‘Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes’ is the new installment of the successful film saga ‘The Planet of the Apes’, which began in 1968 and expands over five decades, rebooting in 2011 with ‘Rise of the Planet of the Apes’. This new film is directed by Wes Ball. It is a sequel to ‘War for the Planet of the Apes’ and It is the fourth installment since the restart of the saga.
The film has mostly been highly rated by critics, especially for its action and visual effects that some even compare to ‘Avatar’. The film directed by Ball currently has an 83% positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes. David Rooney, of The Hollywood Reporter, assures that “Fans of the franchise will have a lot to enjoy in this new installment, which points towards a possible new recalibration of the balance between humans and apes.” For Matt Neglia, from Netx Best Picture, the film “It’s an amazing show and retains the heart of the previous three films.”
The action is another aspect of ‘Planet of the Apes’ that is being highly rated by critics. Tomris Laffly of RoberEbert.com comments that “The large-scale action is tremendously tense and more logically constructed than we often see these days.” The visual effects of the film have been one of the aspects that critics have highlighted the most. David González, from The Cinematic Real, assures that “the visual effects are a feast, as the film provides the most impressive visual effects in a film since ‘Avatar’. Trace Sauveur, from Paste Magazine, continues in the same vein as his partner and comments that “It’s hard to find better quality visual effects in any movie that doesn’t take place on the planet Pandora.”
Critics have praised the actors who share the world with the apes in the film. The most notable of them has been Kevin Durand who plays Proximus Caesar. For Matt Neglia, from Next Best Picture, he assures that “It’s a riveting performance from the actor that instantly ranks among his best performances.” From Variety, for Owen Gleiberman, he comments that “Kevin Durand’s performance as Proximus is an insinuating piece of theater.”
Is it necessary to see the previous ones?
The ape saga already has five decades of history and ‘Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes’ is the fourth installment since its reboot in 2011. It is normal for many viewers who may not have seen all the films in the franchise to become the question of whether or not it is necessary to see the previous ones to understand the latter.
Most critics agree that it is not mandatory to have seen the previous ones because the story is intertwined. Tessa Smith, from Mama’s Geeky, says that “‘Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes’ does a wonderful job of weaving together explanations of everything that has happened before and is important to understanding the story. It is not necessary to have seen any of the previous films. Kaitlyn Boot, from Bleeding Cool, follows the same line and confirms that “is surprisingly accessible for those unfamiliar with the previous trilogy.”
