APES OF WRATH RETURN BUT THE SERKIS SHOULD BE BACK IN TOWN
Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes
CAST your mind back to when Planet Of The Apes got a credible reboot, with Andy Serkis monkeying around as Caesar, the fearless leader who steered simians to victory against mankind. Now, those talking apes – or their descendants – are back for a new story, one that screams ‘here we go again’.
Yep, you can bet the so-so Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes is intended as the first of a trilogy, introducing us to Noa, a young chimpanzee with a heart of oak.
It’s ‘many generations’ on from the days of Caesar, whose actions are now the stuff of legend. With apes the dominant species and humans mute and primal, Noa (Owen Teague, via motion-capture magic) lives in harmony
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with his tribe. Until a monkey army led by the mighty Proximus (Kevin Durand) swings by.
Setting fire to Noa’s village and capturing many apes, this fierce simian claims it’s ‘for Caesar’, as if all the death and destruction is dedicated to the great ape himself.
Noa vows to find and free his fellow apes, a journey that hooks him up with Raka (Peter Macon), a smart-cookie orangutan. Along the way, the pair encounter Mae (British star Freya Allan), a solitary human who scavenges for food and speaks not a word.
Those looking for a thrill-a-minute might be disappointed, with director Wes Ball (The Maze Runner) taking his sweet time to get things going.
There’s the occasional high point, especially a nerve-shredding ambush on a bridge over a raging river. And there’s a welcome appearance by William H Macy, as a Roman history-reading scholar who has given up on humans wresting back control.
However, it never gets as hairy as you’d like, thanks to a 144-minute run-time that numbs the bum and never keeps you on the edge of your seat. Serkis, unsurprisingly, is much missed.
JAMES MOTTRAM
Out in cinemas