‘Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes’ review: Dir. Wes Ball (2024)

Starting with 2011’s Rise and culminating in 2017’s War,  the Planet of the Apes franchise has seen one of the more successful and celebrated reboot treatments in recent Hollywood memory. With a largely serious and stoic approach, the origins tale for the 1968 sci-fi classic boasted strong character actors, rich subtext and startling CGI and remain high points when it comes to motion capture performances, be it Toby Kebbell’s rage-filled Koba or Andy Serkis’ towering Caesar. With the trilogy complete, fans would likely have been content in piecing in the gaps that would lead to the world that Charlton Heston’s astronaut would crash land on some time in the future. 

Yet, you can’t let a successful IP lay dormant for too long, and with thousands of years of potential story to tell, the Apes are once again back to takeover cinemas, with the task in font of Kingdom being a towering one; maintaining the quality of a much-heralded prequel trilogy all the while carving a new future for a franchise where everyone already knows the eventual end point. So just how has Wes Ball – replacing Matt Reeves in the director’s chair –  stepped up to the challenge? 

Set many generations after Caesar’s death, apes are now the dominant intelligent species on the planet, with humans now devolved into a primitive state and unable to speak. We follow young chimpanzee Noa (Owen Teague), a member of the Eagle clan who lives in a quiet valley isolated from the rest of the world. However, that peace is soon disrupted when his village is invaded by forces working for Proximus Caesar (Kevin Durand), a charismatic but brutal Bonobo who is seeking out ancient human technology to bolster the might of  his kingdom, all the while twisting the ancient philosophies laid down by the original Caesar hundreds of years ago to force fellow apes to do his will. Despite the unknown before him, Noaheads out to bring his family home on a journey that will change his perception of the world forever. 

Through its classic picaresque hero’s journey, Ball and his screenwriter Josh Friedman take their time to reestablish a world that has seen hundreds of years of change since we last walked in its landscape. Human structures such as skyscrapers and radio towers have been taken over by nature and the apes, with new pockets of civilization taking their place. A lot of time is dedicated to establishing Noa and his surroundings, and it is ultimately to the film’s benefit, as the time taken to get to know Noa and his world builds a stronger connection to these new characters, as well drive home just how different Proximus’ kingdom is to Noa’s home. 

There are a number of great conflicts at play in Kingdom, be it in the different philosophies taken on by these two ape clans, to the way religious teachings can be warped and manipulated to serve a more nefarious purpose over time. That’s heady stuff, and is, of course, the type of thematic concerns fans of the franchise have come to expect, both from the prequel trilogy and the original run. There is often the sense that Kingdom curbs some of the more interesting aspects – Proxmus’ fascination with human trinkets and tech is tantalising if a little under-explored, as is how humans have continued to survive and develop  –  which one suspects is a case of back for potential follow-ups.

But what slight frustrations there may be at some darker corners of the world also highlights what the film does very well. Essentially, Kingdom is starting from square one when it comes to world-building, and it is startling how quickly you find yourself invested in the ape-drama once more. You only want to explore more details offered by the world because you are so into it. The film is also very smart in how it applies its action sequences. There’s nothing that particularly stands out as a main set piece, instead the action beats are well placed in a manner that drives momentum, mystery and suspense with character always at the centre. There’s rarely a sequence here that feels reverse-engineered, and in the modern Hollywood blockbuster landscape, that is alarmingly refreshing. 

Where the film truly excels however is in how it all looks. The motion capture – once again delivered by the genius magicians at Weta – are astounding. The level of character detail and range of emotion among the impressive cast is spellbinding. It is a testament to the strength of the effects that you often forget that what you’re looking at is largely 100% CGI, from the characters to the changing landscapes across Noa’s journey. It is a striking technical showcase, very much in keeping with the astonishing work laid down by its predecessors.

That daunting prospect of reigniting the Apes franchise is one that Ball seems to have brushed off with aplomb, and it establishes a hopeful feeling for the future, even if there is the niggling sense that this is a film that largely operates to re-establish points of conflict that we’ve arguably explored before on this planet. Whether that is the case, only the future will tell, but on evidence of the character-driven and visually staggering adventure delivered here, there is certainly enough to warrant enthusiastic optimism for a franchise that continues to evolve in an impressive and often surprising fashion.

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is now playing.