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Watch the Caesar-centered Planet of the Apes trilogy in release order: Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011), Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014), then War for the Planet of the Apes (2017). The three films follow Caesar from his origin to the end of his story. Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes (2024) continues the wider story world generations after Caesar’s reign; it is not a fourth chapter in his trilogy.
What is the Planet of the Apes reboot trilogy?
It is the three-film story of Caesar, the chimpanzee played by Andy Serkis. In Rise, an experimental drug helps develop Caesar’s human-like intelligence and emotions. Dawn follows his leadership of an ape colony after a pandemic devastates humanity. War brings his arc to its conclusion amid a conflict with a human army.
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Disney identifies Rise, Dawn, and War as the films that traced Caesar’s journey. The table below uses their release dates and listed runtimes from the official 20th Century Studios pages.
| Film | Release date | Runtime | Story stage and central conflict |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rise of the Planet of the Apes | August 5, 2011 | 1h 44m | Caesar’s origin and escape. Raised by the scientist who created the experimental drug, he is eventually imprisoned; his escape sets humans and apes on a collision course. |
| Dawn of the Planet of the Apes | July 11, 2014 | 2h 10m | After the Simian flu pandemic decimates the human population, Caesar leads an advanced ape colony. A human effort to restore power and the collapse of trust drive the conflict. |
| War for the Planet of the Apes | July 14, 2017 | 2h 19m | Caesar and the apes face a human army led by a Colonel in a struggle over the fate of both species. |
All three films are rated PG-13 by the studio. Runtime and rating details are listed on the official pages for Rise, Dawn, and War.
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What order should you watch the films in?
For a first viewing, follow release order: Rise, Dawn, and War. It presents Caesar’s story as the films originally unfolded, from his beginnings through the trilogy’s final conflict. The sources do not establish a separate mandatory viewing order.
- Start with Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011), Caesar’s origin and escape story.
- Continue with Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014), set after the Simian flu pandemic.
- Finish with War for the Planet of the Apes (2017), the conclusion of Caesar’s arc.
How does Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes fit?
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is set several generations after Caesar’s reign and follows a new young ape protagonist, Noa. It belongs to the franchise’s broader story world, but it does not continue Caesar’s personal story as a fourth trilogy entry.
Rank #2
- Polish Release, cover may contain Polish text/markings. The disk has English audio.
Director and producer Wes Ball described Kingdom as “a kind of a prequel and a sequel”: it follows the three newer films but is set before the events of the 1968 Planet of the Apes. In a Disney interview, Ball said the filmmakers wanted a new chapter after following Caesar “from Pinocchio in Rise to a Moses figure in War.”
What connects the trilogy—and what changes from film to film?
Caesar is the through line, but each film moves the conflict to a different stage. These are premise distinctions, not a ranking of quality.
Rank #3
- Rise is an origin story. Caesar’s development, his relationship with the scientist who raises him, and his escape set the larger human-ape conflict in motion.
- Dawn is about fragile coexistence. Caesar’s colony and human survivors encounter one another in a world reshaped by the pandemic; the attempt to restore power tests whether they can trust each other.
- War is the final Caesar-era confrontation. Caesar faces the Colonel’s army, and the conflict puts both species’ futures at stake.
The trilogy’s central question is whether humans and apes can live in peace, as Caesar hoped. The Associated Press review of Kingdom also poses the question, “What is next for apes? Should we go back to silence?” These are thematic questions, not official taglines.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What should viewers know about the performances and production?
Andy Serkis performs Caesar across the trilogy. For Kingdom, D23 reports that cast members trained for several weeks with a movement coach and that Serkis visited to share what he learned playing Caesar. Disney describes performance-capture technology as part of how the films bring their ape characters to life.
The three Caesar films earned a combined $1.6 billion worldwide, according to The Walt Disney Company’s May 2024 article introducing Kingdom. The figure covers Rise, Dawn, and War.
Where can you find the trilogy on home media?
Official 20th Century Studios pages list Rise and War on Blu-ray and DVD. Those pages do not establish a single bundled edition containing all three Caesar films. If you are looking for a Planet of the Apes reboot trilogy Blu-ray, check the listing’s included titles and region before buying; availability can vary. The official pages also list Kingdom on 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray.
The studio’s pages do not establish current streaming availability by service or country, so check local catalogs for where the films can be watched.
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