Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes

This review may contain spoilers!

 

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is the tenth Planet of the Apes film and a follow-on from the prior Caesar prequel trilogy. Many generations have passed since the time of Caesar, and the apes are now the dominant species on Earth. We follow Noa, a young member of Eagle Clan (a small group of apes who rear eagles), as he is forced to step into the role of leader after the capture of his clan at the hands of a dangerous new ape: Proximus. Noa's journey will take him across a world that has become more alien, and force him to trust the most unlikely ally: a human.

 

This movie invites us back in to a world that feels so substantially different once again, now we see the apes as creatures with their own language, civilisations and technology. How the world has adapted post-humanity and how the apes live now; how even Caesar's teachings have evolved and been remembered with time is such a fascinating thread to follow throughout. Even when you see the antagonist, Proximus, warp what there is to be learned from humanity to impose his own sense of empirical tyranny, you can't help but be impressed with how creatively this new world has been imagined and developed. The manner with which this movie links back to the Caesar prequels while also bearing threads to the original Planet of the Apes movies shows a very strong dedication to this series. The story arc around young Noa is excellent, his growth from an optimistic and promising young ape eagerly awaiting his bonding day to becoming the ape who leads his clan and overthrows Proximus is well captured. It's a coming of age narrative that feels fitting for these movies, and I found Noa to be a worthy protagonist following Caesar.

 

I am in awe of how these films are captured, there is such extensive motion capture and CGI imagery that it sometimes feels easy to forget just how much goes into the cinematography. The way these big epic sound stages are caught, and the action doesn't lose a shred of momentum, has my jaw on the floor. The really impressive part is the visual effects, the motion capture work to get every ape performance is uncanny and a level of realism most high quality blockbusters should be striving for. 

 

Kevin Durand, who played Proximus Caesar, has given us one of the greatest antagonists of the Apes series, I feel; Durand crafts this figure who feels entirely deluded and volatile with his human history obsession. William H. Macy, who played Trevathan, is compelling for a cowardly role; he never feels entirely menacing or hostile, but he is a nice counterpoint to Allan's character. Lydia Peckham, who played Soona, is one of the gentlest figures in the film; her kindness and connection with others makes her the quiet heart of the film at times. Peter Macon, who played Raka, is one of the more impressive characters in the cast; Macon crafts a role who is eccentric and even comedic, but also feels like a conscience in his own right. Sara Wiseman, who played Dar, feels so kindly and nurturing; Wiseman really embodies an elder who guides not only her on-screen son but also her people. Eka Darville, who played Sylva, was a really threatening character the whole way through; Darville brought an edge to scenes that upped the stakes immediately. Travis Jeffery, who played Anaya, was quite the cheeky humorous character; Jeffery's role was so full of life so the moments in which his character was having a tough time you really felt it as an audience.

However, the best performance came from Owen Teague, who played Noa. This is a role that really had a lot of weight placed upon it; it's not easy to be the next ape performer leading the series after Andy Serkis. But from the moment Teague appears, we are presented with a soft-spoken and compassionate new protagonist who feels inclined towards leadership and courageous acts. I liked that he didn't start out a fighter or rebel in his own right; in some ways he was certain of himself but was still growing into his identity. But as the movie goes on, Teague lends Noa some range; the anger and hurt over what happened to his father and clan most notably. But also the way he had to learn compassion for humans and form an uneasy bond with Allan's Mae. Watching Teague forge these points of compassion, righteous anger and hurt into something more revolutionary at the end when he stands against the antagonist is the stuff of a good Apes protagonist. I look forward to seeing if Teague is coming back in the future, I'm certain he'll continue to put on one hell of a show.

 

There is something to be said for a hard act to follow, and I don't envy Wes Ball, the last Planet of the Apes trilogy was such a master-class in cinema that whoever helmed the next one was always going to be contrasted to these three films. And to be clear, I don't think Kingdom manages to get there, but it's far closer than you might expect. I was disappointed by the second act, which dragged on something wicked, taking pauses and forging character bonds at a pace that took all the urgency out of the plot until the bridge scene sent us hurtling into the more even-paced third act. I was chiefly disappointed by Mae and the human storyline in all of this. It just didn't really work in a film set generations after the Caesar storyline. This idea that there were humans hiding out with technology, language and a societal structure that resembled what we saw last in War of the Planet of the Apes was puzzling. It felt like the easy option, have humans who aren't so different from who we are as a people right now; but it just left a glaring chunk of the plot that felt out of place and irrelevant. In this world of sequels, I might be convinced Mae's story will have a place in the future, but for now I really didn't much care for the plot when it veered away from the apes. 

I failed to be particularly impressed by the score of the film, the music never really elevated beyond blockbuster backing noise for me, which was a shame. This probably would have felt like a new Apes epic with the right composer in the mix.

Freya Allan, who played Mae, is my least favourite performance of the feature, which is significant given just how much of it she is in; Allan just doesn't have enough range to drive the entire human storyline on her own and make it compelling for the audience. Neil Sandilands, who played Koro, lends quite an odd garbled voice to his character; I felt his take on an elder in the village was a bit more simplistic and generic.

