“Apes. Together. Strong.” —Caesar, Planet of the Apes
Planet of the Apes is a legendary and iconic film franchise. From the late 1960s to the early 1970s–when it experienced an almost historical run–the movies were hailed for their state-of-the-art effects and ape costumes. As technology has progressed, so have the movies themselves. From the Caesar reboots in the 2010s back to even the 2001 Tim Burton version, it’s safe to say that Planet of the Apes holds its own as a prolific franchise.
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes–released in May—is the newest installment of the series and takes place 300 years after the Caesar trilogy. It follows the story of Noa, whose clan gets abducted, and then he begins his quest to find the members of his clan, only to find a settlement run by a tyrannical king, Proximus Caesar. Unlike Caesar from his trilogy, Proximus gets his name from an obsession with Roman culture–namely, Julius Caesar.
What makes Proximus such an interesting character is that, much like Caesar, he believes that apes together are strong. However, he decides that human weapons are the best way to get total power and that humans and apes can’t live together. Ultimately, if Proximus had his way, society would turn out just like it is now. The film in general is meant to contrast the Caesar trilogy and bring up divergent ideals that could be had in this world. Sophomore Christopher Christensen theorized that “the apes are getting smarter and smarter; I think eventually they’re going to be going to space, since it’s been foreshadowed since the first movie.”
Of course, how can one talk about Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes without mentioning its groundbreaking visual effects? The franchise has always had stunning visuals, and its portrayal of the apes has always been so incredible and lifelike; it’s nothing short of amazing. As technology and CGI continue to develop and improve each year, it is exciting to imagine what the next films in this trilogy will look like in the future. The actors also give it their all, and even if they are CGI apes, the audience can still feel the emotions and character intentions from their compelling voice-acting and body language, which is all extremely expressive.
From a CGI standpoint alone, this movie is definitely something to go “ape” over.
