Rise of the New Age: Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes

The latest installment in the “Planet of the Apes” franchise, titled “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes,” surpasses expectations despite starting from nearly scratch in terms of characters and plot. Directed by Wes Ball and written by Josh Friedman, the movie follows Noa (Owen Teague), whose peaceful existence is disrupted by the forces of Proximus Caesar (Kevin Durand), who wants to expand his kingdom. Noa sets out to rescue his fellow apes after they are captured, encountering a wise orangutan named Raka (Peter Macon) and a mysterious human woman (Freya Allan) along the way. The movie balances humor and clever homages to the original films with impressive visual effects and a mix of sign and spoken language communication. While the audience will ultimately decide whether the series will continue, the movie manages to feel surprisingly fresh and innovative without relying solely on the iconic Globe character played by Andy Serkis in previous films. “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes” opens in US theaters on May 10 and is rated PG-13.