Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is worth watching for its expressive performance-capture work, striking post-apocalyptic landscapes, and a fresh lead in Noa. It continues the world of the Caesar trilogy, but it is set generations later and tells a new story. Its 145-minute runtime and more contained conflict make it a less propulsive ride than some viewers may expect from the earlier films.
Is Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes worth watching?
For viewers who enjoy thoughtful science fiction and richly realized worlds, yes. Director Wes Ball builds an ape-dominated future that feels both lush and unsettling, and the performance-capture work gives the characters expressive physicality. The Associated Press’s Mark Kennedy awarded the film three and a half stars out of four, praising effects he called “just jaw-dropping.” He also found the 145-minute running time “somewhat taxing.” (Associated Press review)
![The Kingdom of The Planet Of The Apes [Blu-ray] [Region A & B & C]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51B5U9JjjRL._SL160_.jpg)
The film’s appeal is less about recreating Caesar’s emotional journey than about watching a new generation inherit its consequences. That shift gives the story room to explore how history becomes a tool of power, though the relatively contained conflict may feel small beside the escalating stakes of the prior trilogy.
How does it connect to the Caesar trilogy?
Kingdom takes place many generations after Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011), Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014), and War for the Planet of the Apes (2017). Caesar is part of the world’s distant past, not the lead of this story. The film introduces Noa, a young ape whose journey brings him into conflict with a new tyrannical leader and forces him to reckon with what remains of the past. Wes Ball has described the setting as occurring before the events of the 1968 original. (D23 interview with Wes Ball)
#1 Best Overall
- Generations in the future following Caesar?s reign, apes are living harmoniously as the dominant species ? and humans are living in the shadows. As a new tyrannical ape leader builds his empire, one young ape undertakes a harrowing journey that will cause him to question the past and make choices that will define a future for apes and humans alike.
You do not need to watch the earlier films to follow Noa’s central journey. The trilogy adds context for the legacy of Caesar and the questions the franchise has raised about human-ape coexistence, but Kingdom is designed around a new protagonist and a much later world. The Walt Disney Company reported that the three preceding films together earned $1.6 billion worldwide; that figure is for the trilogy, not Kingdom. (The Walt Disney Company)
What is the film about beneath its adventure story?
At its center is a question of who gets to define the past. Caesar’s teachings have survived, but survival does not guarantee faithful interpretation: the new ape ruler Proximus uses Caesar’s symbolism to strengthen his own authority. The result is a conflict not simply between apes and humans, but over whether inherited history will be remembered as a call to coexist or reshaped into a justification for domination. TIME notes how Caesar’s legacy becomes a political symbol in the film. (TIME review)
Rank #2
- Generations in the future following Caesar?s reign, apes are living harmoniously as the dominant species ? and humans are living in the shadows. As a new tyrannical ape leader builds his empire, one young ape undertakes a harrowing journey that will cause him to question the past and make choices that will define a future for apes and humans alike.
Ball framed the franchise’s underlying concern this way: “At the core of these movies really is, can apes and humans live together? That’s ultimately what it comes down to.” (D23 interview with Wes Ball) Noa’s journey brings that question into a world where the old conflict has changed shape, and where both apes and humans can be defined by fear, ambition, or compassion.
What works especially well?
Performance capture that communicates character
The apes are not just visual effects or action figures: gesture, posture, and expression help distinguish personalities and relationships. The Associated Press singled out the expressive effects and the increasingly seamless images of apes on horseback. The performers also prepared with a movement coach, and Andy Serkis visited the cast to share his performance-capture experience, according to D23. (D23 interview with Wes Ball)
Rank #3
![Kingdom of The Planet Of The Apes [Blu-ray]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51mYdPnxVPL._SL160_.jpg)
- Generations in the future following Caesar’s reign, apes are living harmoniously as the dominant species — and humans are living in the shadows. As a new tyrannical ape leader builds his empire, one young ape undertakes a harrowing journey that will cause him to question the past and make choices that will define a future for apes and humans alike.
A post-apocalyptic landscape with a distinct mood
Ball said the film was shot in Australia, largely on location, and described its setting as “a lush, beautiful world that underneath is haunted with the remains of our existence.” (D23 interview with Wes Ball) That contrast gives the film a visual identity: nature has reclaimed much of the world, but traces of human civilization still shape what its inhabitants can imagine and what they fear.
A new protagonist and a different kind of scale
Noa gives the film a fresh emotional center rather than asking it to repeat Caesar’s arc. The story’s exploratory quality is a strength if you want to see how the world has changed; it is a limitation if you want the same steadily escalating, civilization-wide conflict associated with the earlier trilogy.
Rank #4
- Generations in the future following Caesar?s reign, apes are living harmoniously as the dominant species ? and humans are living in the shadows. As a new tyrannical ape leader builds his empire, one young ape undertakes a harrowing journey that will cause him to question the past and make choices that will define a future for apes and humans alike.
What may feel wonky?
The main caveat is pacing. At 145 minutes, the film has time to establish its setting and follow Noa’s journey, but some viewers may find that journey longer than its dramatic momentum warrants. Kennedy’s AP review makes the same distinction: he praised the effects while calling the runtime taxing. The criticism is about the experience of this particular story, not a claim that a long science-fiction film cannot work.
The other potential mismatch is scale. TIME characterizes the conflict as relatively contained compared with the trilogy’s larger confrontations. That smaller scope suits a story about inherited history and competing beliefs, but viewers expecting another Caesar-centered epic may find Kingdom less emotionally sweeping. Its focus is a new generation testing what the old one left behind.
Best Value
Do you need to watch the earlier films first?
No. Kingdom is a later-set continuation, not a direct follow-up focused on Caesar, and it gives Noa a new story. Watching the 2011–2017 trilogy first can deepen the significance of Caesar’s legacy, but it is optional background rather than a prerequisite for understanding the film’s main conflict.
Release details and home viewing
20th Century Studios lists the film’s U.S. release date as May 10, 2024, its rating as PG-13, and its runtime as 2 hours 25 minutes. The Associated Press gives the runtime as 145 minutes and describes the rating as covering intense sci-fi violence and action. The studio lists 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray purchase options; retailer availability and edition details may vary. (20th Century Studios)
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