Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is a 2024 American science fiction action film directed by Wes Ball and written by Josh Friedman. It is the fourth installment in the Planet of the Apes reboot film series and the tenth film overall, serving as a standalone sequel to War for the Planet of the Apes (2017). The film stars Owen Teague, Freya Allan, Kevin Durand, Peter Macon, and William H. Macy. The film takes place many generations after the events of War and follows Noa (Teague), a young chimpanzee who embarks on a journey alongside Mae (Allan), a human woman, to determine the future for apes and humans alike.
Development on a new Planet of the Apes film began in April 2019, following Disney's acquisition of 20th Century Fox, with Ball attached as writer and director that December. Much of the screenplay was written during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, with casting commencing in June 2022, following the screenplay's completion. Teague was cast in the lead role that August, with the film's title and additional casting announced in the following months. Principal photography began in October 2022 in Sydney and wrapped in February 2023.
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes premiered at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles on May 2, 2024, and was released by 20th Century Studios in the United States on May 10. The film received generally positive reviews from critics, and has grossed over $397 million worldwide.
Plot
Many generations after Caesar's death, apes have established numerous clans, while humans have become animalistic and unable to speak. Noa, a young chimpanzee from a falconry-practicing clan, prepares for a coming-of-age ceremony by collecting wild eagle eggs with his friends Anaya and Soona. However, a human scavenger follows Noa home and inadvertently cracks his egg during a scuffle before fleeing. During his search for a replacement egg, Noa encounters a group of ape raiders using electric weapons. While Noa hides from them, the apes follow his horse back to his clan. Noa hurries home to find his village burning; the gorilla general Sylva kills Noa's father, Koro, before dropping Noa from a high platform.
Noa awakens to find that his clan has been abducted. He buries Koro and sets out to rescue his clan. Noa is joined by Raka, an orangutan who tells Noa about Caesar's teachings. The apes notice they are being followed by the human scavenger; Raka offers her food and a blanket, naming her Nova. When the trio encounters a group of feral humans, Sylva's raiders suddenly attack them. Noa and Raka rescue Nova who, to their surprise, is intelligent and can speak. She reveals that her name is Mae and that the raiders took Noa's clan to a beachfront settlement outside an old human vault. As they cross a bridge on their way to the settlement, they are ambushed by Sylva. In the ensuing fight, Raka saves Mae from drowning but is swept away by the rapids. Noa and Mae are captured and taken to the apes' settlement.
Noa reunites with his clan and is introduced to the apes' king, Proximus Caesar. Proximus has enslaved other clans, forcing them to work on opening the vault so he can access the human technology locked inside. Proximus invites Noa to dinner with Mae and Trevathan, another speaking human prisoner who is teaching Proximus about the old human world. Proximus believes that Noa's intuitiveness could help open the vault and warns him that Mae only has her own agenda. Noa confronts Mae, demanding the truth in exchange for his help. Mae discloses knowledge of a hidden entrance to the vault and that she seeks a book capable of restoring speech to humanity. Noa agrees to help her enter and destroy the vault. Noa, Mae, Soona, and Anaya secretly plant explosives around the sea walls that protect the settlement. Trevathan catches them and intends to warn Proximus, but Mae strangles him to death.
The group enters the vault, finding a stockpile of weapons and Mae's "book", which is actually a satellite decryption key. The apes discover old children's picture books depicting humans as the once-dominant species and apes in cages at a zoo. As the group makes their way out of the bunker, they are confronted by Proximus and his followers. Lightning, one of Proximus' lieutenants, threatens to kill Soona, but Mae kills him with a gun and triggers the explosives, flooding the bunker with the apes inside. Mae flees the settlement while the apes climb to higher ground through the bunker. Noa is pursued by Sylva, who he traps and leaves to drown. Noa then escapes the bunker but is attacked by Proximus. Noa leads his clan in summoning their eagles to attack Proximus and send him falling off a cliff into the sea.
As Noa's clan returns to rebuild their home, Mae arrives to bid farewell to Noa. She explains that she destroyed the bunker to prevent the apes from obtaining its weapons. Noa and Mae both question whether apes and humans can co-exist peacefully, given their disparities. As Noa takes Soona to look through a telescope he found on his journey, Mae travels to an intelligent human settlement at a satellite base. Mae delivers the decryption key, allowing them to reactivate the satellites and successfully contact other intelligent humans worldwide.
Comments
Post a Comment