Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes (2024) Review

Probably one of the most anticipated films of the year sees the fourth film in the new Planet of the Apes franchise as we get Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes and I saw it yesterday and here is my review for the film. The premise of the film is set hundreds of years after the previous films event and sees an ape go on a journey to try and rescue his clan. 

Main Character

Owen Teague plays Noa who is the main Ape here and I thought he was fantastic. It was big shoes to fill after the great work of Andy Serkis as Caesar but I thought Teague knocked it out of the park. You see him really learning and having to step out of his comfort scene in order to help the other apes and forge his own personality. There is a clear character development and Noa's journey is easily the most interesting part of this film. 

Supporting Characters

Freya Allen plays Mae and I thought she did a good job in the film. I do think there were issues with her character and the way she was written but Allen did good work with the material. She had good chemistry with Teague and I thought she was decent. 

Peter Macon plays Raka and I thought he was an enjoyable character. He was mainly used as an exposition dump but he managed to do it in a fun way and again I thought Noa & Raka had good chemistry together and his charm was a welcome addition. 

Kevin Durand plays Proximus and is an awesome villain here. He isn't really in the film enough but he is so charismatic and intimidating in all the scenes that he is in. Durand absolutely nails it and feels like this cult leader really has control and is actually pretty scary. 

The rest of the apes are all really cool too. The apes that are part of Noa's clan are really fun and the chemistry between Noa and his two friends is one of the best in the film and I feel like the film missed an opportunity to keep them together more. There is also a villain ape that was awesome too and a real threat in all of the action scenes. 

Story

The story of Noa and the apes is really good. Noa goes on this journey as a reluctant hero and I really thought his development was well handled. I also liked the villains psychology and how they use Caesar's beliefs in order to push their own agenda which I really liked. But this film has an issue with the whole human story, it is confused about how much it really wants to push the human story and trying to make it overshadow the ape story. It doesn't make much sense and it was less interesting and it makes me kind of wish there were no humans in this film and the focus was fully on the apes. 

Script

The script is okay, I thought the drama was sometimes conveyed well and there was actually a few chuckle worthy moments which I enjoyed. But this film doesn't have too many stand out emotional moments that rise it above and this film has like 15 mins that is just a huge exposition drop about the previous films and it just wasn't handled very well at all. 

Style

This film looks amazing, the CGI for the Apes has improved so much and the apes looks life like and it really helps in making you care about the apes on screen. The settings are great too and the film just is beautifully shot and looks fantastic. But this film has a real problem with its pacing, the final act is really good but it is a bit of a a slog to get there and I feel like the film would have been better had it cut a good 10 mins off of it and sped up the second act. 

Overall

Overall, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is a good film and an enjoyable addition to the franchise. It falls a bit short of previous films of the franchise but it was a good watch and I think fans of the franchise will enjoy it and it is even a good launching pad for people who are new to the franchise. 

Rating - 7/10