Movies: Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes (May 10, 2024)

[Lshap]

I haven't seen the movie yet, but that's intriguing. The original movie was a reflection of the Civil Rights movement of the 60s and Caesar in the prequels reminded me of MLK. Setting this movie generations after his death and having his message get a little lost or misused to support one's own message seems like a rather clever way to extend the analogy and give the film some contemporary relevance. I hope that that was the idea because it would help to justify the film if it's not just the turn-off-your-brain popcorn movie that it seemed on the surface.

Honestly, having Meryl Streep and Daniel Day Lewis in supporting roles gave the film a surprising amount of depth.

Kidding. I mean... we're talking about a bunch of intelligent apes conquering humanity. There's no shortage of popcorn. But the franchise is built on a clever sci-fi premise that's become embedded in our culture for almost 60 years. After all that time it's developed a kind of allegorical depth that's almost literary. Which doesn't detract from the film's status as a cool and sensational summer-flic.

 

[Stylizer1]

Good movie.

 

[Osprey]

I just watched it and have mixed feelings. I really enjoyed the first hour. The visual storytelling, cinematography and themes were very good and had me excited for the rest of the movie. Then, it took a turn halfway through and it was mostly downhill from there. I was looking forward to the novelty of humans being mute and simple minded again and was very disappointed that Mae eventually not only speaks, but speaks perfect English and is very knowledgeable (and the only other human that we meet is the same way). Worse, the movie becomes less about Noa and his journey and more about Mae and how smart and capable she is. It felt like a waste of a promising character arc just to pander to the Gen Z crowd by making the human the hero. It didn't help at all that Mae is a very uninteresting and boring character. The second half also dragged. There wasn't enough story to justify a nearly 2.5 hour run time. Finally, the final confrontation seemed a little too familiar and the ending felt like more pandering to audiences who need to root for humans. Overall, I didn't dislike it, but think that it could've been better and leaner.

 

[Stylizer1]

I just watched it and have mixed feelings. I really enjoyed the first hour. The visual storytelling, cinematography and themes were very good and had me excited for the rest of the movie. Then, it took a turn halfway through and it was mostly downhill from there. I was looking forward to the novelty of humans being mute and simple minded again and was very disappointed that Mae eventually not only speaks, but speaks perfect English and is very knowledgeable (and the only other human that we meet is the same way). Worse, the movie becomes less about Noa and his journey and more about Mae and how smart and capable she is. It felt like a waste of a promising character arc just to pander to the Gen Z crowd by making the human the hero. It didn't help at all that Mae is a very uninteresting and boring character. The second half also dragged. There wasn't nearly enough story to justify a nearly 2.5 hour run time. Finally, the final confrontation felt a little too familiar and the ending like more pandering to audiences who need to root for humans. Overall, I didn't dislike it, but think that it could've been better and leaner.

Humans ruin everything