Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes

Old school = wandering through the collapse and ruins of civilisation with a fine atmosphere and rather likeable characters, but they barely manage to fill up the film’s 144 minutes, which is objectively twice as much time as the plot needed. Visually, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is a very nice film that will please people who love the Rise of the Planet of the Apes with its intimate setting and emphasis on minimalistic action. But Noa isn’t Caesar and, unlike Reeves, Ball isn’t enough of a baller to give Kingdom that special apocalyptic touch that Dawn of the Planet of the Apes had. Overall, however, this is a respectable contribution to the canon. It’s just a shame that the ending rather promises a variation on the original trilogy with a somewhat less charismatic protagonist. (09/05/2024)

I'm going to say it, and I'm surprised myself. Even though I'm an old boomer who grew up on the first Planet of the Apes from the late 60s, and even though I'm not a fan of the CGI serendipity of today, the direction that Rupert Wyatt took 13 years ago, Matt Reeves continued, and now Wes Ball has followed up on, is very much to my liking. While the old Apes from the 70s was becoming a ridiculous parody of itself (and an ugly one at that) episode by episode (except for the legendary first one), and Tim Burton didn't take to it happily later on either, so the current tetralogy is beautifully paced, looks beautiful, makes logical sense in how the apes evolve and take over, and the current installment is such a natural evolution in the plot that the cards are already clearly dealt. It makes me happy that in this day and age we have a film franchise that has great references and works well, which is not the norm in contemporary Hollywood, where "rhyming" is done at the top of its lungs and it usually turns out badly. (08/05/2024)

Caesar is dead, but his legacy lives on, albeit in a twisted form! Although I haven't seen War for the Planet of the Apes, I went to the cinema to see the latest entry in the post-apocalyptic ape saga, as it is a fresh reboot(?) of the franchise. Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is another audiovisually captivating spectacle, standing out in particular for its amazing CGI apes. Story-wise, the film doesn't have much to surprise, but it was still very easy to watch thanks to the attractive visuals and the regularly dosed action. I was intrigued by the character of Raky and also by the line with the breeding of eagles (it reminded me of the ikrans from Avatar). I wonder if there will be a sequel in the coming years, which I certainly wouldn't be averse to. (30/05/2024)

A slow journey of a story, which always likes to stop just long enough to introduce a new culture, show a few of its customs, and then unleash an archetypal battle that is never black and white. The effects are just as stunning as we have grown to expect from Planet of the Apes. Thanks to this, the ever so delicately guided humanistic storylines leave even more of an impact, especially since the promises of future events play out casually in the background. A clever blockbuster in that mood I will never stop seeking. (14/06/2024)

Yes, it's true that the last third doesn't live up to the two previous ones, although it really tries to, but otherwise it's basically a repeat of the 13 year old surprise from Rise of the Planet of the Apes, which I wasn't expecting much from either. This time, we've finally reached the stage where the apes are playing the lead and humans have taken second fiddle (although it may be different again in the sequel), and it's great. The visual effects work their magic again, the characters are 100% believable, the story is interesting and exploring an alien but familiar world definitely has its charm (16/05/2024)