Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes Digital 4K Review

Many years after the reign of Caesar, a young ape goes on a journey that will lead him to question everything he’s been taught about the past and make choices that will define a future for apes and humans alike. (from IMDB)

Fifty-Five years after the first Planet of the Apes film, released in 1968, the franchise is still going strong. In 2011, the popular series was given a reboot, titled Rise of the Planet of the Apes, serving as a strong origin story for the dominating apes. In it, a human scientist determined to find a cure for the Alzheimer’s disease accidentally releases a viral strain that kills most of the human population, while making apes extremely intelligent. The scientist, played by James Franco, raises an ape for several years, named Caesar, who ends up leading the ape revolution in the climax of the film. 2014 delivered its first sequel, the fantastic Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, which takes place a decade after the events of Rise and sees Caesar living peacefully in the woods with his fellow apes. When humans, bent on survival, try to infiltrate Caesar’s land to access a power plant’s resources, prejudices on both sides cause a war to breakout between the apes and the humans. This leads to 2018’s trilogy finale, War for the Planet of the Apes. The series draws to a close with Caesar’s people being attacked by a fanatical human general who is bent on eradicating the apes and fighting anyone – other humans included – who might stand in his way. The movie ends with Caesar being mortally wounded, but not before having led his people to safety in a new land.

Since 2018, Disney purchased 20th Century Fox, who previously owned the franchise, and another sequel was put into development. Enter Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes. The fourth entry in the reboot series takes place “many generations later,” with Caesar being a long remembered savior of the apes, and humans are still struggling to survive. With so much time having passed, we’re entering into a totally new world with potentially hundreds of years of events having since taken place between films. But, thankfully enough, with a new director and a new cast of characters, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is a worthy continuation of the saga.

Now, to be clear, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes still takes place long before Charlton Heston’s spaceship lands in the 1968 film. (Whether they decide to remake that movie as part of this series is, at this time, unknown. But it kind of seems unlikely. Picture these movies as what Rogue One and Solo are to the original Star Wars movie, and it kind of gives you an idea of how these movies all fit together.) In fact, the producers of this series – that began with Rise of… – have since said they envisioned 9 total films in this series, so there’s potential for another five movies following Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes!

Kingdom… opens with a brief, written recap of the first trilogy which then briefly shows Caesar’s funeral (which wasn’t in the last film). We’re then catapulted generations later to a new trio of apes. Noa and his two friends are part of a tribe of apes that train eagles as part of their culture. Noa is young enough to not quite follow in his father’s footsteps – a man who is the leader of this tribe – so the story that unfolds is very much a coming-of-age or loss-of-innocence story… just with apes. Caesar had been the main character of the first trilogy (Franco had been front-and-center of that first movie, but the focus eventually shifts to Caesar and his ape allies). Dawn had kind of split the focus between humans and apes a bit (still with Caesar at the center), but by the time we get to War for the Planet of the Apes, Caesar and the apes are completely the focus. This is their story (unlike the Transformers live action movies that follow the humans mostly, despite people filling the seats to see the robots brought to life more than any human story they could give us). Noa, who is played by Owen Teague, is the film’s central character here. When we first meet him and his friends as they hunt for eagle eggs, it’s easy to feel no longer familiar with this cinematic world. But we soon get to know Noa and his tribe… that is, just before his world is turned completely upsidedown. When Noa comes face-to-face with a new threat, the followers of a vicious ape ruler who calls himself Proximus Caesar, he’s sent on a journey that has him questioning almost everything he’s come to know about the world around him.

Although it had a solemn, if not entirely sad, ending, War for the Planet of the Apes was a rather satisfying conclusion to the trilogy. Sure, it didn’t exactly lead up to the events of the 1968 movie, but it was a strong standalone series all its own. Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes really is a great start for something new. Elements of it, especially with the central characters being younger, brought some Avatar: The Way of Water vibes, but it has enough uniqueness to stand out and familiarity to fit in with what preceded it. (And I like these movies way better than any Avatar movie thus far.) The human storyline also progresses, as the humans continue to push back against annihilation, and it’s a little bizarre to find ourselves rooting for a different species than our own.

