Directed by Wes Ball (The Maze Runner (2014); Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials (2015)) and starring Owen Teague (It (2017); Bloodline (2015)), Freya Allan (The Witcher (2019); Gunpowder Milkshake (2021)), Kevin Durand (X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009); Robin Hood (2010); I Am Number Four (2011)), William H. Macy (Fargo (1996); Boogie Nights (1997); The Lincoln Lawyer (2011); Jurassic Park III (2001)) and Peter Macon (The Secrets of Emily Blair (2016); The Orville (TV series, 2017-2022)).
Action Adventure / Sci-Fi; 145 mins; 12+
The latest instalment in the Planet of the Apes saga is the first of a trilogy and is set a few generations from the death of Caesar (at the finale of the 2017 film War for the Planet of the Apes).
While most humans now live a feral existence, chimpanzee Noa (Owen Teague) lives in a village with the Eagle Clan where they live in harmony with nature, with his father the leader. Their idyllic peace is shattered when they are invaded by Proximus Caesar (Kevin Durand) and his merciless followers. While Noa's father is killed, his mother and friends are taken hostage.
Noa escapes and vows to rescue his family and friends and bring them back to their village which had been razed to the ground. Along the way he teams up with Raka (Peter Macon), a loner who remembers Caesar, and Nova (Freya Allan), a young girl who says she has got separated from her family.
Along the way, Proximus Caesar has the three of them surrounded and leads them to a location where he is attempting to break into a reinforced human reinforced bunker facility. There, Noa and Nova are introduced to Trevathan (William H. Macy), a human who is educating Proximus Caesar who understand that knowledge is valuable.
Along the journey, Noa starts to question everything he has been taught about the past; he is intelligent and soon learns that his the future of his family, village and all apes could be in his hands...
Unlike the tiredness of the Marvel universe which can be argued is not offering anything new, the Planet of the Apes franchise continues to excel, from its storytelling to cinematography and acting. Maybe slightly too long, but that is due to a slow build up in the first hour.
Currently screening in Luxembourg at Kinepolis.
