The director of Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes Wes Ball had big shoes to fill following the success of the movies that came before it. Kingdom had to justify its existence on top of introducing a new era set generations after the modern apes movies. He generally succeeds in that venture with interesting new characters, different but familiar locations to explore, and a story that sets up future movies to come.
A lot of care was put into the setting and lore of Kingdom. Ball is a relatively young director who is best known for directing the Maze Runner trilogy but his appreciation of both the original and modern Planet of the Apes movies can be seen throughout. There were many callbacks that were taken in new directions. Since Kingdom is largely separated from the trilogy, the story is also welcoming to newcomers.
While all the apes can easily be differentiated from characters in earlier movies they aren't too memorable. Their conflicts and relationships with one another are interesting enough but you don't get to know a whole lot about them. The Orangutan Rakka teaching our main protagonist Noa about the history of the apes was intriguing but not enough time was dedicated to it. Freya Allan was convincing as Nova but a lot of her backstory is vaguely revealed through conversations. It's nice to clue in the audience but seeing certain plot points unfold would've drastically helped viewers appreciate her and the rest of the characters a lot more.
Kingdom of the Planet of the Planet of the Apes is a solid start to another set of modern apes movies. Aside from surface-level character development, the story has enough to potential to warrant further exploration.
A lot of care was put into the setting and lore of Kingdom. Ball is a relatively young director who is best known for directing the Maze Runner trilogy but his appreciation of both the original and modern Planet of the Apes movies can be seen throughout. There were many callbacks that were taken in new directions. Since Kingdom is largely separated from the trilogy, the story is also welcoming to newcomers.
While all the apes can easily be differentiated from characters in earlier movies they aren't too memorable. Their conflicts and relationships with one another are interesting enough but you don't get to know a whole lot about them. The Orangutan Rakka teaching our main protagonist Noa about the history of the apes was intriguing but not enough time was dedicated to it. Freya Allan was convincing as Nova but a lot of her backstory is vaguely revealed through conversations. It's nice to clue in the audience but seeing certain plot points unfold would've drastically helped viewers appreciate her and the rest of the characters a lot more.
Kingdom of the Planet of the Planet of the Apes is a solid start to another set of modern apes movies. Aside from surface-level character development, the story has enough to potential to warrant further exploration.
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