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is one of those rare movies where the previews didn’t tell you the whole movie, and didn’t give away any significant secrets. Although I had seen the previews a few times before other movies I’ve seen recently in the theater, I still felt like most of what I watched was fresh. So, with that said, I can’t go into detail much without spoiling things, but I like the surprises that were left for the audience. The film’s production values are also incredible, and the post-apocalyptic Earth was done quite well. While I do miss Caesar, the new characters are easy to warm up to, and I’m most certainly curious as to where the human storyline might be headed next.

The content for the movie is mostly PG-13 because of violence. Some of the ape-on-ape violence is pretty intense, as well as a bit bloody. A human character is also seen being choked to death, which may surprise some viewers. An ape is beaten till his face is bloody, another is seen dead and a little bloody, and Noa happens upon the aftermath of an attack and finds several dead and dying apes with blood on them. An animal is shot and we see blood bubble out of the wound before they keel over. Overall, it’s got some intense moments and violence, but it’s seldom gory; just a bit bloody at times. There is almost no profanity at all, but when an ape hears someone use the “S” word for the first time, he repeats it. Later in the film, something happens that surprises him and he says it again. (It’s played for laughs, but it’s still annoyingly predictable.)

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes may seem like a kind of unnecessary sequel, but it’s a really good one, and it continues the Planet of the Apes prequel series really well. I continue to be impressed with this newer run of Apes films (I was never into the original ones much), and they’re engaging enough to have me looking forward to future installments in the series.

If you’re wondering if the movie is worth springing for an IMAX ticket, the answer is a resounding YES. Granted, I pretty much always prefer the larger format, but it does serve this movie well, so I definitely recommend it.

– John DiBiase (reviewed: 5/13/24)

While it’s still on screens in some theaters nationwide, you can now snag a digital copy of Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes for at-home or on-the-go viewing. After seeing it again, I still hold to the feeling that it’s a solid and worthy entry in this impressive new take on the franchise. The movie is available digitally from all the usual retailers, but here we’re going to take a look at the iTunes version.

First off, the picture. The movie looks beautiful in digital 4K – not surprising – and I have to agree with the filmmakers who praise the digital work from WETA. It’s funny, though, because it’s one of those large-scale movies that looked stunning on the big screen and is paid a little bit of disservice being given the small-screen treatment. (This is one of those situations where you really get a lot out of a theater setting.)

The special features on the iTunes digital copy include:

Inside the Forbidden Zone: Making Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes (23:26) – Director Wes Ball shares his history with the original film and his love for the 1968 movie growing up. He reflects on taking on the franchise and how he wanted a bit more fantasy this time around, like filming visually rich sequences or incorporating eagles with the apes in the same way as man has done with dogs. We see lots of on-set footage, especially how they built sets on location outside while shooting in Australia. This featurette also talks about putting the actors through ape school, Andy Serkis consulting on the project, and how the bridge water scene was actually filmed in a parking lot! (1 “d*mn” from a scene from Rise of the Planet of the Apes)

Deleted Scenes/Extended Scenes (32:19) – There are 14 deleted/extended scenes with a Play All option and optional commentary by director Wes Ball. These are shown as a mix of finished animation and actors in motion capture suits. Some of the footage is even just the actors indoors in a studio with climbing walls and no other scenery or props.

