Currently in Theaters, Here's Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes Synopsis and Movie Review
Epic ListThe latest installment of the Planet of the Apes universe, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes (2024) comes as a complementary movie after the recent trilogy released in 2011-2017. The last two films of the trilogy had a deep impression of a post-apocalypse world where Apes and humans are faced with a crisis point.
Director Matt Reeves, through Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014) and its follow-up War for the Planet of the Apes (2017), managed to make these two pieces of film a complete work. The technology, the depth of the story, and the inherent emotional side of the characters make the last two films the strongest of the franchise.
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is directed by Wes Ball (Maze Runner). After Caesar dies and finds a new place for his people, which concludes the trilogy, the scene is shot and continued as the opening scene of Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes. After that, the story is completely different and new.
The world and characters in Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes have come a long way since the last movie in the trilogy. The post-Caesar apes have regenerated and now form their own clans. Apes dominate. Meanwhile, humans are becoming rare creatures. Apes are becoming more human-like and vice versa.
Noa (Owen Teague), the young ape son of the Eagle clan leader who lives in the mountains, must face his nightmare. His clan's settlement is destroyed by another Ape clan that is forming its kingdom, Proximus. Noa's relatives and friends were taken by the Proximus Apes to the coast, where they settled.
She traveled to find and bring back her clan. Along the way, she meets Raka (Peter Macon), the only orangutan who practices the true teachings of Caesar. Noa and Raka are also joined by Nova (Freya Allan). Nova's name was actually taken by Raka from a story about Caesar who named a human by that name.
The three of them went on an adventure to find Proximus. Proximus is a false king who claims to practice the values taught by Caesar, but it turns into dogma. He became a tyrant in the new world. Hiring Apes from other clans for the benefit of the kingdom he built.
Apes vs Man Crisis
The emotional side of Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is not as deep as what Reeves has left behind in the last two films of the trilogy. The depth of emotion that existed in the last two films in the trilogy was actually also due to how the Apes had to deal with humans who threatened their survival.
The crisis point is created by placing Apes versus humans. The persona of Caesar, played by Andy Serkis as well as supporting characters such as Maurice (Karin Konoval) and even the antagonist Koba (Toby Kebbell) provide layers of intrigue that give the audience to empathize.
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes does 'get rid' of the emotional side. This movie is like a return to the starting point for the audience to invest in the story as well as the expansion of new characters. Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is no longer Apes versus humans, but Apes versus Apes, who are not that different from humans.
The movie also similarly echoes history repeating itself. What Proximus did, by obscuring Caesar's values, which became a legend and a myth, is the same as humans in the past. When humans became tyrants and occupied other groups.