The original Planet of the Apes movie is widely considered one of the best sci-fi movies of all time, and the franchise has continued to stay in the pop culture landscape thanks to various sequels over the years. And ranking the Planet of the Apes movies is going to get a little bit more complicated thanks to the new sequel, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes. Critics have seen that new entry, and it's catching some flack for being "generic."
What we know about Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is limited, but it's set generations after the movies centered around Caesar. The critical response has started rolling in, including CinemaBlend's Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes review, which gave the movie 3.5 stars. One excerpt of Eric Eisenberg's response reads:
Like its canon cousins, it’s beautiful to look at – with stunning on-location photography and production design combined with the pairing of excellent visual effects and motion capture performances – and it features compelling characters and stakes, but its story doesn’t quite deliver the devastating punch and awe of its best predecessors. It’s not disappointing, but more good than great.
Indeed, the visuals of this new Planet of the Apes film are pretty universally acclaimed. It's the story that some critics found issues with. BBC's Cary James went so far as to call the new entry generic. She summarized:
Behind the impressive CGI, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is the definition of generic, all two hours and 25 minutes of it. The ending teases a sequel that offers a more intriguing conflict ahead, but that doesn't help us now.
Clearly the visual effects are so impressive that even those who disliked the film have to tip their hats to it. Of course, some responses were more favorable. THR's David Rooney claimed that it was more than just a visual treat, offering:
At a moment in modern history when autocratic rule is on the rise across the globe, Josh Friedman’s smart screenplay takes its cue from its recent predecessors in reflecting the politics of its time. But the movie works equally well as pure popcorn entertainment, packing its two-and-a-half-hour running time with nail-biting thrills but also allowing sufficient breathing space to build depth in the characters and story.
The critical response for Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is clearly a mixed bag. The Guardian's Peter Bradshaw also took umbrage with the movie's lack of originality, writing:
The film becomes rather jumbled and preposterous by the very end, but not before some perfectly good action sequences, and the CGI ape faces are very good. This franchise has held up an awful lot better than others; now it should evolve to something new.
But is the new Planet of the Apes movie still worth seeing in theaters? The praise coming at its CGI makes it seem like a project fit for the big screen. USA Today's Brian Truitt spoke about how gorgeous the movie's titular apes look, saying:
Just like the previous films, the main draw is the apes themselves, computer-generated simian wonders who immerse audiences into their world. They look better than ever, with Noa’s tearful eyes delivering so much fragility and emotion in a close-up after a tragic scene, and the performance-capture wizardry, a signature aspect of these new "Apes" movies, feels more groundbreaking than ever.
It looks like moviegoers will have to judge for themselves. Luckily the wait is nearly over, as Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes hits theaters on May 10th. In the meantime, check out the 2024 movie release dates.
