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Sep 30, 2024 Web Exclusive By Zachary Lee Photography by Sony Home Entertainment/20th Century Studios

The ending of director Matt Reeves’ War for the Planet of the Apes (2017) felt both final and open-ended. On the one hand, it concluded the arc of its central character, Caesar, a laboratory chimpanzee turned primate revolutionary after a virus nearly wipes out all humans but grants apes enhanced intelligence and strength. Reeves’ film ends with Caesar’s death, most of the human opposition wiped out, and Caesar’s followers discerning how to move ahead in a new, uncharted world–one that, for the first time, is free from humanity’s pesky influence. There were still narrative gaps to fill in between the closing of Reeves’ film and the start of the original 1968 Planet of the Apes, which left the franchise in an interesting place. The story could, in theory, continue, but it was also self-contained in its own right.

As is the way of Hollywood, eight years after Reeves’ film, 20th Century Studios released Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes (2024), directed by Wes Ball and set “many generations” (300 years, to be exact) after Caesar’s death. While Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is an urgent and unsettling depiction of what happens when a legacy gets tarnished (and its VFX and motion capture work remain top-notch), there ultimately is not a lot of justification (or compelling reasons) for the narrative to be continued in this way. However, the film’s home video release–particularly, the bonus features included in the 4K UHD and Blu-Ray Steelbook–elevates the final product and inspires a newfound appreciation for the work that went into depicting this beautiful apocalypse, especially the VFX artists and actors behind the film’s incredible use of motion capture.

One of the primary reasons it’s difficult to initially get invested in Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is that it effectively serves as a stand-alone sequel to the previous trilogy, focusing on brand new characters. The film follows a young chimpanzee, Noa (Owen Teague), whose ape clan has never heard of Caesar and focuses on catching and raising eagles. Not too long after spotting a human scavenger, Mae (Freya Allen), Noa’s entire clan is attacked by a group of ape raiders who pillage his village “in the name of Caesar.” His friends and family having been captured, Noa embarks on a journey with Mae to save them. Their journey puts them in the crosshairs of Proximus Caesar (Kevin Durand), a tyrannical ruler who has twisted Caesar’s ideologies to enslave his fellow apes and dreams of securing his empire by acquiring human weapons. From a creative standpoint, it’s understandable why the film’s team chose to set this story generations (not just a couple of years) after the 2011-2017 trilogy. Yet, the temporal distance ultimately hurts the film more than it helps it. It feels like trying to have to get invested in new characters when the old characters had more stories to inspire.

Thematically, Ball and his creative team make a strangely compelling case for the end of humanity. Mae is one of the few humans we encounter in the film and the world depicted is one that is not made for us. Technological staples such as roads or power lines have been overgrown with lush foliage and have transformed into homes for ape clans. The apocalypse has never looked so pretty, and so, even as we mourn the loss of humanity, the beauty on-screen almost makes a case against our survival as well, critiquing the ways we’ve terraformed the planet and exploited its resources for our needs.

Additionally, the film’s physical release has features that make up for its narrative shortcomings. Most prominently, it comes with the “Inside the Lens: The Raw Cut.” It’s not uncommon for studios to release occasional behind-the-scenes footage of actors embodying a CGI character (Zoe Saldaña as Neytiri in Avatar or Andy Serkis as Supreme Leader Snoke in Star Wars: The Last Jedi are recent examples), but rarely are viewers treated to a full film that features the unfinished VFX. The “Inside the Lens” cut is exactly that, which features a split-screen comparison between the final cut of the film and a version with unfinished VFX. This cut enables you to truly appreciate and see the nuances of the actors’ performances, and the comparison is also a testament to the ways Wētā FX, which had worked on the prior Planet of the Apes reboot films, was able to accurately transpose actors’ performances to the CGI apes. This is particularly resonant in a chilling moment where Durand’s Proximus Caesar delivers his infamous “what a wonderful day” speech. Durand’s crazed eyes and booming voice are expertly mapped out onto the CGI model. The film additionally features an exclusive documentary that further details the film’s journey and creation process, as well as 14 deleted and extended scenes, which add some helpful context and backstory (and some greater connective tissue to the other Apes films).

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes still feels as though it’s the second-best narrative direction the film franchise could have turned to after War for the Planet of the Apes. But, even if you find issues with the film’s focus, it’s worth watching purely for its effects alone. This Steelbook version only highlights the incredible work put into the film and is worth purchasing for that reason.

(www.blu-ray.com/movies/Kingdom-of-the-Planet-of-the-Apes-4K-Blu-ray/364413)