Review by Nicholas Porteous for Mr. Will Wong
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes begins generations after the death of Caesarâthe leader of the ape revolution that laid waste to human civilization as we knew it in the modern Planet of the Apes trilogy. Itâs a soft reboot of sorts, with an entirely new cast of characters inhabiting a different world in the distant futureâa world that has become decidedly far more ape-centric. Our hero, Noa (Owen Teague), leaves his home to explore the post-human landscape. Along the way he encounters a human (Freya Allan) who may hold the key to a new kind of civilization, and Proximus Caesar (Kevin Durand)âa self-proclaimed disciple of Caesarâs teachings looking to advance ape technology and cement his hold on the planet for generations to come.
In a tentpole Blockbuster environment that tends to emphasize lore, exposition, witty dialogue and recurring characters, I found Kingdom to be a welcome breath of fresh airâparticularly as the fourth entry in a series. Itâs a movie that takes its time, relies on images and performances, and uses a distinct lack of verbal acrobatics to enable the storytelling. At times it plays like a silent movie. Much of the joy of Kingdom is in the exploration and unfolding of its distinct world. It actually shares a lot in common with the Avatars as a semi-travelogue about a beautiful and dangerous place where humans arenât super welcome.
I was very taken by every performance in Kingdom. Freya Allan is a magnetic presence, and she does a whole lot with a relatively constrained characterâthough thereâs a case to be made sheâs WAY too well-groomed for this shattered world. Give her some yellow, deformed teeth and a bad haircut, you cowards. Tangent: is this role the perfect feature-length screen test for a Tomb Raider reboot? Apes-wise, this has to be among the best motion-capture work Iâve seen, and probably the single best ensemble of motion-captured characters. Their faces and body language manage to be both hyper-expressive and paradoxically just as nuanced as any human counterpart. And despite being puppeted by humans, the ape behaviour lands in an undeniably real way, scene after scene. Itâs the kind of movie that leaves me begging for a full suite of blu ray making-of featurettes (and Iâm glad to hear we might be seeing a cg-free cut of the Film when it gets its physical release later this year)âthough I needed a break by the time the Credits rolled.
This brings me to the first arguable setback of Kingdom: it definitely feels its length. In fact, Iâll say it feels significantly longer than its 145 minutes. The pace of the Movie is a tightrope actâbetween unravelling what feels like an entire season of television in one sitting, while also giving a generous amount of space for each of its many acts to breatheâeach closeup and bit of dialogue the time it needs to truly sink in. I almost wish the story stretched itself over more than one film, but I couldnât tell you the logical place to cut Kingdomâs saga down the middle.
I also wanted more from the climax. I wouldnât call it unexciting, but itâs not the highlight of the Movie, and there are some creative liberties taken with a certain⌠weapon of choice that defy plausibility, and simply would have played better without. I also yearned for something a little more decisive in its final moments, but I recognize the parameters of the studio franchise. As a soft reboot, Kingdom must leave the door open for more entries. And Iâll be there when they drop!
All in all, Kingdom is a hearty helping of ape-heavy cinema thatâs very much worth the trip. Enjoy it before humanityâs reign of terror comes to its inevitable conclusion!
20th Century Studios Canada release KINGDOM OF THE PLANET OF THE APES in theatres May 8, 2024.
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