#REVIEW: “KINGDOM OF THE PLANET OF THE APES”

Review by Nicholas Porteous for Mr. Will Wong

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes begins generations after the death of Caesar–the leader of the ape revolution that laid waste to human civilization as we knew it in the modern Planet of the Apes trilogy. It’s a soft reboot of sorts, with an entirely new cast of characters inhabiting a different world in the distant future–a world that has become decidedly far more ape-centric. Our hero, Noa (Owen Teague), leaves his home to explore the post-human landscape. Along the way he encounters a human (Freya Allan) who may hold the key to a new kind of civilization, and Proximus Caesar (Kevin Durand)–a self-proclaimed disciple of Caesar‘s teachings looking to advance ape technology and cement his hold on the planet for generations to come.

In a tentpole Blockbuster environment that tends to emphasize lore, exposition, witty dialogue and recurring characters, I found Kingdom to be a welcome breath of fresh air–particularly as the fourth entry in a series. It’s a movie that takes its time, relies on images and performances, and uses a distinct lack of verbal acrobatics to enable the storytelling. At times it plays like a silent movie. Much of the joy of Kingdom is in the exploration and unfolding of its distinct world. It actually shares a lot in common with the Avatars as a semi-travelogue about a beautiful and dangerous place where humans aren’t super welcome.

I was very taken by every performance in Kingdom. Freya Allan is a magnetic presence, and she does a whole lot with a relatively constrained character–though there’s a case to be made she’s WAY too well-groomed for this shattered world. Give her some yellow, deformed teeth and a bad haircut, you cowards. Tangent: is this role the perfect feature-length screen test for a Tomb Raider reboot? Apes-wise, this has to be among the best motion-capture work I’ve seen, and probably the single best ensemble of motion-captured characters. Their faces and body language manage to be both hyper-expressive and paradoxically just as nuanced as any human counterpart. And despite being puppeted by humans, the ape behaviour lands in an undeniably real way, scene after scene. It’s the kind of movie that leaves me begging for a full suite of blu ray making-of featurettes (and I’m glad to hear we might be seeing a cg-free cut of the Film when it gets its physical release later this year)–though I needed a break by the time the Credits rolled.

This brings me to the first arguable setback of Kingdom: it definitely feels its length. In fact, I’ll say it feels significantly longer than its 145 minutes. The pace of the Movie is a tightrope act–between unravelling what feels like an entire season of television in one sitting, while also giving a generous amount of space for each of its many acts to breathe–each closeup and bit of dialogue the time it needs to truly sink in. I almost wish the story stretched itself over more than one film, but I couldn’t tell you the logical place to cut Kingdom‘s saga down the middle.

I also wanted more from the climax. I wouldn’t call it unexciting, but it’s not the highlight of the Movie, and there are some creative liberties taken with a certain… weapon of choice that defy plausibility, and simply would have played better without. I also yearned for something a little more decisive in its final moments, but I recognize the parameters of the studio franchise. As a soft reboot, Kingdom must leave the door open for more entries. And I’ll be there when they drop!

All in all, Kingdom is a hearty helping of ape-heavy cinema that’s very much worth the trip. Enjoy it before humanity’s reign of terror comes to its inevitable conclusion!

20th Century Studios Canada release KINGDOM OF THE PLANET OF THE APES in theatres May 8, 2024.