Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes (PG13)

145 minutes, opens on May 9
2 stars

The story: Generations have passed since the events of the third film of the franchise, War For The Planet Of The Apes (2017). The brain-altering virus has caused ape society to evolve into clans that practise hunting and gathering while humans roam in feral packs. A juvenile chimpanzee, Noa (Owen Teague), is forced to grow up quickly to rescue his family after they are taken prisoner by the army of warlord Proximus Caesar (Kevin Durand). Along the way, Noa meets the human Mae (Freya Allan).

Since the Planet Of The Apes saga was rebooted in 2011 with Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes, the set-up shown in Kingdom has been long awaited.

Now, with the apes as the apex species and humans as the inferior creatures, this is the topsy-turvy world where big ideas can be creatively explored, as they have been since the first Apes movie, Planet Of The Apes (1968).

Instead, a decent but uninspired journey of two juvenile heroes has been delivered, one that leans on family-friendly themes such as living with nature, parent-child relationships and the importance of friendship.

This is the defanged young adult (YA) version of a franchise that has tackled bolder ideas such as scientific hubris (Rise, 2011), betrayal (Dawn, 2014) and bloodlust (War, 2017).

The inclusion of Mae is one indication of the reluctance to go all in on an allegorical fable about apes exhibiting human traits, good and bad. There is teasing about her hidden depths, which feels shoehorned in as nothing in the previous films foreshadowed her background.

In a bid to make the film more relatable, the camera spends much time on Mae’s mud-streaked face.

It is as if the cinematography is saying, “Get used to her, because you will see more of her later”.

In a break with franchise tradition, Kingdom feels like a prequel, the first of a two-parter. It is a jarring move that belongs in the YA movie tradition.

Director Wes Ball’s credits, not coincidentally, includes the YA dystopian film trilogy Maze Runner (2014 to 2018).

Oscar-nominated American actor William H. Macy (Fargo, 1996) gets a supporting role and, as with Mae, his character feels frustratingly under-developed.

Meanwhile, the naive ape Noa and his clan are content to live in idyllic peace, issuing platitudes about living at one with nature, until the pillaging Proximus appears. This is a story of conquest and revenge that cries out for richer world-building and grown-up ideas.

Hot take: This family-friendly take is handsomely shot, but feels like a let-down given the quality of the film series thus far.