2 min to read
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes
Can this movie be enjoyable for someone who hasn't seen a Planet of the Apes movie before?
The Good: Immediately upon the start of the movie, I was mesmerized by how incredible everything in the movie looked, whether it be how the apes looked themselves or the environment around them. Everything was beautiful. Since I have never seen any of the previous Planet of the Apes movies prior to this, I had only heard how good the films looked. I definitely agree with the masses that these movies are beautiful. Despite all of the actors being in motion capture suits, emotions are completely captured, facial expressions are distinct, and the renderings of the apes are pristine.
Throughout the film, Noa is trying to find and free his family, but all along the way there are hiccups in his path. Occasionally he will have to fight other monkeys to save himself, but other times he may have to do that because he chose to try and save Mae. Along with that, Noa also has to consistently grapple with the idea of “can humans be trusted or not”, making some basic scenes stand out even more and giving tense scenes even more tension. I also thought that the action in the movie was incredible, especially at the end of the movie.
The Meh: While I think there was a good amount of tension built up throughout the course of the movie, I think there was an opportunity to build it up even further. I think the film had most of the intense scenes play it safe by not having the tension last as long as I think was necessary. While the added thoughts of morality did help, I don’t think it went far enough. In addition, while Proximus was a great threat, I think there was an opportunity to make him even more menacing and also more relatable. By the end of the movie he stands out as being unique, but I think his character could have been even more memorable. I think he could have been both more physically dominant and more intellectually enlightening. By having Proximus being even more of a physical obstacle, it could have made Noa’s triumph over him be even more impactful. Additionally, if throughout the movie we had even more opportunities for Proximus to be a mentor figure for Noa, this would have increased the emotional stake of the movie. Noa would have had to stop a man he really respected, but he knew it was the right thing to do.
The Bad: This movie was not a fast paced movie. It takes its time with everything. While I really enjoyed the pacing, I know this may make it very difficult for some to enjoy this movie at all.
Overall: I think this is a great movie to watch. It is visually beautiful, action packed, and very methodical. Even as someone who has never seen the prior Planet of the Apes movies, I found myself extremely engaged from beginning to end. While I have a few small nit picks, I found myself wanting more of the movie, which is a testament to how good this movie truly is.
Rating: 4.5/5
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