A trio of monkeys dive deep into the jungle, soon finding a nest with three eggs. But tradition dictates that one must remain in the nest. So their journey continues. However, the heroes of the film Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, which will be shown in Czech cinemas from Thursday, do not just emerge from the jungle for most of the footage. Set long after the reign of the ape Caesar, the new part of the saga abandons the human perspective.
Screenwriter and director Wes Ball tries to follow up on the ambitious and unexpectedly successful trilogy from the last decade, set in a human world where intelligent apes are just being born. And like the author of the previous two films, Matt Reeves builds a simple, slow story of potentially epic proportions.
But while earlier two civilizations were fighting for supremacy over the planet, this time we find ourselves in a world where civilization is either in ruins or still somewhat in its infancy – it depends with which eyes we look at it.
In fact, it is a very similar world to which the heroes of the very first film and novel by the French author Pierre Boulle from the 1960s landed. Monkeys here talk, hunt and ride horses, they live in tribal arrangements.
However, the creators change the perspective and make the focus not on people, but on a teenage boy Noah from a tribe that, among other things, breeds eagles. That is why the trio in the opening scene, as an initiation ritual, are looking for an egg that will later become a domesticated predator that obeys its master.
However, Noah experiences an unexpected attack by an enemy clan, after which he is left alone. He sets out to save or avenge his loved ones. Throughout his journey, Wes Ball repeatedly flashes references to the original 1968 Planet of the Apes at the audience, and it is clear that he has the ambition to build a completely new setting for the sequel.
In the new film, monkeys talk, hunt and ride horses. Pictured are Lydia Peckham as Soona and Owen Teague as Noah. | Photo: 20th Century Studios
Visually impressive locations breathe atmosphere, remnants of human technology sometimes emerge from the forest, which the monkey heroes do not understand, as they are at a level where they have barely mastered human speech and sometimes still communicate with sign language.
The people themselves seem to have fared worse – they frolic by the river, they don’t speak, they look like a herd of animals. The planet is changing, new arrangements are emerging. And the creators know how to work with mystery and create a feeling that this world still has a lot to reveal to the audience.
Nevertheless, the journey of the three heroes who meet along the way ends up lagging behind the previous works. Despite the atmosphere and imagery, it’s mostly an endless journey through the jungle where practically nothing happens.
Of course, there are a number of excellent, now classic works in which the heroes wander through the jungle almost silently, for example the first Predator. However, the more than two-hour Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes cannot sustain the mood of the slowly escalating drama.
The same thing happened to the novelty that was the curse of many started or restarted Hollywood franchises. It seems like an unnecessarily long prologue to a promising-looking film, which, of course, will come next time.
The film Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is showing in Czech cinemas from Thursday. | Video: Falcon
On the one hand, the creators maneuver between who has what motivations and refuse to divide the story into clear villains or heroes. The finale, towards which everything is heading, however, after an excessively long previous part, suddenly shows several points of view in an unnecessarily hasty manner.
There is no time to settle in a new environment and appreciate its importance in the given world. It is an impressive community, but one that manages to disperse before we have time to understand it. And the filmmakers, whom we trusted with clenched teeth, why they drag us for so long with this undernourished story, which wants to tighten everything to the atmosphere of the dark jungle, are suddenly in an unnecessary hurry. It is no longer clear who is concerned with what. As if it needed to end somehow so that the next time could be continued.
The Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, despite many impressive scenes, cannot create the overall enchanting atmosphere of the previous parts, when the screen and its slow scenes literally breathed the fate of the given moments in which the fate of the world is being fought for.
Rather, it is a film that tries to get back on its feet and find its footing after a long separation. Like the hero Noah, he is growing up for the time being. He has great ambitions, he wants to move smartly in a familiar environment, to surprise others. But for now, like Noah, he is having trouble controlling his eagle, which is playfully pecking at his skull.
It must be said that, despite the dramaturgical imbalance and all the ailments, the creators manage to create the impression that the audience wants to see the next part of the planned trilogy.
While the original pentalogy from the 1960s and 1970s was turning into a B-level self-parody, the authors of the narrative novel are still developing a world that potentially offers great possibilities. And in the new film, they show us an Earth where it is not at all certain how power is distributed, who is at what technological and mental level, whether we are in the middle of some kind of post-apocalypse or the birth of something new.
It’s a shame that this feeling of wonder at discovering a new Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes only offers us in moderate doses. At many other moments, it gets too drunk on the heroes wading through the trees for a long time.
