The latest addition to the franchise known for having the longest movie titles of all time comes through the form of 'The Kingdom of The Planet Of The Apes', from director Wes Ball, who's recent accolades includes 'The Maze Runner' trilogy.
Everyone and their dog are more than familiar with the 'Planet of The Apes' franchise and their origins from way back in the 1960's. Around the world, they tend to be recognisable for either their famously long movie titles, or their fascinating and ground-breaking use of motion capture technology.
And this film is no different in either of those departments.
In a world that seems to be surrounded by an endless amount of pathetic attempts to relaunch or prolong cinematic franchises that at a time were once highly praised, the 'Planet Of The Apes' franchise seems to be one of very few examples that is in good hands.
Kingdom is now the tenth instalment within the Apes franchise since it's original introduction in 1968, and given it has seen a number of vast target audience changes throughout the last half-decade, there is just something about the idea of having Apes and Humans at war that seems to hit home for people.
This addition to the franchise takes place generations after the events that took place during the previous and most recent reboot. Meaning that the character of Caesar is long gone, and only serves purpose in this movie as a memory and the long forgotten idea that Apes and Humans can coexist together on Earth.
Therefore, we are introduced to the character of Noa, played by Owen Teague, a hopeful and inexperienced young ape who throughout the movie earns the right to be deemed as a worthy protagonist for future productions within the cinematic universe.
Although Noa has little knowledge and experience with Echos (aka humans), his curiosity and search for justice following an attack on his village takes him on an adventure that would cause him to learn and bite off much more than he can chew about the world he has yet to explore.
Given that the contents of this film takes place generations and generations after humans were once worthy rules of planet Earth, a different and unique outlook on humanity is portrayed through the eyes of apes.
Whereas humans were once feared and kept distanced from by Apes, in this storyline they are retold as weak and almost alienated from what they were during the reign of Caesar. Almost as though the roles have been completely reversed to the point where the spotting of a human is so uncommon, it should be seen as a unique experience that only few apes are able to witness.
Much like when a parent takes their children to the zoo.
One thing that doesn't change in this movie from it's recent predecessors is the idea of 'Apes vs Mankind'. Who should be the rightful rulers of earth? Because humanity once held that title, should it be theirs forever, and if so, should apes step aside and allow themselves to become slaves to human worship?
The themes that appear in this movie have been seen and discussed many times in recent history throughout the 'Planet Of The Apes' franchise, but this time through a different lens which makes for an intriguing and unique viewing for any fans of recent productions within the cinematic universe.
The conclusion to this film certainly teases at the continuation of the character dynamic between Owen Teague's 'Noa' and Freya Allan's 'Mae'. Both inexperienced but naturally born survivors/leaders in possession of strong convincing that their respective species belong on the throne that planet Earth offers.
And I for one am excited to see what the future brings for the pair.
Overall Rating: 7.5/10
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