jo | ⊃⋃⋂⪽ part two’s review published on Letterboxd:
Good, but not great. Wes Ball made Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes his own, bringing his own style that never once feels as if it were replicating what Matt Reeves had done before, but I can’t exactly connect to the characters the way I did with Caesar. It came across to me as more of a world-building type of film, and once it does approach its themes of religion that it had in mind, they are never fully explored. A lot of it felt more like afterthoughts, and thus, it is not as deep or fleshed out as it should be. There is much to be said about its odd pacing as well, which could’ve, perhaps, put the spotlight on its main big idea instead of juggling multiple of them. Consider me somewhat let down by this.
Still, it’s an enjoyable ride with some of the best production design and CGI and VFX I’ve ever seen, up there with Avatar: The Way of Water and Dune. In fact, the last 10-20 minutes were pretty reminiscent of Avatar 2. Plot-wise, as much as I have my own qualms about the writing, this is a logical step from where War ended and in upholding Caesar’s legacy. Unlike most big-budget films out there, I can feel the passion behind its filmmaking throughout its runtime. Sound design-wise, it’s surprisingly impressive and so was the score is impressive, although the latter was to be expected from John Paesano, who also did the score for Daredevil and The Maze Runner. The performances are great as well, but like what everyone else says, the big standout is Kevin Durand, even if his character, Proximus Caesar, needed more screentime (him being inspired by Elon Musk is hilarious, actually, and it works). Owen Teague is splendid as Noa, and so is Peter Macon as Raka, but Freya Allan is just as amazing as Nova. Seriously, I hope she comes back in the next film to watch her performance evolve.
Perhaps it was just my annoying audience who couldn’t observe theater etiquette that ruined my experience and focus on the film but I still feel that it could’ve dedicated more time in exploring its themes while retaining balance in its world-building. Despite that, it was still interesting enough to keep me engaged throughout, and contrary to most recent Disney outputs, it’s soulful in each frame. Wes Ball and crew breathe so much life into it that even with a weak script, it is saved by its impressive filmmaking. After that ending, I wouldn’t mind getting more of these films, but I still feel indifferent to this trilogy starter in particular. Here’s to hoping first that it would grow on me eventually.
6.5/10
P.S. Remind me again that I’d only watch at SM during the MMFF because I cannot fkin tolerate adults who just let their kids run up and down the stairs or take pictures with flashes DURING the movie. I knew it wasn’t going to be a great time as soon as I found out that my theater was crowded. Theater etiquette is dead at SM. LOL
P.P.S. Completely unrelated to the film but Happy Mother’s Day to all mothers out there! :))
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