After a seven-year hiatus, we’re once again back in the world of the primates. Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes continues the story originally started with 2011’s Rise, but with a massive, 300-year time jump and new characters reckoning with what remains of Caesar’s legacy. When it’s been so long since we’ve had one of these movies, can Kingdom be a worthy continuation of the franchise?
The answer is somewhat mixed: the movie’s netted solid reviews, but some of that praise has been a bit muted. While there’s been plenty of praise towards Wes Ball’s direction and its visuals, there’s also been some criticism that this cast isn’t as fully engaging as Caesar and company were, save for Kevin Durand’s bonobo baddie Proximus. It’s also been noted that it doesn’t have the full spark of its predecessors, but even less enthusiastic reviews have said the film’s got enough of the juice in spots that it’s not a total wash.
I left the theater thinking Kingdom was a solid effort at returning to this world, but not the big game changer it should’ve felt like. Its characters were mostly engaging and the film just constantly looks great, but some of the beats toward the end didn’t entirely feel as earned as they should. (Likewise, it probably would’ve helped if Proximus apppeared about 10 minutes earlier than he actually does.) And yet, there’s a genuine, earnest effort on display from start to finish to not just echo the themes and style of those previous movies, but to try and figure out how to build off of Caesar’s journey. It’s a bit of a transitional movie, but one that’s playing things with real sinceerity and a desire to do more than check some franchise boxes.
As always, we want to know what you think of Kingdom and how it stacks against the larger franchise. Let us know in the comments below, and where you think the next two movies will go from here.
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