1968: director Franklin J. Schaffner releases his feature-length cinematic adaptation of author Pierre Boulle’s short story, Planet of the Apes. Since then, it’s spawned five canonical films, a television show, and a Tim Burton-directed remake — not to mention countless parodies. It seemed like all the goodwill of the concept and the technical skill in the makeup and production design of the original was lost until screenwriters Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver cracked a concept for a new trilogy beginning with the Rupert Wyatt-directed Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011), a prequel story that introduces audiences to both Caesar (Andy Serkis) and the reason for the switch in planetary dominance. Seven years after the critically-acclaimed War of the Planet of the Apes (2017) concluded Caesar’s story, director Wes Ball (The Maze Runner) invites audiences to explore the next era of Apes lore in Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, now available on digital and Hulu with physical editions coming August 27th. Where the prior three films sought to explore the rise of the apes and whether peace can exist between species, Ball’s Kingdom ponders whether things really ever change no matter who is in control.
For a spoiler-free exploration of Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, head over to EoM Senior Critic Hunter Heilman’s initial theatrical release review.
Noa (played by Owen Teague) in 20th Century Studios’ KINGDOM OF THE PLANET OF THE APES. Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios. © 2024 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.
Noa (Owen Teague) is a member of the Eagle Clan, a remote group of apes whose culture revolves around the training of eagles. On the night before a bonding ceremony, his village is attacked and destroyed by the soldiers of Proximus Caesar (Kevin Durand) who are seeking a specific human they believe are hiding among the Eagle Clan. Left for dead, though very much alive, Noa treks from his home to Proximus with the intention of freeing his people. Along the way, Noa meets Raka (Peter Macon), an archivist of the old world and the original Caesar, and Nova (Freya Allan), a human that Proximus is searching for. While Noa is at first reluctant to care for Nova as he was raised on the myths of humans as a sub-species they call “Echoes,” the more time he spends with Raka and Nova, the more his perception of what he thought the world was shifts. But as the trio get closer to Proximus and Nova reveals herself to be both intelligent and talkative, Noa begins to learn that what he knew of the world is largely untrue and that nothing is as it seems.
Director Wes Ball on the set of 20th Century Studios’ KINGDOM OF THE PLANET OF THE APES. Photo by Jasin Boland. © 2024 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is not the movie you may think it is, much in the same way Rise wasn’t. Yes, Kingdom does introduce audiences to a brand-new set of characters that we’re likely going to follow in subsequent films (should they get greenlit) in the same way Rise did. Yes, Kingdom does illustrate for audiences what the world looks like when the industrial complex propagated by humanity is shut down, allowing for environmental healing. Yes, Kingdom does once more explore the notion of intelligence as a defining factor in whether a species is dominant or not. But where the marketing of the film focused on Proximus as the de facto villain, to compare Kingdom to another sci-fi work/character, Proximus is more akin to Darth Maul (Ray Parker) from Star Wars: Episode 1 – The Phantom Menace (1999) for the character is a smokescreen for the real villain and intention of the story. This isn’t because Proximus himself doesn’t appear until roughly 75 minutes into the 145-minute film as plenty of strong villains are, like Proximus, heartily represented before they make a late-stage appearance. Rather, Proximus is an entry point for a greater conversation about misappropriation of ideas (the teachings of Caesar) as an excuse for violence and subjugation of apekind (the clarion call “Apes Together Strong” takes on a new meaning when forcibly applied) and used as a mirror for who Nova really is, a freedom fighter against the apes whose real name is Mae.
Freya Allan as Mae in 20th Century Studios’ KINGDOM OF THE PLANET OF THE APES. Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios. © 2024 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.
