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Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes First Reviews: A Thoughtful, Visually Stunning, Action-Packed Triumph

Critics say the latest chapter in the Apes franchise boasts Avatar-level visual effects to match its standout performances and top-notch action, even if it doesn't quite meet the heights of its predecessors.

by Christopher Campbell | May 8, 2024 | Comments

TAGGED AS: Action, First Reviews, movies, Sci-Fi

It’s been seven years since the last Planet of the Apes movie gave the franchise its best Tomatometer score. Now, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes continues the reboot series with a massive time jump, all new characters, and a new director taking the reins. According to the first reviews of this latest installment, there’ll be no topping War for the Planet of the Apes, but it’s also difficult to compare Kingdom to what came before. Directed by Wes Ball and resembling the dystopian adventure of his Maze Runner trilogy, the fourth modern Planet of the Apes movie is a “brilliant” success all its own.

Here’s what critics are saying about Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes:

Is this another triumph in the franchise?

Fans of the franchise should find much to enjoy in this very solid new installment, which points the way forward to a potential new recalibration of the human-ape balance.
— David Rooney, Hollywood Reporter

Wes Ball’s brilliant Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, walks securely in the footsteps of this recent legacy, wearing the Caesar-centric films’ values like fairness, loyalty and communal solidarity on its sleeve with pride.
— Tomris Laffly, RogerEbert.com

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is a jaw-dropping spectacle. But more so than that, it retains the heart of the previous three films, engrossing us in the world and getting us to care deeply about each of the newly introduced characters.
— Matt Neglia, Next Best Picture

There are some scenes here as lively and as thoughtful as any in this great series’ history.
— Matt Singer, ScreenCrush

For what it’s worth, the somewhat talky Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is the most ape-ful of the series.
— Jim Slotek, Original Sin

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is not quite as transporting as the previous trilogy… but there’s still a tremendous amount to mull over here.
— Alissa Wilkinson, New York Times

It has taken the franchise this long to arrive at the place that it arguably should have started at.
— Owen Gleiberman, Variety

It’s hard not to compare Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes to what became before it, and, unfortunately, Ball’s take on the Apes isn’t as engrossing as the last run of films.
— Ross Bonaime, Collider

Raka (played by Peter Macon), Noa (played by Owen Teague) , and Freya Allan as Nova in 20th Century Studios' KINGDOM OF THE PLANET OF THE APES

(Photo by ©20th Century Studios)

How is Wes Ball’s direction?

Many of us couldn’t muster much interest in the Maze Runner movies, but Ball’s time on that YA trilogy has clearly sharpened his storytelling tools in terms of world-building, survival suspense, and vigorous action.
— David Rooney, Hollywood Reporter

Ball shares with his predecessor an appreciation for character development and somber stakes, delivering a muscular blockbuster that is far more intelligent and mature than most event movies.
— Tim Grierson, Screen International

It’s to Ball’s credit that so much of the film unfurls in a somber register.
— Jake Cole, Slant Magazine

How does it look?

The movie avoids the flat artificiality of so much recent “live-action” fare that looks more like animation. It’s not 100 percent photorealistic but it’s a close enough approximation to give the film visceral physicality and visual grandeur.
— David Rooney, Hollywood Reporter

Kingdom unleashes some truly stunning Avatar: The Way of Water-style visuals.
— Tomris Laffly, RogerEbert.com

Noa’s trek traverses several memorable environments — some beautiful, some treacherous — and all are vividly rendered.
— Tim Grierson, Screen International

Ball and cinematographer Gyula Pados continue the reboot series tradition of cleanly composed, satisfyingly fluid sequences of apes jumping, climbing, swinging and beating the hell out of other apes.
— Trace Sauveur, Paste Magazine

A scene still from 20th Century Studios' KINGDOM OF THE PLANET OF THE APES

(Photo by ©20th Century Studios)

Are the visual effects impressive?

Ever since 2011’s Rise of the Planet of the Apes, this series has boasted excellent special effects — particularly in the motion-capture ape design. Kingdom is especially strong in this regard, the simians’ expressive eyes and rich coats remarkable to behold.
— Tim Grierson, Screen International

With Wētā FX once again providing the visual effects, the motion capture here is a predictably exemplary display of the technology, and Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is often spellbinding in close-ups that reveal an astonishing range of expressions on the apes’ faces.
— Jake Cole, Slant Magazine

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is a tremendous visual feat with some of the best effects this franchise has ever seen and certainly the most stunning on the big screen since the release of Avatar: The Way of Water… The team at Wētā FX have outdone themselves yet again.
— Matt Neglia, Next Best Picture

The VFX of Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes are a visual feast as the film bestows the most impressive visual effects in a film since James Cameron’s Avatar: The Way of Water.
— David Gonzalez, The Cinematic Reel

You’d be hard-pressed to find better-looking visual effects from any movie that doesn’t take place on the planet Pandora. The VFX in Rise still hold up over a decade later, but that work is far surpassed by the continued achievements of how real these artists are able to make these apes look.
— Trace Sauveur, Paste Magazine

Noa and his ilk are astounding digital creations by the artists from Weta and other special effects houses. I don’t know why the apes of Planet of the Apes tend to look so much better than comparable CGI characters in other modern Hollywood productions, but they do.
— Matt Singer, ScreenCrush

Noa (played by Owen Teague) in 20th Century Studios' KINGDOM OF THE PLANET OF THE APES

(Photo by ©20th Century Studios)

What about the action?

