Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is a strong return for the franchise

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes not only faces Caesar’s legacy on screen, but off it as well.

The rebooted trilogy were critically acclaimed films—many of them calling for the Academy Awards to recognize Andy Serkis’ incredible performance—and box-office hits with more than $1.6 billion worldwide.

That’s a high bar, especially since we know how bad the series can go (hello Tim Burton). The end of War for the Planet of the Apes still left room in the timeline for more stories before the original film, but the question was whether it was worth the risk.

Now that Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is here, you’ll be glad they took a chance. It takes a little time to find its footing, but it’s a strong continuation of a franchise that’s as emotionally gripping as it is visually spectacular.

The smartest move Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes makes is in its setting. While there’s an unexpected Caesar signature that gives the film a tantalizing opening, most of the action takes place “many generations later.”

It frees the film to tell its own story, freed from any need for previous characters to be involved. The Switch turns Caesar into a mythological figure and explores his legacy that wasn’t just used for the good he intended.

Our guide through this new era of Planet of the Apes is chimpanzee Noa (Owen Teague) who, when his village is destroyed, embarks on a perilous journey to save his family. Along the way, Noa meets the wild man Mae (Freya Allan) and the orangutan Raka (Peter Macon), and he begins to question everything he knew about the past.

Director Wes Ball has been open about his hope that Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is just the beginning of a new story. As such, the plot is mostly there to establish the new world order of this era, moving important pieces into place and setting the stage for the larger story of a potential trilogy.

It means the film can feel a bit slow at times, especially with its lengthy 144-minute running time. But once Noa sets out on her journey, the film also gains a welcome forward momentum and only gets stronger as it goes on. By the time you reach the thrilling ending, you’ll wish you could spend another hour in this world.

Even as the story meanders to set up the various characters, you’ll be able to appreciate the incredibly crafted world, both familiar and unfamiliar to us. Visually, it’s on par with the previous trilogy, with Weta FX (among others) doing excellent work with both the world and the monkeys in it.

With impressive performances from Owen Teague and Kevin Durand (as the main antagonist Proximus Caesar), it gives the apes depth and character. They’re not just retreads, either; Noa isn’t just the new Caesar, and Proximus isn’t just the new Koba. Their characters are as complex and layered as these films have always delivered.

The same could be said of the film’s main human character, Mae, with Freya Allan captivating in her first breakthrough role. At first, she seems like little more than a damsel in distress, but the film is more grown-up and unexpected than that, using her character to raise compelling questions that you’ll debate later.

If this makes Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes sound very dignified and dry, it’s also a movie that knows it’s a blockbuster. Wes Ball stages several intense and impactful plays – including a riveting spin on the iconic long grass sequence from The Lost World – that deliver the riveting spectacle you’d expect from an early summer release.

The movie may not have Caesar, but Wes Ball made sure his spirit lives on in both the story and the overall film. There’s substance here to the visual style and big-screen spectacle, a potent mix that worked so well for the previous trilogy.

It remains to be seen whether Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes does enough at the box office to ensure we see the continuation of the story. But aside from a few first-act issues, it does an excellent job of making you want to see this story continue.

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is released in UK cinemas on 9 May and in US cinemas on 10 May.

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