Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes

THE LATEST SIMIAN SEQUEL PROMISES NEW PISSED-OFF PRIMATES

Ben: This is such a great opening line for the trailer: “Are you familiar with the concept of evolution?” It really sets out what this film means for the series moving forward.

Sophie: That these apes have no concept of the idea of being held captive is really interesting.

Ben: It makes me wonder if Proximus Caesar, the bad guy, is trying to spin that these new apes evolved from humans.

Beth: I just can’t get over the technology. It’s quite eerie looking at the details in their faces.

John: It’s some of the best CGI in modern cinema, I would say.

Ben: It’s nice to see this level of post-apocalypse as well, because all of the apocalyptic stuff that we get nowadays is quite dour, whereas this looks so lush.

Graham: Nature’s taken over again.

Beth: This is actually set in late 2020. The humans are all hunkered down rewatching

The Sopranos while this is happening outside.

John: The Golden Gate Bridge makes a reappearance here after it showed up at the end of Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes.

Beth: It reminds me of Brighton Pier. Maybe they’re all heading out for a big Saturday night.

Sophie: It could be the Tyne Bridge, let’s not rule anything out.

John: A lot of shots feel very nostalgic and inspired by the first film.

Beth: Yet, it still feels fresh.

Ben: They’re able to use the feeling created by the new trilogy but then there’s a nod towards the original films as well. They’re having fun playing in that middle ground, and it looks amazing.

Beth: So this main monkey is related to Caesar from the pre-existing films?

Ben: I don’t think so. This is a different Caesar, who’s given himself a slightly different name so he sounds all Billy Big Balls.

John: Not to put on my history-nerd hat but during Roman times, Caesar was just the name that his successor took on because he thought, “Well, Caesar sounds powerful.”

Beth: You really are one of those Roman Empire men.

Ben: Do you think about Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes every day?

Graham: Proximus does have that King Louie vibe to him. He wants everything that the humans had.

Ben: And they’re running through the jungle. Is this actually The Jungle Book?

Sophie: Freya Allan’s character Mae seems to be more evolved than the other human characters. Maybe her costuming is a symbol of her being an outlier.

Ben: I need to revisit the original film, because I feel like there are going to be some big references in here. I haven’t seen it since I was a kid.

Beth: We were children of the Simpsons parody. John: [Adopts Troy Mcclure voice] “Can

I play the piano anymore?”

Ben: [Chanting] “Dr Zaius, Dr Zaius…”

KINGDOM OF THE PLANET OF THE APES IS IN CINEMAS FROM 24 MAY