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‘Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes’ Review: The Franchise Essentially Reboots with a Tale of Survival Set — At Last — in the Ape-Ruled Future


The franchise essentially reboots with a tale of survival that may be the first film in the series to connect with the spirit of 'Planet of the Apes.'

It’s essentially a two-and-a-half-hour chimp-in-the-wilderness adventure movie, directed by Wes Ball (the “Maze Runner” films) in the deliberately paced “classical” style of an episodic Hollywood saga from 50 years ago. Cut loose from his village, Noa meets a wise old orangutan named Raka (Peter Macon), with expressive small eyes and a funny way of pursing his lips; he’s a relic who still believes in the teachings of Caesar. The three characters team up, but Noa is eventually dragged to the ape kingdom, presided over by a fearsome cult leader named Proximus Caesar (Kevin Durand), who has stolen the authority — but not the morality — of his namesake.

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