In hindsight, the script by Josh Friedman (War of the Worlds (2005)) clues us into this far sooner than we may notice on first watch. We, like Noa, are unsure of the world outside of Eagle Clan’s land and, therefore, are exposed to new information as Noa travels to Proximus’s settlement. That Noa and his Eagle Clan family refer to humans as “Echos,” a phrase that implies beings who are reflections of what they once were, but don’t understand *why* they are called this, being unable to fathom that they were once the dominant species, speaks to the way that a history destroyed enables a culture or community to be raised with false beliefs. That Raka comments to Noa that “Echos” are to be called “Nova,” yet he doesn’t know why, speaks to acting on beliefs without understanding the truth behind them as equally dangerous. On first watch, Raka’s comment seems like a way to connect the introduction of War’s Nova (Amiah Miller) and that of the original Planet’s Nova (Linda Harrison), when in reality it speaks to the same kind of subjugation and group classification that apes themselves underwent in the Before Times. We, the audience, don’t question it as we think it’s merely making narrative connections between films, a fun easter egg of sorts, until we realize that Mae understands what Raka and Noa discuss, that she is hearing their words and filtering it through her own experience as a human now under the control of highly-intelligent simians. We still want to consider her a friend as Noa and Raka protect her, listen to her, and try to make sense of their own worldviews shifting as they come to grips with the information she shares about what life once was, until the truth of things really comes to light: Mae is part of a larger coalition of humans not yet infected (even 300 to 400 years later, as the bonus features imply) who are trying to reconnect and possibly reflip the world. This is, of course, after we learn that Proximus is using the words of Caesar to subjugate his own people in order to break into a military vault so that he can have weapons to increase his kingdom and he believes Mae has the secrets he needs to gain access. He is, of course, correct, because Mae herself wants to get in as the vault contains something she needs, but she wants to do it in a way that prevents Proximus from retrieving any of the weapons within (missiles, tanks, or even handguns). It’s with this that we, the audience, realize that Mae is not a friend of Noa no matter how much she or he wants to be as her mission is to rewind the world back to what it was, a parallel to Proximus who wants to use the tools of old to secure his reign. Where Caesar worked hard to foster balance and connection between humans and apes, Proximus perverts that message for his gain. However, Mae is worse as she will utilize trust to destroy the new world. Where the prior trilogy enabled audiences to view Caesar and his people as the victims who were accidentally intellectually-enhanced as a by-product of a human-made virus, with this film, the audience is asked to consider if humanity deserves to return in full or is destined to the fate of the original film. Engaging questions that ultimately raise the less interesting world-building of the first 75 minutes into something rich and morally and philosophically complex.
For better or worse, less complex are the bonus features.
As is becoming an unfortunate trend, the bonus features are gate-kept based on the edition you select. With the digital edition, a copy of which was provided by 20th Century Studios for this review, a singular 23-minute featurette titled “Inside the Forbidden Zone: Making Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes” and 32 minutes of deleted/extended scenes (with optional commentary from Ball) are included. “Inside the Forbidden Zone” does provide fairly in-depth insights into the making of the film from Ball’s earliest image of a scene in his imagination to the use of Wētā FX to create the digital avatars of the actors seen in the film with prequel series actor Andy Serkis to how the central heroes bonded in their prep work to how Allan (Gunpowder Milkshake) had to undergo rigorous stunt work for her water scenes. In short, it may only be 23 minutes, but, with the contributions from cast and crew, “Inside the Forbidden Zone” covers a great deal of material to provide fans an opportunity to look beyond the film and into the process of making it.
Proximus Caesar (played by Kevin Durand) in 20th Century Studios’ KINGDOM OF THE PLANET OF THE APES. Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios. © 2023 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.
The part that’s gate-kept, however, is a 4K UHD-only alternate cut of the film titled “Inside the Lens: The Raw Cut,” which offers a split-screen viewing experience of the finished film with the raw performances with optional commentary from Ball, editor Dan Zimmerman (The Maze Runner), and VFX supervisor Erik Winquist (Avatar). It’s unclear from the press release if this is available on the 4K UHD digital edition or if it’s solely on the 4K UHD physical disc. Since it’s not specified, 4K UHD digital owners are likely to have access, but with the leaning on special 4K UHD steelbook editions, it’s also possible that this is strictly a physical media special feature. One thing that has been confirmed is that only the North American 4K UHD edition will have “Inside the Lens” as a special feature.
Absent a compelling central character, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is sometimes harder to lock into. Noa is the avatar for the audience, learning of the world and its secrets, even if we know just a little more by virtue of it being a film. That said, the figurative bomb that gets dropped on audiences at the end is quite compelling as it encourages audiences to reconsider everything they viewed. To that end, with luck, where they take the concepts introduced here will be as similarly rich as Dawn (2014) was regarding Rise (though hopefully with a less confusing title structure). If you feel the same and plan to revisit Kingdom, just make sure to pay close attention to which version of the film you snag to ensure that you gain access to the most features. Especially considering that the only way to learn about the film from Ball is through the “Inside the Lens” version of the film, those who want audio commentary can’t just get a standard HD edition and walk away happy.
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes Digital Special Features*:
- “Inside the Forbidden Zone: Making Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes” (23:25)
- Fourteen (14) Deleted/Extended Scenes with optional audio commentary by director Wes Ball (32:28)
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes 4K UHD Special Features*:
- “Inside the Lens: The Raw Cut”: A full-length alternative cut with a split-screen comparison between the final cut of the film and a version with unfinished VFX with optional audio commentary by director Wes Ball, editor Dan Zimmerman, and VFX supervisor Erik Winquist. The never-before-seen alternate cut gives fans a unique opportunity to see the actors’ performances before the visual effects were completed.
*Bonus features may vary by product and retailer
Available on digital July 9th, 2024.
Available on Hulu August 2nd, 2024.
Available on 4K UHD, Blu-ray, and DVD August 27th, 2024.
For more information, head to the official 20th Century Studios Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes webpage.
Final Score: 4 out of 5.
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Categories: Home Release, Home Video, Recommendation, Reviews, streaming
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