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Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes review

KINGDOM OF THE PLANET OF THE APES: 

SOLID FOURTH INSTALLMENT DOESN’T QUITE LIVE UP TO CAESAR’S LEGACY! 

By Nico Beland

Movie Review: *** out of 4

20^TH CENTURY STUDIOS

Noa the Ape in Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes

 

A new era of “Ape” has begun in Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, the latest installment of the long-running Planet of the Apes film series and continuation of the 2011 reboot trilogy that saw Andy Serkis and groundbreaking motion-capture CGI bring Caesar the Ape to life. This recent trilogy of movies consisting of Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, and War for the Planet of the Apes did the unthinkable, resurrect the Planet of the Apes franchise after various disappointing entries (Most infamously the Tim Burton re-imagining from 2001) and took the series back in time to show the events leading up to the apes ruling the world. 

It's honestly one of the best trilogies over the past 13 years with incredible CGI effects that still hold up extremely well today, endearing characters, and brilliant and mature storylines about the survival of humans and apes with heavy subject matter and hard-hitting drama that ended on a perfect note. Now, seven years after the release of War for the Planet of the Apes comes the fourth installment of this series of Planet of the Apes movies following a new group of apes and in the director’s chair this time is Wes Ball (Maze Runner trilogy). 

I wasn’t exactly hyped for this movie, not because it looked bad or anything but because War for the Planet of the Apes was such a perfect ending to this series of Planet of the Apes films that I didn’t really need a continuation of it. But I was still open to it and even if it paled in comparison to the other films, it’d probably still be an absolute spectacle on the big screen. 

Well, I’m happy to say that Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is a good continuation of a great series of Planet of the Apes movies. It is easily the weakest of the new films, but there is still a lot in here that’s really impressive both on a technical and storytelling level. 

The film is set 300 years after Caesar’s death and apes have now become the dominant species on the planet while humans live in the shadows. As a new tyrannical ape leader known as Proximus Caesar (Kevin Durand-X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Noah, Abigail) builds an empire in the name of Caesar, a young chimpanzee hunter named Noa (Owen Teague-Bloodline, The Stand, The Empty Man) undertakes a harrowing journey that will cause him to question all that he knows about the past and make choices that will define a future for apes and humans alike. 

The film also stars Peter Macon (Turok: Son of Stone, The Orville, Family Guy) as Raka, Sara Wiseman (Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, A Place to Call Home, Rake) as Dar, Neil Sandilands (The Flash, Sweet Tooth, News of the World) as Koro, Eka Darville (The Originals, Jessica Jones, The Defenders) as Sylva, Freya Allan (The Witcher, Into the Badlands, Gunpowder Milkshake) as Mae, William H. Macy (Boogie Nights, Thank You for Smoking, The Lincoln Lawyer) as Trevathan, and Dichen Lachman (Neighbours, Raya and the Last Dragon, Jurassic World: Dominion) as Korina. 

Overall, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes pales in comparison to its predecessors and lacks much of the emotional weight or bold themes of Caesar’s trilogy, but it’s still a well-made continuation with breathtaking CGI, compelling characters, and a story that keeps your interest all the way through. Having a character that’s just as enthralling as Caesar from the earlier films is no easy task, but Noa manages to fill those shoes very well and is very endearing throughout and despite being an ape, is surprisingly relatable as a protagonist with him embarking on a hero’s journey to rescue his clan. 

I also thought Proximus Caesar was a menacing and realistic antagonist portrayed brilliantly by Kevin Durand who is essentially an ape version of a religious cult leader that manipulates his followers into doing what he wants by twisting Caesar’s teachings from the earlier movies. It’s the same way a corrupt Christian group leader would recite passages from The Bible as a way to spread hatred, bigotry, and violence for the sake of Jesus. 

Much like War for the Planet of the Apes, there’s not that many human characters that we follow during the journey with the focus only being on two and in this film’s case it’s Freya Allan as Mae and William H. Macy as Trevathan who the latter is introduced like an hour and a half into the movie and disposed of pretty quickly. I don’t think Freya Allan’s Mae is quite as captivating as Nova from War, but she does have some likable chemistry with Noa and Raka and a few “Can she be trusted?” moments during the film. 

I was invested in the story and seeing where it was going, but there are times where the movie feels unsure of which plot it wants to tell and how to balance it out. The previous movies told very human stories through the perspective of the apes and that is mostly the case here, but when it shifts focus over to the humans it’s not quite as interesting as what the apes are doing and at times slows the movie down. 

It isn’t like the Legendary MonsterVerse or the human characters from the Sonic the Hedgehog movies as there’s only some small moments devoted to them. But I’ll take James Franco, Jason Clarke, or the girl who communicates via sign language from War anytime for strong human characters in Apes movies. 

