Surprisingly, it has been seven years since the last entry in the Planet of the Apes franchise. Like with the original run of films that started in 1968, I found that the quality of the sequels after 2011’s Rise of the Planet if the Apes deteriorated swiftly, so I was hoping that the pause in production would result in an improvement.
Wes Ball’s movie is set ‘many generations’ after 2017’s War for the Planet of the Apes. Caesar is long dead but his teachings have been corrupted and an ape called Proximus is running a cruel regime. Caesar is considered a Christ like figure, so the subtext of using his name to spread hatred and commit violent acts is not exactly subtle.
Meanwhile almost all humans have regressed into a feral, primitive state, unable to even speak.
When Proximus’ soldiers destroy a peaceful ape settlement and kill its elder, his son Noa (Owen Teague) vows to get revenge and rescue his captured friends and mother. Along the way he teams up with an intelligent human Maya (Freya Allen).
It has to be acknowledged the effects are extraordinary and the apes incredibly realistic. That enabled me to get carried away with the story and suspend disbelief. Also the characters of Noa and an orangutan he befriends, Raka (Peter Macon), are very likeable.
The story, though, lacks originality. You can predict how it will pan out, down to who will and will not survive. Additionally Josh Friedman’s screenplay becomes a bit muddled in terms of who is trusting who and for what reason.
It is, though, a spectacle and the inevitable sequels are teed-up in the last few minutes, so this is a franchise that is not going away any time soon.
Rating: 6.5 out of 10