My review of Kingdom of the planet of the apes

 My review of Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes

Intro: Did we really need this movie? 

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes: Taking place over a century after the last movie, this movie focuses on a chimp name Noa who is a part of an isolated tribe. One day, his tribe has been captured, so he goes out to rescue them. On the way, he comes across other apes and humans who challenge his worldview. So, he has to decide what kind of future he wants?     

This movie is OK. I noticed that it tried to do the same thing Jurassic World did, as far as parallel with the first movie, but doing its own thing. However, the film drops the ball in doing that. We see the apes living in different groups without knowing how this happened? I don't get it why start the movie with the quote "apes together strong" if that quote has no payoff? This also shows that the apes are no different than humans. Speaking of humans, why are most of them living like animals? I mean the virus took away their ability to speak, not their IQ points. Legacy and knowledge are the themes of this movie, but the execution wasn't there. The climax in this movie is lackluster. The way this movie ended, it looks like this series will go in circles. 

Noa is a timid and curious character who goes on a hero's journey. The problem I have with him is that he lost someone close to him and doesn't want revenge. I'm not saying that's a bad thing, however, I wish the writers went in that direction because it would give the next character I'm going to talk about a bigger role. Then again, that's hard to do without feeling like it's retreading from the previous films. 

Raka is a supporting character who's informative. He not only tells other Apes about what Ceaser stood for, but he also knows the world before Ceaser. Plus, he provides some humor. My issue with him is him telling anyone about Ceaser; it doesn't affect the story or characters.  

Mae is a wild card in this movie. That's what bugs me about her, there's no personality to her, and we don't know why she thinks Noa can help her.  

Proximus may be Mr. Personality he is a wolf in sheep's clothing. Like Raka, he's interested in history but misunderstood what Ceaser stood for. I wish he got more screen time, and why he thinks Noa can help him.    

I like the visuals in this movie, we see how nature takes over abandoned buildings and how the apes use them. I appreciate that this movie tried to stand on its own by not having any characters who are descendants of characters from the previous Trilogy in this movie. Overall, this movie is underwhelming. That's a shame because it could have been better if the writing was good.  

 
rating = Rental