It's all monkey see, monkey doesn't quite do as well as the previous movies.
Many generations after the fall of the ape leader Caesar, the apes have formed into clans and have begun warring among themselves. Noa (Owen Teague), a young ape of the Eagle Clan, must go on a journey of rescue and revenge against the ape king Proximus (Kevin Durand), who has destroyed his village and taken his people as slaves. Along the way, Noa meets a human woman (Freya Allan) and a wise orangutan named Raka (Peter Macon) who help him to better understand the world beyond his village, and what's been left behind by the humans...
After ten movies, 'Planet of the Apes' as a franchise has covered just about every angle there is when it comes to the concept of human-simian relations, yet still there remains the prospect of more movies from it with 'Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes'. In Matt Reeves' excellent entries, 'Dawn' and 'War', the franchise shifted firmly away from Tim Burton's misjudged reboot and Rupert Wyatt's splashy CGI to a thoughtful, character-driven sci-fi thriller that asked a shocking question of its audience which beautifully clicked with the '70s dystopian vibe - essentially, why does humanity deserve to rule the planet, and not apes?
'Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes' is set many generations after this question has been effectively answered, and sees ape civilisation entering its bronze age, with farming and crafting being created in tandem with clans and kingdoms. It's an interesting idea, of how civilisation can be reborn in the absence of humans and with little in the way of guidance, but also how power intersects with technology as half of the movie sees Proxima, the ape king, trying to access a secret human vault. The other half of it is Noa, a young ape, journeying across the lush scenery towards Proxima's kingdom with the intention of rescuing his clan.
Visually, 'Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes' feels somewhat more in line with something like Mel Gibson's 'Apocalypto', all of it jungle greenery and burnt sands mixed with a lushness that borders on computer trickery. The CGI used to bring the apes to life is as good as ever, but it's the performances from the cast - particularly Peter Macon and Kevin Durand - that brings it to life. As one of only two humans in the entire movie, much falls to Freya Allan and William H. Macy to make sense and provide human connection. This is, unfortunately, what makes 'Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes' less than Matt Reeves' efforts.
For one, both 'War' and 'Dawn' had an embarrassment of riches in its human and ape cast. Gary Oldman, Woody Harrelson, Keri Russell, Jason Clarke, not to mention the defining work of Andy Serkis, Toby Kebbell, Judy Greer, and Steve Zahn. But more than that, the idea of placing humans and apes as mortal enemies, exploring the deep division and the utter desperation for supremacy was potent stuff. The script by Josh Friedman for 'Kindgom of the Planet of the Apes' feels like it's a repeat of a similarly phrased question, and one that's already been explored before - namely, are apes just as bad as humans? As well as it being a reheat, 'Kingdom' feels like it's only touching off it rather than delving in deep to it.
As a possible starting point for a new trilogy, 'Kingdom' works in the same way that 'Rise' helped to put things in motion, with better entries hopefully to follow. Some pacing issues aside, there's enough to see and do here to make it worthwhile - though it falls short of where it once was.