Film Review – Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes

The story of Caesar and his critical position in the arc of a revolution was completed in 2017’s “War for the Planet of the Apes.” It was a fitting conclusion to a new trilogy of tremendous visual achievements and gripping storytelling, smartly reworking the concept of “Planet of the Apes” for a fresh generation of moviegoers. However, true closure has been an illusion, with Disney looking to keep a good thing going, reviving the series with “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes,” which is a continuation of the Caesar saga set “many generations” after the character’s exit. The feature is perhaps unnecessary, but it certainly isn’t a quickie, offering outstanding visual effects and mo-cap performance work to bring the animal characters to life. The cinematic appeal of “Kingdom” is plentiful, but director Wes Ball struggles with the tempo and gravity of the film, which has its moments of power, but clearly battles with pacing issues as the longest chapter of the entire “Planet of the Apes” franchise. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com