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is a brilliant new step for the franchise with a ton of potential; though it sadly can't shake the long shadow cast by the previous trilogy. I would give Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes a 7/10.

Boy Kills World

This review may contain spoilers!

 

Boy Kills World follows the title character, Boy, as he goes on a revenge-fuelled rampage to kill the tyrannical family responsible for killing his own. This movie is a real high-octane thrill, entirely nuts but also surprisingly creative. These days, every fast moving action feature seems to want to be John Wick, but I really didn't see that formula in Boy Kills World. This is a pulpy no holds barred brawler and shooter where no two fight sequences really look alike and there is no limit to just how brutal those moments will go. From a storytelling perspective I found the main character of Boy quite interesting, both deaf and mute he is very limited in how he can communicate through scenes as he finds new allies and enemies alike. He is also really firmly planted by the memory of his sister, even having an imaginary version of her as a child following and guiding him for most of the film. The world here is a very oddball dystopia setting with a militia/media mogul crime family at the head of the nation who are such fascinating characters in and of themselves. Watching Boy navigate this place as he reconnects with civilisation is a nice method for bringing the audience along for the ride. Boy Kills World is a bit of a grim beast at times, but it tends to really land some strong use of humour. 

The camera really feels like it is running with the action in this, the way shots just glide through an action set piece is quite impressive. For the most part, the editing also manages to keep the frantic, adrenaline-pumping pace too. The big triumph for Boy Kills World is Ludvig Forsell's score, which was equal parts gritty, otherworldly and melodic in those moments where the choir kicked in. 'We Are the Revolution' certainly stood out as my favourite track.

 

Bill Skarsgård, who played Boy, was a really impressive physical role that still had so much to say with no dialogue; the way Skarsgård showed everything that was being said via voice-over flawlessly is a real credit to how deep he goes as a performer. Jessica Rothe, who played June27, is quite a rageful and impressive character when first introduced; but I love the motional bond we see her and Skarsgård build in a very short time. Michelle Dockery, who played Melanie Van Der Koy, is such a wild and unpredictable performer who always brings it; Dockery's control freak media mogul was so satirical and a scene-stealer. Brett Gelman, who played Gideon Van Der Koy, is more the dramatic backbone of this feature; Gelman feels so world-weary of this whole struggle and I loved seeing his character navigate that exhaustion. Isaiah Mustafa, who played Bennie, is a real hilarious minor point of the whole film; the way he puts such meaning into nothing but gibberish lines is a lot of fun. Cameron and Nicholas Crovetti, who played Young Boy, are quite understated performances in their own right but serve the film quite well; just the simple transition from innocent kid to something much more angry and unnatural is interesting. Quinn Copeland, who played Mina, is entirely one of the sweetest parts of the film; Copeland is the heart and the conscience of our leading role and very endearing to watch. H. Jon Benjamin, who voiced Boy, is really the driving force of the film; Benjamin's cartoonish voice really drives home the more pulpy action hero component of this film.

However, the best performance came from Sharlto Copley, who played Glen Van Der Koy. This was a role that absolutely dominated the first act and was still fresh in my mind by the end of the feature. Copley really goes to town on overselling the sleazy yet charismatic face of the Van Der Koy family. It's interesting to see how irrational and impulsive he gets under pressure, but also how quickly he wilts around his on-screen wife, Dockery. Copley's final scene where in a blubbery moment he switches sides is hilarious and speaks to the incredible levels of comedy he brought to this role.

This movie is very visceral and pushes the boundaries when it comes to the violent action on display, which gets very creative at times. Sadly, I did feel that Boy Kills World didn't always recognise when to restrain itself and reel things back in. There were some moments where things felt like they got gory for the sake of it, or instances where the envelope was pushed merely for shock value. I also enjoyed the third act plot twist for some reasons, but it did complicate the character of Boy and the two main antagonists in a way that felt rough and like more work could have gone into that moment.

The editing served well for most of the movie, but there were instances where those sharp cuts left a messy edge on the flow of some scenes. A lot of the visual effects looked pretty rough too.

Yayan Ruhian, who played the Shaman, has never really quite succeeded as an actor over a stunt performer in my eyes; Ruhian is just too simplistic with what he brings and all that results in is a rather stereotypical antagonist. Andrew Koji, who played Basho, is a role that is hard to slot into this whole thing; Koji just doesn't make me feel emotionally invested in Basho at any point beyond his last scene. Famke Janssen, who played Hilda Van Der Koy, gives one of the very worst performances of the film; watching Janssen really oversell the crazy aspect of her role is a hard watch in every scene she is in. Rolanda Marais, who played Boy's Imaginary Mother, is quite forgettable as the generic mother figure; she feels very undefined and doesn't serve the eventual plot twist very well.

This film is absolutely batshit crazy, which works wonders for it more often than not. I would give Boy Kills World a 7.5/10.