Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes Review

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is the fourth installment in the reboot franchise that began with 2011's Rise of the Planet of the Apes. It is directed by Wes Ball and takes place 300 years after the events of War of Planet of the Apes. In War, the leader of the apes Ceaser led the apes to the safety of the oasis at the cost of his own life, and in this film, his legacy and presence are felt.

This new film is set to launch a trilogy and focuses on an ape named Noa (Owen Teague), from a tribe that raises eagles, as he attempts to save his tribe from a power-hungry ape known as Proximus Ceasar (Kevin Durand). Proximus distorts Ceasar's teachings for his own benefit and seeks to gain lost human technology. The film also stars Freya Allen as Nova a human who aids Noa and Peter Macon as an orangutan named Raka.

The pacing in the first half of the film stalls a bit after a very good opening. Proximus Ceasar was a fantastic villain who I felt deserved more screen time. The visuals were stunning and superior to what was shown in previous installments. Overall it was a worthy successor to the 3 previous films and I'm excited to see how future installments explore the central themes of coexistence between apes and humans.