The Planet of the Apes franchise has been around for so long, but I only remember watching perhaps the first film in the reboot series, Rise of the Planet of the Apes. It wasn't until last year—more than a decade later—that I followed up on the rest in the series. And they turned out to be worth it, sort of.
When I watched Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, I was moved. I considered it a really good watch, so much so that I immediately jumped on to the next, War for the Planet of the Apes. And that one was even more intense. I wanted more, but the next one would only be released months later.
Kingdom for the Planet of the Apes, the latest in the reboot series, has been around for months now, and I only recently watched it. While it had been a long time since I watched the others, it felt different, and not in ways I liked.
One of the most impressive things about the franchise, at the films I watched, is the work that went into making it close to real. I have no idea what it takes to make a movie with talking apes, but I imagine it's no small job. Little wonder the franchise has been doing well for so long. And it was nothing short of that in the Kingdom for the Planet of the Apes.
The storywriting, too, is another thing to talk about. Each film—Rise, Dawn, War—had unique directions, yet they're all well-connected. I considered Dawn and War to be one of the best films I watched in 2024. I wish I could say the same for Kingdom, but there was something off about it.
Perhaps watching the films in the series at different times may have contributed to my disconnection with Kingdom, but I think it mainly has to do with the cast. They're different.
If you haven't seen the franchise, you might be wondering what exactly could be so special about a cast of apes. Apes! Well, that's about the Planet of the Apes. The Apes aren't just normal apes, and they have their own distinctive personalities that each of them identify with. But the cast in Dawn and War were long gone in Kingdom, as Kingdom was set in a time many generations later.
So when I was watching Kingdom, it felt like a totally different movie. Just that they mentioned a few things from the past that I could at least remember, which was mostly the name Caeser, the first intelligent ape and a fearless leader until his dying breath.
Something that's at least consistent and admirable about the films is the lessons the stories teach. The films were mostly about leadership, loyalty, and family, among other things. But it was from the perspective of apes, which quite frankly thought and behaved more like humans. This didn't change in Kingdom.
I was glued to my screen when I watched Dawn and War. In Kingdom, I was mostly bored. I wasn't feeling it. So many new guys, and the story just wasn't tight. It had moments when things were interesting but they couldn't suffice.
I wonder if there'll be more additions to the Planet of the Apes franchise in the future. Maybe I'll check them out if they come, but I think I am pretty much done with it since the cast I fell in love with is gone. The main character in Kingdom has some potential though, so maybe I'll just keep my fingers crossed.
All images are screenshots from the film