150 Word Review: 'Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes' (2024)
Dressing like Caesar
My theory that prequels are the least interesting genre isn't perfect. Who would have thought Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes would work? Not me.
This is the fourth action fantasy in a franchise that defies my expectations: I was one of the people who didn't want to know what happened in the years before the nearly perfect 1968 sci-fi stunner Planet of the Apes.
In this all-new chapter, we inch closer to the original timeline. The great ape of the first trilogy, Caesar, is long dead. The earth is a jungle full of super-intelligent primates and (seemingly) less-evolved humans. We meet a young hero, Noa, who must fight a savage gorilla warlord to save his clan.
Actors like Owen Teague and Peter Macon aren't lost under CGI—they are amplified. The apes are alive, their world alien and familiar. It's another remarkable, sometimes touching, bit of monkey business.
Random Rankings:
Top 5 'Planet of the Apes' Movies
5. 'Beneath the Planet of the Apes' (1970)
4. 'Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes' (2011)
3. 'War For The Planet Of The Apes' (2017)
2. 'Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes' (2014)
1. 'Planet of the Apes' (1968)