Running Time: 145 minutes
This film from 20th Century Studios opens exclusively at theaters on May 10th.
When Rise of the Planet of the Apes was first released back in 2011, this reviewer was skeptical that the reboot could match the effectiveness of the original series. As it turned out, the new trilogy was remarkably strong, featuring a new and compelling take on the concept with groundbreaking visual effects. Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is the latest chapter in the series, set many “ape” generations after the end of the previous title. Sadly, this effort doesn’t surprise and is a clunky, unnecessary follow-up.
Noa (Owen Teague) is a young chimpanzee living with his tribe at an isolated locale. The group have a special connection to eagles, and their rite of passage into adulthood involves taking an egg and training the hatching birds as their personal companions. Young Noa prepares for this ceremony, but is interrupted by dangerous goings on around his community. One of the threats is the vicious gorilla Proximus Caesar (Kevin Durand), who has twisted the words of Caesar to justify invading territories. Another potential danger is Mae (Freya Allan), a mysterious human woman hiding in the bushes. After an assault on his community, Noa is forced to journey into a forbidden land, approach strangers and figure out how both he and his species can move into the future.
It’s clear from the outset that the movie is attempting to establish a new group of characters. However, it’s very exposition heavy and few of the apes in this follow-up are as charismatic or interesting as in the previous movies. Noa is a conventionally brave young hero finding his way in the world. There are a few amusing interactions with a helpful orangutan named Raka (Peter Macon), but early sections of the picture are heavy on conversations relating to the late leader Caesar and the true meanings of his teachings. While Raka earns a chuckle or two over the course of the film, many attempts at humor between the characters fall flat.
On a technical level, the film is impressive to behold. The CGI apes are generally absorbing once again, particularly in close-ups. Some of the action with the simians jumping around in wider shots doesn’t look quite as convincing, but it’s still engaging to watch. There are some visually striking locations and a couple of tense scenes involving water that are well put together and add a bit of tension to the proceedings.
But as noted, if the characters themselves aren’t particularly compelling, it doesn’t really matter. Typically, this series has always included a dynamic human role for the apes to play off of. Previous chapters featured the likes of James Franco, John Lithgow, Jason Clarke, Kerri Russell and Woody Harrelson. Human Mae barely speaks for a good portion of the story and is very reserved when she does choose to share information. As written, the character doesn’t possess the much-needed gravitas or make an exciting individual for the apes to engage with. A famous face does pop up briefly in the second half of the film to try to add some weight to the story, but the attempt is too late to make a lasting impact.
Yes, there is a villain and that conflict is resolved in a satisfying manner. The film tries to show the fallibility of a few of its characters and how they are unwilling to see different viewpoints, only concerned with manipulating others to accomplish their own goals. However, the pacing lags overall and much of the lengthy running time is exposition-heavy. When motivations are revealed, they aren’t surprising. It’s a lot of bluntly delivered set-up without a thrilling pay-off.
This series enthusiast was less-than-wowed by the latest chapter in this series. In the end, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes doesn’t live up to its predecessors. It is too busy grooming itself for future installments instead of delivering a satisfying narrative in the moment.