‘Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes’ doesn’t live up to legacy
Hail Caesar.
The great ape in the rebooted “Planet of the Apes” trilogy is long dead in the newest film, “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes,” and he is much missed. By the apes in the movie who appropriate his legacy as they see fit to suit their needs, sure. But especially by the audience – where’s Andy Serkis and his amazing motion-capture acting when you need him?
I don’t know the answer to that question. But I do know that as the film begins Caesar’s followers are burning him at a funeral pyre, a hero’s send-off. From there director Wes Ball moves the action several centuries into the future.
And we’re off on what could have been a rollicking action sequence in which Noa (Owen Teague), a young ape, and his friends are furiously scaling cliffs to snatch eggs out of nests. Only the computer animation – so impressive when the apes are talking or riding horses or even fighting – and the computer-generated background look absurd.
You don’t worry that any of them will fall to their deaths because it looks so much like a video game some part of your brain tells you they’ll just jump up with a new life.
William H. Macy doesn’t have much to do
What is it going to be about?
As you may recall, what got the whole ape ascendency started was a virus that wiped out most humans and made apes more intelligent. Thus, Noa lives in a village with other apes; his father is its leader. It’s a proper society, one that has evolved over time.
This idyllic life comes to a violent end, however, when another group of apes attacks the village – interestingly, in the name of Caesar. What? Caesar’s credo, after all, was “ape not kill ape.”
This is the most interesting idea in the movie, the notion of twisting a hero’s legacy to suit your needs, or at least your wishes.
Noa embarks on his own hero’s quest in search of his family and friends and meets Raka (Peter Macon), an orangutan wise in the ways of the real meaning of Caesar’s life.
He joins Noa on his quest. They come across a human woman, a discovery that doesn’t impress them much because humans are now feral, unable to talk and relegated to the fringes.
Except this human (played by Freya Allan) can talk, and think and more. Her name is Mae. Noa is reluctant to have her along, but it doesn’t matter, because soon they’re ambushed by other apes. Eventually Noa does find his family — when he and Mae are captured and taken to a kingdom ruled by the despotic Proximus Caesar (Kevin Durand). He has some interesting ideas about evolution, and believes whatever is locked inside a giant armory can spur things along.
If he can just get the doors open.
Proximus is assisted somewhat by Trevathan (William H. Macy, in the coveted “what is he doing here” role), a human Proximus forces to teach him. Macy isn’t given much to do, which is a shame, since he’s always great.
As ever, a clash of ideas will lead to a clash of a more violent nature. And as is so often the case, the latter is a lot less interesting. But this is a “Planet of the Apes” movie, so something’s got to give. To his credit, Ball, who directed the “Maze Runner” trilogy, seems more adept at the intellectual battles. There are some surprising revelations about where humans and apes fit into this world, and which has the right to what went before. Both have been, at one time or another, dominant, after all.
That’s so much more compelling than yet another computer-generated battle. The fights are boring. More brains and less brawn probably isn’t a prescription for box-office success for a movie like this. But it’s a movie I’d rather see.
Reach Goodykoontz at bill.goodykoontz@arizonarepublic.com. Facebook: facebook.com/goodyonfilm. X: @goodyk.