In the Kingdom, Apes RULE and Human KNEEL! Though a different, older, way may see new fruition!

It’s been generations since Caesar (Andy Serkis) took the world from the humans. Now the world is ruled by the dominant smart apes who speak more with their voices than with sign language. So much time has passed that Caesar and the human-dominated world he lived in have all but been forgotten.

Some, however, remember, and this is where Noah (Owen Teague – The Stand) comes in. A young ape born into the new world, his clan is taken by Proximus (Kevin Durand – Lost, The Strain), the self-proclaimed inheritor of Caesar’s title as ruler of the apes. Seeking weapons and technology at any cost to assert his reign and his kingdom, it is up to Noah and his human companion May (Freya Allan of Netflix’s The Witcher) to stop Proximus. However, one begins to wonder as they journey together: is it possible for humans and apes to live together in peace?

Director Wes Ball (The Maze Runner Trilogy) is a worthy inheritor of Andy Serkis’ Apeverse. With writer Josh Friedman (2005’s War of the Worlds, Snowpiercer TV adaptation, and Foundation), the story crafted here is one worth telling. While it might fall a little short of re-watching the level of storytelling perfection that gave Serkis’ work such credence as the ultimate and superior version of the Planet of the Apes stories, it does well to establish an interesting new segment of the lore by exploring a world which is just as deadly as it is beautiful.

Noah, the young ape of the Eagle Clan, is a compelling and sympathetic protagonist who is firmly established to not just be another Caesar. Noah is born into a state of ignorance and is loath to violence. Unlike the first generation of apes who had to continuously fight to survive, Noah is part of a more peaceful world that lives in cooperation with nature without the fear of humans.

Although, that subtle fear of their former oppressors remains, and with good reason. May, played fantastically by Allan, showcases all the best and worst elements of humanity. Capable of great kindness, great bravery, and great hatred, May is a survivor of generations who have grown up loathing the animals they once kept in cages while fearing them for their strength and numbers.

The desire for technology as the answer to both May and Proximus’ struggle fits perfectly with the themes of the previous trilogy – the corrupting nature of war and technologies built on the destruction of nature and others remain at the heart of the antagonists of this world.

That said, Kingdom might have a story to tell, but one certainly has to hope Friedman and Ball have some good ideas up their sleeves. While this introduction to the new trilogy is welcomingly familiar for fans of the previous films and filled with promise for future entries into the franchise, it is far from the perfect film. The struggle Caesar faced to ensure the existence of his tribe of smart apes was a continued theme that meant there was always a reason for opposition to the first king of the apes.

In Noah’s time, humans are greatly reduced, and while they still hold a threat, the promise that May and Noah might have started paving a path towards a more united future halts the franchise.

What this new trilogy really needs is a good antagonist, someone to match Noah and this new generation of apes. This entry promises much as it brings us back into this exciting and mind-bogglingly weird world with its fantastic (almost realistic) CGI.

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes delivers well, promises much, but ultimately needs to make use of its momentum and boldly give the audience the spectacular all-out Ape vs. Human war promised in the previous trilogy’s conclusion.

A solid 7.5 out of 10.