Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes: Movie Review

Cast: Owen Teague, Freya Allan, Lydia Peckham, Kevin Durand, William H Macy, Peter Macon, Travis Jeffery

Director: Wes Ball

Potentially kickstarting a new trilogy for the Weta Digital-led 2011 Apes series is a major challenge for Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes.

In truth, it doesn't quite hit the highs it needs to to launch a compelling new narrative, but an intriguing second half of the film hints at what could lie ahead for the franchise.

Set "many generations" after the death of Caesar the ape, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes focuses on Teague's Noa, an ape who's forced to embark on a journey after his clan is attacked by a rogue faction of apes.

As Noa heads out of the life he's known driven by revenge, he discovers Freya Allan's Mae, a human who appears lost - but has a dangerous secret of her own.

Much like the prior Apes franchise entrants did, this latest dwells on the duality of human nature - but at times, it distinctively feels more serviceable than sensational, lacking an emotional edge that was inherent in the first films from the get go.

That's not to say Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes isn't visually spectacular, with lush backdrops and villages overgrown with foliage resembling some of the Downtown vistas of The Last Of Us Part II videogame in parts. Once again the apes FX are sensationally done, but there's a distinct nagging sensation that there's nothing as new as there was in 2011 some 13 years on.

The first half of the film feels clunky in parts, a script demanding acquaintance with our new heroes and while Teague and latterly Macon as orangutan and Caesar-teachings follower Raka form a strong bond on the journey, some of the emotional beats feel off when they should soar.

Themes of religious idolatry, perversion of beliefs and elements of Mad Max Fury Road pervade much of the back half of Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes as ideologies clash. And it's here, in the second half of the 2hour 25 minute run time that Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes finally starts to come alive, with Noa facing ethical dilemmas that feel nuanced and offer stakes. It's also where Allan comes a little more into her own and the potential for future episodes begin to take form.

Granted those in charge faced an insurmountable task given how the 2011 franchise offered real stakes - emotional edges, narrative thrills and of its time FX; but while Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is perfectly serviceable fare that has some genuine moments of tension and suspense, its drive to launch a new franchise feels more muted than perhaps could be expected.