I’m sure I already went into how amazing the CGI is in my reviews of the other Planet of the Apes movies and the same thing applies here. The effects team and animators deserve all the praise they can get for seamlessly bringing these motion-capture apes to life to the point where you’re not looking at computer-animated characters on the screen, you’re looking at real apes with all the details and depth put into these characters, films like this and The Creator really showcase just how far CGI has come over the years and examples of modern CGI done right. 

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes may be a step backwards from earlier entries, but it’s still an expertly-crafted continuation of the Planet of the Apes storyline that I’m totally down to see more of in the near future. If the films are able to gain momentum and expand the story even further, I think we could potentially get a new trilogy that can rival the 2011 reboot series. 

Swing on in and enjoy the ape spectacle. 

The Fall Guy review

THE FALL GUY: 

RYAN GOSLING, EMILY BLUNT, AND THE STUNT TEAM LIGHT UP THE SCREEN! 

By Nico Beland

Movie Review: *** ½ out of 4

UNIVERSAL PICTURES

Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt in The Fall Guy

 

            Ryan Gosling (Drive, The Nice Guys, Barbie) returns to the world of stuntmen (This time without being a getaway driver at night) and this time he brings Emily Blunt (Edge of Tomorrow, A Quiet Place: Parts 1 and 2, Oppenheimer) along with him in The Fall Guy, the new action-comedy from David Leitch (Atomic Blonde, Deadpool 2, Bullet Train) and loosely based on a 1980s TV series of the same name (Which I didn’t realize until I saw it in the opening credits). The movie looked fun when I first saw the trailer and while Bullet Train wasn’t Leitch’s strongest work, it was still well-directed in terms of the action choreography and the actors’ comedic timing. 

            I was instantly sold by Gosling and Blunt’s involvement in this movie alone and the premise about a stuntman on a movie set who discovers a conspiracy surrounding the actor he’s doubling for and has to become a real action hero. The trailers gave exactly what it promised and I had a blast with this film. 

            The film follows Colt Seavers (Gosling), a Hollywood stunt performer working on a film that’s the directorial debut of his ex-girlfriend, Jody Moreno (Blunt). But when the movie’s lead actor, Tom Ryder (Aaron Taylor-Johnson-Kick-Ass 1 and 2, Godzilla (2014), Avengers: Age of Ultron) suddenly goes missing, Colt is called by the film’s producer to go and rescue him while also trying to piece together what’s going on. 

            The film also stars Winston Duke (Marvel Cinematic Universe, Us) as Colt’s best friend and stunt coordinator Dan Tucker, Hannah Waddingham (Krypton, Sex Education, The Garfield Movie) as the film’s producer Gail Meyer, Teresa Palmer (I Am Number Four, Warm Bodies, Lights Out) as Iggy Starr, and Stephanie Hsu (Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Everything Everywhere All at Once, Joy Ride) as Alma Milan. 

            Overall, The Fall Guy is a lighthearted romantic action-comedy romp with incredible stunt work, lovable onscreen chemistry by Gosling and Blunt, and a surprisingly engaging story that’s also a love letter to stunt performers in movies. The stunts are amazing and the people who went out of their way to make them happen deserve all the attention and praise they can get. 

            Given that this is a David Leitch production and he himself was a stuntman before becoming a director, the action scenes and stunts are well-choreographed and retain this kinetic energy throughout and since this film is about stuntmen in the movie industry, it’s very explosive and overblown stunts being performed. 

            The movie also teaches the audience about how stunts in films are done and what goes down on-set as they’re being performed. To the point where because of all the work that goes into them and how stunt people risk their lives to bring these jaw-dropping moments to the screen, you’ll be begging the Academy to create a new Oscars category for Best Stunts because these are the people that truly make the film come to life. 

            Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt have very likable chemistry in the film which should come as no surprise to anyone given their statuses as beloved actors and I also appreciate them being an ex-couple that doesn’t spend the entire movie arguing and fighting with each other when you know they’re just going to get back together by the end. With the banter, bickering, and even a few somber moments they have, I genuinely bought them not just romantically, but also as friends and workplace collaborators.

            I also found myself getting invested in the film’s story and mystery surrounding the missing actor despite seeing a couple of twists coming as it went on. There were times during the film where I didn’t know where it was going and I was having fun piecing everything together.

            If you see movies in theaters and especially big blockbusters with a lot of special effects and stunts then The Fall Guy should be a mandatory watch in theaters. Even if you’re not big on overblown spectacle movies, I still recommend it because the two leads are extremely lovable and the film works as a romantic comedy so in a way this is a perfect win for a date night movie that leaves everyone happy. 

            While I may prefer Tropic Thunder in terms of my outrageous action-comedies about movie making and Driveis easily the better Ryan Gosling movie about stunts in the film industry, I still had a great time with The Fall Guy and strongly encourage film enthusiasts everywhere and moviegoers in general to seek it out. It doesn’t try to be pretentious or be filled with deep themes and messages, it’s just a lighthearted romp with crazy stunts, laughs, large-scale action, and endearing romantic leads, a fun time at the movies is guaranteed.