wecastonlineFans of the “Planet of the Apes” series may still grieve Caesar’s 2017 demise, but fear not: his presence lingers in the captivating “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes.” The film begins with Caesar’s funeral, followed by a leap “many generations later.” Now, all apes communicate, while most humans regress to primitive states, clad in loin cloths and living in fear.
Our new protagonist is young ape Noa (Owen Teague), typical of his kind, yearning for paternal approval and testing his courage. He belongs to a peaceful clan, adept at raising pet eagles and smoking fish.
That all changes when his village is attacked not by humans but by fellow apes — masked soldiers from a nasty kingdom led by the crown-wearing Proximus Caesar (Kevin Durand, playing it to the hilt). He has taken Caesar’s name but twisted his words to become a tyrannical strongman — sorry, strongape
Unlike the last movie which dealt with man’s inhumanity to animals — concentration camps included — ape-on-ape violence is in the cards for this one, including capturing an entire clan as prisoners. Proximus Caesar’s goons use makeshift cattle prods on fellow apes and force them to work while declaring “For Caesar!”
