up, that some characters rich with potential go underused (especially Raka and his gentle, philosophizing ways, and William H. Macy’s human character, who enables Proximus by reading him human literature). And although he lacks some of the fascinating gravitas of Andy Serkis’ Caesar character, Noa is a worthy-enough protagonist, a naive and uncertain fellow who has to find the courage and fortitude to be a leader. (He also learns a new word from Mae: “Shit.” Feel free to debate whether this is good or bad, although it’s definitely funny.)

In comparison with his foil, Proximus is more fascinating but harder to align with. He wisely points out that the duplicity that seems inherent in humans is the true evil, and apes’ honesty makes them superior – an agreeable enough statement until you realize it’s coming from a guy who’s totally transparent about his by-any-means-necessary/the-ends-justify-the-means philosophies. Cut-and-dried villains are dullsville, and Proximus isn’t at all cut from that beige cloth, although one could argue that his grand introduction at the halfway point both gooses the film exactly when it needs it, and probably should’ve come a lot sooner.

The dynamic between Proximus’ hubris and Noa’s humility is good, strong fulcrum for the modest bounty of ideas Kingdom lays out. The film essentially tells the story of Noa’s broadened worldview: His clan arose unaware of Caesar’s story. Roka’s clan embraced the noble fundamentals Caesar established. Proximus took Caesar’s teachings and twisted them. Draw modern political and spiritual parallels if you want – and you probably will – but even if you don’t, there’s a broader what-makes-one-human message here that aligns itself within the greater constellation of the Apes franchise. Part of the apes’ struggle has always been what’s worth preserving from human culture, and what parts of it tempts and corrupts them. The previous trilogy explored how Caesar valued and employed trust – a noble concept that also can be exploited by the duplicitous. Lying beneath that is the grand struggle between hope and cynicism, how too much of the former makes you too vulnerable, and too much of the latter corrupts the spirit. It’s Noa’s turn to wrestle with this, and this new trilogy is ripe and ready to dive into the philosophical deep end.

Our Call: You can nitpick some of Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes’ flaws, but considering the ambition of its visual and thematic scope, that feels shortsighted. It’s a good, strong entry in this enduring franchise. STREAM IT.

John Serba is a freelance writer and film critic based in Grand Rapids, Michigan.