“In their time, humans were capable of many great things. They could fly, like eagles fly. They could speak across oceans. But now, it is our time … and it is my kingdom. We will learn. Apes will learn. I will learn. And I … will conquer.”
Just as you think that the Planet of the Apes franchise has run out of story to tell, especially following the death of the protagonist in the preceding film, they find a way to bring the story full circle with Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, the first of a new trilogy of Planet of the Apes films. In the Andy Serkis-led Caesar, we observed apes’ ascendency to becoming the dominant species on the planet. However, with this new franchise, we will get to see if absolute power truly does corrupt absolutely. I have to take my hat off to this franchise, not only for its ten installments, but for its successful execution of long-term storytelling. When the series rebooted back in 2011, I assumed that we were just getting the origin story for the films that came before. Following that logic, I presumed that following apes ascending to the top of the food chain would be the end of the journey. However, that is not the case, as things have been brought full circle, and there is still much story to tell. Caesar’s journey was merely a chapter in a larger story that is still being written. King of the Planet of Apes marks the beginning of that new chapter, and I for one am happy to be along for the ride.
“For Caesar”
It’s as if Caesar’s sacrifices were in vain. Picking up many generations after Caesar’s death in War of the Planet of the Apes, apes have split into numerous clans. As a result, Caesar’s beliefs and hopes for peaceful coexistence between humans and apes fade over time. This isn’t all that surprising given the damage done to human and ape relations in Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, as well as humans’ devolution into mute primitives due to a mutated strain of ALZ-113 (aka Simian Flu) in War of the Planet of Apes. With those factors coupled with loss of Caesar’s wisdom, you could argue that it was only a matter of time before apes began to act as the humans had upon becoming the dominant species. This is supported by the twisting of Caesar’s original teachings by the film’s primary antagonist, who even dares to call himself by Caesar’s name.
However, let’s back it up a bit and talk about our new protagonist, Noa (Tampa’s very own Owen Teague, It and It Chapter Two). Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is essentially a coming-of-age story, and Teague’s Noa is our reluctant hero. As such, much of the story is from his perspective. As the clan leader’s son, the film does rely on the trope of him doubting his ability to live up to his father. However, following a tragic loss and the enslavement of his clan by an ape leader of rival clan, he is thrust into the role as his clan’s only hope for salvation. To that effect and to have any hope of saving his clan, he forms alliances. This is the vehicle for the introduction for my favorite character, played by Freya Allan of The Witcher fame. Her character arc was the film’s most important in my opinion, dare I say even more important than Noa’s. Not to undercut Noa’s storyline, but it is very clear where his arc will lead. In regards to Freya’s character, it is not, providing the film with much-needed unpredictability. Drawing on her experience (i.e. The Witcher) playing complex characters, Freya delivers a layered and mercurial performance. She keeps you on your toes because you’re never quite sure of her motivations or intentions. She clearly has an agenda, and that agenda masterfully unfolds as the story progresses along with setting the stage for the next installment. Moreover, Freya’s conveyance of the conflicting emotions will have you leaning in. Even when she is forced to cross moral and ethical lines, you can’t help but sympathize with her motivations for having to do so. Bringing things back to our primary protagonist, despite having large shoes to fill as the new face of this franchise, I’d say that Teague shoulders the responsibility well and establishes the emotional resonance to carry the story forward and blaze his own path. Teague and Allan complement each other well, and I’m looking forward to the further development of their dynamic assuming that they both remain part of the franchise, which I wholeheartedly encourage.
My only real issue with the film was the story’s pacing. A lot of emphasis was put into the journey to finding the clan, and while this was an important sequence of events, I believe that it could have been cut down to devote more time to expanding on how Proximus Caesar’s kingdom operated. Not to mention that the loss of a significant character along the journey felt like an unnecessary addition, as the character was already emotionally invested following the earlier tragic loss. Doubling down didn’t really do anything to further the story along in my opinion. This sacrifice may have been better as a later addition to the film. Perhaps as a catalyst for bringing Noa back to himself the filmmakers elected to have him fall under the sway of our antagonist’s twisting of Caesar’s teachings.
Outside that issue, I found Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes to be a compelling story and an entertaining introduction for this next chapter. I’m all in, especially with the opposing sides that our characters find themselves on. The stage has been set for the next installment, and conflict is brewing with only one possible outcome, which I can’t wait to see unfold.
