FULL SPOILER-FREE REVIEW @ https://fandomwire.com/kingdom-of-the-planet-of-the-apes-review/ "Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is an intriguing addition to the franchise, full of fascinating parallels and a thought-provoking exploration of Caesar’s legacy, despite some lack of depth linked to the motivations of some characters. The exploration of important themes such as religion, war, and distinct perspectives on biblical figures leads to the most immersive moments of a film that takes time to find its rhythm. With a clear vision from Wes Ball and fantastic performances, the impressive motion-capture work contributes tremendously to a visually mesmerizing experience. For fans of the saga, it’s a continuation worth following with interest, promising more moral reflections on the evolution of nature and the inevitable cycle of life." Rating: B

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Quick question. So it was a virus that led to the role reversal between the speaking humans and their ape counterparts? Now the apes have the upper hand and humanity is back in the caves. What I don't really get is why everything is in ruins and why there's an escalator in the middle of a forest full of zebras? Speech is crucial for communication, granted, but as the apes now thrive amidst the ruins of human construction I couldn't quite figure out why it was all decimated in the first place. Was there a war? Did I miss it? Anyway, Simian society still claims derivation from "Caesar" and in typical human fashion is just as divided. The apes live a peaceful life stealing the eagle's eggs from precariously perched nests so they can rear them themselves - and the eagles don't really seem to mind. The militaristic gorillas raid their village and drag them all to the seaside resort of "Proximus" where he is trying to break into an human, subterranean, vault. The raid caused havoc amongst the peaceable apes and left only "Noa" to try to free them. En route, he encounters "Mae" (Freya Allan) - an human who can speak, and upon arrival she befriends another talking person "Trevathan" (William H. Macy) who are both expected to help reach the treasures of the vault. She knows what's in there, and with the help of her new friends hopes to salvage what she was sent to retrieve - but without allowing any weapons inside to fall into enemy hands. It takes far too long to get going, this, but once we've established who is who and the story has kicked in, it's quite an exciting tale with some great visuals effects and just a little philosophy to keep it from falling into a trap of franchise mundanity. The acting isn't really up to much, but an enthusiastic effort from Kevin Durand as the menacing leader and some authentic looking acrobatics not seen since Johnny Weissmuller make for an entertaining episode in what is clearly a soap-style plot development where this is but an episode in a what happens next scenario.

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Has its moments, though overall I kinda found <em>'Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes'</em> a bit of a slog to sit through. The original trilogy are films that I do enjoy, they're very good. This fourth installment, however, underwhelmed me throughout its 145 minute run time. It starts off a new plot, obviously given how <em>'War for the Planet of the Apes'</em> concluded, and the new characters and their stories didn't really interest me. Some of the action is watchable, the military bunker angle is decent, the visual effects are strong (but we already knew that) and the bits directly with Noa and Raka are the film's best in my opinion. I don't, though, really recall much else about this and remember feeling quite nonplussed whilst watching; the literal final music-filled shot got me pumped though, out of nowhere. None of the cast (voice or otherwise) stand out, either. I'd have finished this franchise with the 2017 flick, but very much sounds like the filmmakers are planning another trilogy with this one. Hopefully I'll enjoy those (and the inevitable 2030s 'new' trilogy... 😏) more.

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