Studio: 20th Century Studios
Release Date: 8/27/2024
Rating: PG-13
Film Grade: C-
The Story: Centuries have passed since the death of Ceaser; without his guidance the apes have split into diverse tribes. Humans are nearly extinct due to the ongoing ALZ-113 virus that led to all of this. What’s left of America’s cities is only the husk of civilization, now overgrown with nature. Trees and foliage cover virtually every aspect of the past.
Against that background, we find the Eagle Clan. They’ve formed a close relationship with those creatures after learning to domesticate them. It’s the time of the annual bonding ritual, marking the passage into adulthood for the young apes, where they venture out and snatch an egg from an eagle’s nest that will eventually hatch and become their future companion.
But, on the eve of the grand event, Noa’s egg is accidentally destroyed during a chance encounter, forcing him to find an immediate replacement. Afterall, it would bring great embarrassment to the tribe’s leader for his son to be without an egg for the ceremony. That quest sets him on an adventure that will change the apes’ future forever.
My Take: As a kid, I was fascinated with the Planet of the Apes movies and TV shows. Their adventures continued in the Marvel Comics series and the stories I made up with my beloved Mego action figures (not dolls!). For Christmas one year, my mom asked me for ideas of what I wanted. I pointed to a cheapo Planet of the Apes playset that featured small, stiff characters and horses, packaged with generic, plastic accessories and firmly told her that I didn’t want
that.
Well, Christmas arrived, and that set was not to be found under the tree after Santa’s visit. But to my chagrin, it did pop up later that night as a gift from my aunt and uncle. It turned out that they had asked my mom for suggestions, and she had completely missed my earlier contempt for the bland, mass-market product. It was the disappointing equivalent of getting a pair of socks or underwear.
I put on my best acting face, thanking them for such a great gift, knowing that it was at least something that I was interested in. Over the next couple of weeks I gave the playset a good run-through, trying to make the best of it, but it never captured my attention or imagination. There just wasn’t enough to work with.
That, in essence, is exactly how I felt about this movie.
Sure, it has all the elements of the franchise. They’re essentially anthropomorphized primates used to represent various aspects of our societal conditions, past and present. The problem is that the movie doesn’t really have much to say about anything. The plot is basic, lacking in thematic depth, so there isn’t enough beneath the surface to provoke either thought or emotion. The writing team of Amanda Silver and Rick Jaffa hail from the previous three movies but are joined by Josh Friedman on this one. That sharing of writing duties may help explain why this one doesn’t have the same feel or impact.
Director Wes Ball (of the Maze Runner series) gives action scenes a frantic feel but narratively they’re just retreads of other, more competent, movies. There are some respectful callbacks to the original movies that are nice, but ultimately just remind the viewer just how shallow this entry is. He’s able to coax good performances out of his actors, but there just isn’t enough to the story to make us care as much about them as we should.
Then there are the parts of the plot that just don’t make much sense. From the way the timeline of events is handled, to the delay tactics that the protagonists’ use at one point in the film, to the very layout of the third act’s setting. The film won’t allow you to dwell on any of those aspects without raising questions.
Visuals: The movie was extensively shot on location with actual on-site motion capture. The result is mostly impressive, with a few exceptions. The digital capture technology has extracted an amazing amount of detail and nuance from the actor’s faces, allowing the emotions and quirks to shine through. The result is both effective and engaging, even surpassing the earlier marvels.
There are a handful of scenes that don’t look as good, including the acrobatic footage at the beginning of the film which has an unfinished jerkiness to it, and horseback scenes where the bottom half of the actors doesn’t look quite right when melded with the top. There’s also another part of the movie where the apes have a plastic-like sheen to them that doesn’t match the convincing looks of the rest of the film, but the overall visuals are above average. Colors are bright and natural and dark shots have a clear an distinct look to them.
Audio: The Blu-ray comes with a simple 7.1 DTS-X mix that feels as flat and unengaging as the movie itself. (Sadly, you’ll have to opt for the 4K release to get the Atmos mix.) I don’t have a good way of measuring it, but it sounded compressed and lacking in dynamics; I had to raise the playback 5 dB louder than normal just to get close to a normal listening experience. Similarly, there were some misses with the bass component. What should have been the thunder of galloping horse hooves had no impact, for example. Subs come more in to play at the end of the movie, but even those were impressive only when compared to the rest of the flat soundtrack.
I mentioned some callbacks to the original film, and that extends to the musical score. The credits list Jerry Goldsmith’s thematic elements, whisps of which can be heard through various scenes. And just like those other references, it just reinforces how little imagination there is in this entry. Goldsmith’s score is amazing to this day, filled with atonal dissonance that perfectly complements the bizarre, otherworldly feel of the film. Over half a century later, John Paesano has turned in something that is much safer, less daring, and more conventional.
One aspect that felt off to me was the dialog. While always clear and intelligible, it had an oddly disconnected feeling, with the sound not seeming to be set in the environment. The experience was more akin to watching an animated movie where the words only roughly match the mouth movements, which lessened the realism and impact of the moment.
Special Features: The making of documentary was insightful and worth watching, combining interviews with the director, cast, producers, and other behind the scenes workers. There were fascinating examples of how the motion capture footage was transformed into the final version, creating a seamless image. The 14 deleted scenes don’t offer much in the line of insight.
- Inside the Forbidden Zone: Making Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes
- 14 Deleted/Extended Scenes
Final Verdict: As much as I loved those original movies, I was happy to see the franchise get a legitimate reboot after the failed Tim Burton misfire. Those next three movies weren’t dependent on what came before but were a fresh and interesting take on the concept. They were titles worthy of upgrading to 4K when those versions became available.
This fourth entry is a different animal. Derivative and bland, it feels disconnected from the earlier three films. Maybe it’s best if viewers look at it from a different perspective. As a generic action movie, it’s an OK example with good visuals and a passable soundtrack, but overly long. At 145 minutes it drags in numerous spots and a good 20-30 minutes could have been cut out without weakening the story. I can’t imagine how drained the viewers might have felt if it included the excised scenes featured in the extras.
I didn’t find enough entertainment in this outing to add it to my library, with my wife sharing the same feelings. I’m sure others will find more to like about it, so I do recommend a viewing if you’re curious, just don’t go in with high expectations.
Viewed from a non-Apes perspective, maybe it's deserving of a C or C+.Fun Fact: Location shooting can come with lots of challenges. The crew found themselves covered with leeches during the days they spent filming in a watery field.
BEWARE: The trailer contains plenty of spoilers.
My Review System:JVC DLA-RS3100 4K Ultra High-Definition Front Projector
Elite Screens Sable Frame B2 117” Width with Infinitely Variable Height
Monolith by Monoprice HTP-1 16 Channel Processor with Dirac Live
Monolith by Monoprice 7x200 Watts Amp
Monolith by Monoprice 3x200 Watts + 6x100 Watts Amp
JBL Studio 590 for Left, Center, Right, Wides, and Rears
JBL Studio 580 for Side Surrounds
JBL Studio SCS 8 for Tops
JTR Captivator 1400 Subwoofer X 4
Panasonic DP-UB420 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Player
Oppo BDP-93
NVIDIA Shield Android TV - 4K
Xbox One X
HTPC Running madVR (work in progress)
Remote: URC MX-780
Mini DSP 2X4 HD controlling all subwoofers
APC S15 Power Conditioner with Battery Backup
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