Movie review | The new adventure of the monkeys is entertaining quality work, but there are no surprises in it

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, directed by Wes Ball, K12, 145 min. ★★★

Entertaining quality work without surprises.

It sounds lukewarm, admittedly, but expectations of the former Planet of the apes -trilogy (2011–2017) were high. The critics praised it and the audience devoured it, not least the director by Matt Reeves thanks to.

To the loss of the 20th Century Fox production company, Reeves moved to rival Warner in the late 2010s and instead kicked the Batman brand handsomely by directing 2022 The Batman.

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes has been directed by someone significantly more unknown and inexperienced than Reeves Wes Ball. Fortunately, quite competently.

The puzzles are related to the story side. It stays on the paths trodden by countless stories of adventure and growth. The formula of the modern Western also comes to mind.

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is the so-called prequel.

Like the 2010s monkey trilogy, the film places its events first Planet of the Apes (1968) to the previous time.

A few generations have passed since the times when War for the Planet of the Apes (2017) ended. Humanity is no longer persevering as ruffians in the butts, which are truly enough. The remains of the skyscrapers are covered by lush forest vegetation.

Judging from the iconic airport building, the salomats are buzzing on the grounds of the former Los Angeles. The landscape photos are dazzling.

Monkeys are encamped in their own tribes. The role of good primates has once again been given to chimpanzees.

A chimpanzee community that calls itself the “Eagle Clan” trains birds of prey to pick food fish from the water, which is one of the brightest ideas in the script.

Noa seeks his own eagle and his father’s approval (voice Owen Teague), but the hunter-gatherers’ camp goes as usual. It collapses. Gorilla-like warrior monkeys arrive with torches and enslavement intentions.

In his grief, Noa ends up looking for his family in the woods. The atmosphere is brightened by the wise and calm orange Raka (voice Peter Macon).

Noah and Raka’s trek is punctuated by the repeated attacks of warrior monkeys, which is an unnecessarily easy solution to create tension.

Astalo and wrestling-driven action scenes are believable within the framework of a monkey culture without firearms, but the down-to-earthness of the scrambling has a visual dullness.

Fortunately, as the story progresses, it becomes clear that it is not so much an action movie.

There are plenty of quiet and atmospheric scenes, and the monkeys speak much more tersely and less often than humans, especially in American films. There are only a couple of human roles in this film.

It’s still amazing how genuine and characterful the monkey characters have been created using digital means. The personalities stand out.

Political the dimension is cleverly integrated. Characters across tribal lines remember the late chimpanzee Caesar, who in the 2010s ape movies started the whole ape revolution.

Everyone then interprets the thoughts of the mythical warlord and teacher in their own style. Raka emphasizes the gentle philosophical side, but King Proximus, who commands the warrior monkeys (voice Kevin Durand), even calls himself Caesar when he whips his subordinates.

This aspect adds depth to the story. We’ll definitely see more of Caesar’s legacy if Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes succeeds at the box office.

The Planet of the Apes movies prove that prequels in Hollywood are governed by the same rules as sequels. There is no cap on the number of either as long as they generate dollars.

Written by Josh Friedman, Rick Jaffa, Amanda Silver. Produced by Wes Ball, Rick Jaffa, Amanda Silver. Cast: Freya Allan, Kevin Durand, Dichen Lachman.