The large-scaled action is heart-poundingly tense, and more logically constructed than what we often see these days.
— Tomris Laffly, RogerEbert.com

Ball executes some top-flight action sequences but, as with the recent Planet Of The Apes trilogy, Kingdom’s set pieces are heightened by a respect for the complexity of the characters and the desperation of their mission.
— Tim Grierson, Screen International

Ball knows when to put his foot on the accelerator in a movie with no shortage of adrenaline.
— David Rooney, Hollywood Reporter

And the writing?

There is not a single wasted idea or scene that feels randomly introduced without a soundly rewarding payoff that deepens and completes the story.
— Tomris Laffly, RogerEbert.com

At a moment in modern history when autocratic rule is on the rise across the globe, Josh Friedman’s smart screenplay takes its cue from its recent predecessors in reflecting the politics of its time.
— David Rooney, Hollywood Reporter

When the ape and his fellow travelers arrive at their destination, the script seems to lose its nerve, and reverts back to more typical blockbuster fare — still solid, but not nearly as fresh or as unusual as the earlier sections.
— Matt Singer, ScreenCrush

The screenplay is so flat it’s kind of an insult to the apes’ intelligence.
— Caryn James, BBC.com

Proximus Caesar (played by Kevin Durand) in 20th Century Studios' KINGDOM OF THE PLANET OF THE APES

(Photo by ©20th Century Studios)

Do any performances stand out?

Owen Teague delivers an outstanding performance as Noa… Durand’s Proximus Caesar is intimidating and menacing, able to instill fear with just a slight glance. It’s a spellbinding performance from the character actor that instantly ranks as one of his very best.
— Matt Neglia, Next Best Picture

Kevin Durand’s performance as Proximus, the leering bonobo monarch, is a piece of insinuating theater.
— Owen Gleiberman, Variety

Kevin Durand makes Proximus an intimidating villain.
— Matt Singer, ScreenCrush

In a movie full of incredible special effects and motion-capture actors, it’s Peter Macon’s performance under all of that that makes Raka the most delightful addition to this world.
— Ross Bonaime, Collider

Freya Allan is terrific.
— David Rooney, Hollywood Reporter

For most of the film, she is the only human against all of the apes, and it says a lot about Allan’s talent that she can simultaneously look incredibly vulnerable and incredibly powerful.
— Kaitlyn Booth, Bleeding Cool

Does it have any major issues?

The movie is too long.
— Owen Gleiberman, Variety

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes’ conclusion abandons all the novel things it had brought to the property in favor of far more standard action fare, in a style and tone that seems ripped out of a totally different movie… It’s a big disappointment.
— Matt Singer, ScreenCrush

By the time the demands of big-budget spectacle take over in the final act, a film that initially stands out from the pack in imagining a different perspective of the world ends up looking all too disappointingly like everything else in the current mega-budget cinema landscape.
— Jake Cole, Slant Magazine

Kingdom feels like table-setting for a more interesting movie that could come later down the line.
— Trace Sauveur, Paste Magazine

Behind the impressive CGI, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is the definition of generic… The ending teases a sequel that offers a more intriguing conflict ahead, but that doesn’t help us now.
— Caryn James, BBC.com

Freya Allan as Nova in 20th Century Studios' KINGDOM OF THE PLANET OF THE APES

Can we go into this one without watching the others?

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes does a wonderful job of weaving in explanations of anything that has happened previously that is important to understanding the story. It is not necessary to have seen any of the previous Apes films. You can absolutely go in to this one cold, and perhaps it will have you interested in going back and watching the older films.
— Tessa Smith, Mama’s Geeky

Set generations beyond the interwoven backstory of over 50 years, a casual moviegoer can pop in and enjoy an easy-to-digest action/adventure sci-fi film for the summer and appreciate it for what it is – an easy-to-watch summer flick.
— Christie Cronan, Raising Whasians

It’s surprisingly approachable for those unfamiliar with the previous trilogy, provided they can wrap their heads around the concept of super-intelligent apes.
— Kaitlyn Booth, Bleeding Cool

Does it leave us wanting more from the franchise?

The picture ends with a teaser that suggests more sequels will be coming. Considering how effortlessly Ball returns us to this riveting, sweeping universe, those next installments can be eagerly anticipated.
— Tim Grierson, Screen International

There are some hints near the end of Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes of what might be next for the franchise, should it be fated to continue. But the uneasy fun of the series is we already know what happens, eventually.
— Alissa Wilkinson, New York Times