Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes Trailer Breakdown

The new trailer for ‘Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes’ has dropped, and it teases an interesting
new entry in the franchise. Set three hundred years after the last movie, things have moved on
a great deal, and we’re introduced to new characters, locations, and stories.

In the future, apes have spread and taken over large parts of the world. Their leader here is
King Proxima, a powerful bonobo ape. He wants to expand his kingdom and conquer more land,
enslaving humans as he does so. He also wants to explore the human technology around them
which is largely derelict and unusable, to try and become as strong as the human civilizations
were.

Proxima mentions the concept of evolution, and it seems that apes have become more
intelligent, learning to speak and build, becoming the dominant species while humans have
regressed, turning into primitive beings who live feral lifestyles. This is a change from previous
films, where humans often played a big part in the story, and had the advantage due to their
superior weapons and equipment, usually coming into conflict with the apes. Now it feels like
the fight is over. There are no more attempts to rebuild the world after the devastating Simian
Flu pandemic, the fight is over and apes are the clear victors, with human civilization crumbling
into ruin. In fact, there seems to be only one human of importance, Nova, a young woman who
appears to be more intelligent and resourceful than her comrades.

For a series that has often used excessive special effects to prop up its story, this film seems to
be taking a welcome break from them. It looks and feels more grounded than previous entries,
telling a simpler story, and has more than a passing resemblance to the 1968 original which
starred Charlton Heston. In that movie, humans were now the primitives, being kept in cages
while apes rode horses and used guns to hunt them.

This is the first movie in the series not to feature Andy Serkis as Caesar, the chief protagonist of
the previous three films, and it feels quite refreshing to have some original characters take
center stage. Watching the previous film, ‘War For the Planet of the Apes’, it felt like the
franchise was reaching its end and there was little more it could offer. Leaving it alone seemed
like a wise choice, but there might just be enough on offer here to bring new life to it.

The new hero here is an ape called Noa. He looks similar to Caesar’s son, so it’s possible he’s
a descendant of the legendary ape, and seems likable enough, without the dark edge that often
dragged down Caesar’s character. It will be interesting to see how he’s played onscreen,
especially now that all the apes speak which allows for a more emotional, expressive character,
not hampered by a lack of dialogue.

All in all, the trailer promises a new, interesting take on the series, and should provide an
entertaining watch, delivering some new ideas to a tired franchise

Kingdom of the planet of the apes will be released in theaters in the US on May 10 2024.