1. Sc 003 – Noa, Soona, Anaya Climb First (2:05) – There’s a little more dialog between the three of them here, with some goofing around between them.
2. Sc 006 – Noa, Soona, Anaya Post-Egg Climb (1:00) – A little more of them walking and talking (nothing important, but the animation is finished)
3. Sc 020 – Noa / Soona Hammock Talk (2:02) – A little intimate moment of Soona encouraging Noa to get some rest before the next day’s ceremony.
4. Sc 033 – Lightning & Sylva on Hunt (1:01) – Completely unfinished footage (everyone is in their gray mocap suits) of Proximus’s men hunting Noa’s people.
5. Sc 040 – Eagle Clan Prisoners (1:33) – A short scene of Promixus’s goons shepherding Eagle Clan prisoners.
6. Sc 046 – Noa Dreams of Father (1:08) – A short finished scene of Noa seeing his father in a dream.
7. Sc 051A – A053 Noa Meets Raka in Temple, Raka Shows Him Out (3:34) – Here, Raka shares more about following the ways of the original Caesar. It then shows the two walking as Raka puts fruit out in hanging bowls.
8. Sc 057 – Lightning & Sylva at Noa’s Camp Fire (1:21) – More of Proximus’s guys continuing to hunt Noa.
9. Sc 058 – Noa & Raka Leave the Airport (1:47) – Noa asks Raka why he burns his dead.
10. Sc 062 – Noa Chases Down Mae, Encounters Marauders (7:51) – Raka wakes Noa to tell him Mae is gone. Noa rides after her to get his mother’s shawl back. They then hide from Proximus’s marauders who are suddenly approaching them. Afterwards, Noa tries to give herbal medicine to Mae to help her with a scrape on her forehead. Raka steps in to take over instead. Following this, we see Raka and Noa talking around the campfire until Raka passes out. Noa then wanders off and finds the telescope pointing to the night sky.
11. Sc 076 – Noa & Mae Talk About Dreams (3:11) – They have a nice little conversation about what they saw in the telescope and what dreams mean to them.
12. Sc A120 – Entering Silo (1:25) – A little more of them walking around, exploring as they enter the silo.
13. Sc 122 – Anaya Stumbles (1:00) – We hear a crash when Anaya falls or stumbles off screen as they’re exploring the rooms in the bunker.
14. Sc 152 – Beach Walk – Ape Exodus (2:23) – Noa turns to see other apes join their exodus. Mae is seen in the distance watching this as well.

I read that the movie will also be getting a rough cut that shows a side-by-side comparison of the finished film and the actors in motion capture suits. I thought this might also be on the digital copy, but at this point at least, it isn’t. There’s a good chance it may be exclusive to the future disc release.

– John DiBiase (reviewed: 7/11/24)

 Sex/Nudity: None. Some humans are seen in semi-small loincloths and almost caveman-like attire, but there is no nudity.
 Vulgarity/Language: 3 “S” words.
 Alcohol/Drugs: None.
 Blood/Gore: Noa happens upon a group of dead apes lying in a road, with blood on them; An elder ape is attacked and beaten up, showing some blood on his face. We later see him lying dead; Apes try to pull open a large metal door, but the ropes snap back and slash a few of them, showing some blood; An animal is shot and we see blood bubble out of the wound; An ape is beaten repeatedly until he is pretty bloodied up, with blood dripping from his mouth (we see this up close).
 Violence: Lots of action violence; Noa and his friends climb and leap up trees and rocks to get to eagles’ nests. Noa then risks an especially dangerous jump and almost falls; Some apes and gorillas wield shock sticks that they use to shock and maim other apes; Noa falls through a hole in the ground and almost falls into a fire before getting caught on vines and steering clear of the flames; Noa tries to get an eagle to land on his arm but it scrapes his arm with its talons instead; Apes chase humans in groups, especially Mae; Noa and his friends are attacked on a bridge by gorillas and apes. Noa fights one when one of them falls off the bridge to help another character but is then swept away (and presumably dies in the rough waters); A gorilla kills an ape off screen and we see him violently tearing the ape’s necklace made of bones (just below the screen, so it’s oddly obscurred) and then holding it up victoriously; A large group or apes are shown in captivity and forced into labor; Apes try to pull open a large metal door, but the ropes snap back and slash a few of them; An animal is shot and we see blood bubble out of the wound. The animal then falls over dead; A dam is blown up and it floods a cave, drowning some apes as they escape the flooding waters; A gorilla chases Noa through a metal structure until the gorilla is trapped and drowns; A character wraps their legs around another character’s neck and strangles them to death; An ape is beaten repeatedly until he is pretty bloodied up as he’s thrown around; Birds attack an animal that then falls to its death; and other action violence.