Review: 'Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes' pulls out all the action stops
There's life and art in the ape-verse, but franchise fatigue is sneaking in.
Can you believe it? "Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes," now thumping its chest in theaters, is the 10th movie in a simian blockbuster franchise that began in 1968 with astronaut Charlton Heston memorably hating on the "damn, dirty apes" to keep their mitts off of him.
Fat chance. Having so far grossed over $2 billion worldwide, the franchise is not quitting. In fact, the most recent epic, 2017's "War for the Planet of the Apes," struck gold with critics and audiences, proving again there was a market for talking apes whose battles with humans reflected themes of racial tension, Cold War politics and animal rights.
The first thing amiss if you loved the last two entries in the franchise, which were directed by Matt Reeves, is the absence of Andy Serkis, the British actor whose motion-capture performance as ape leader Caesar resonated with a power and depth of feeling that felt nearly Shakespearean.
The new film, the longest ever at two hours and 25 minutes, opens with Caesar's funeral. That's a bummer, though Serkis stayed on as an acting consultant to keep the mo-cap work in peak form. It is. This is one gorgeous looking ape extravaganza, full of a heat and heart. But a slackness has crept into the storytelling that needs monitoring
The script skips ahead 300 years to show that the score is now apes 10, humans zero on the scoreboard for planet control. A virus has rotted the brains of humans, who have lost the ability to talk. With their most dangerous threat sidelined, the apes mostly fight with each other.
Set in the ruggedly beautiful Pacific Northwest, but shot in Australia, "Kingdom" shows skyscrapers and other man-made wonders covered in weeds and neglect.
Among the good apes is Noa (a terrific Owen Teague), a member of the Eagle Clan, which nurtures eagle eggs and all things Mother Nature. Noa reacts badly when he sees a human female named Mae (a standout Freya Allan) stealing clan food. But his peaceful instincts prevail, ignited by Yoda-ish old orangutan Raka (Peter Macon is a hoot).
Real trouble comes in the form of a warlike tribe of armored ape horsemen led by Proximus Caesar (a hissable Kevin Durand), a bonobo psycho who pretends to follow the "ape not kill ape" teachings of the late Caesar. Instead he attacks the Eagle Clan and sets Noa on the run, with Mae following.
Working from a script by Josh Friedman, director Wes Ball (of the dubious "Maze Runner" films) pulls out all the action stops as the apes go ape with a vengeance. The kingdom of the title belongs to Proximus, who's willing to enslave or murder his kin to suit his rabid ambition as he fights to open a rusty vault said to contain the secrets of human history. Hint: It's tech.
A scary silverback soldier named Sylva (Eka Darville) pushes Proximus toward all-out war. But the leader's human adviser, Trevathan (a wickedly wily William H. Macy) persuades Proximus that the vault is worth any bloodshed needed to seize it.
In the final third, the movie loses points from thudding repetition and by practically begging for a sequel without providing evidence that there's a crying need for one. Don't get me wrong. There's still life and art in the ape-verse, but a worrying case of franchise fatigue is sneaking in. Whatever happened to quitting while you're ahead?
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