Film

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes

Name: Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes
Genre: Science Fiction, Adventure, Action
Released: 2024
Cast: Owen Teague, Freya Allan, Kevin Durand, Peter Macon, William H. Macy

A post-apocalyptic thriller set generations after Caesar's rule, where apes are now dominant and humans nearly extinct. A young ape's journey unravels forbidden truths about the past while a tyrannical leader consolidates power. Beautifully shot, philosophically engaged, and genuinely tense—a franchise film with something on its mind about power, knowledge, and survival.

TMDb rating

3.5

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you like big-canvas science fiction where spectacle serves a slow-burning argument about power, and you enjoy watching a lone character wrestle with inherited myths.

Skip it if you want the brisk, relentless momentum of the earlier films, since this one takes its time and runs close to two and a half hours.

What it asks of you: Expect about two and a half hours at a deliberate pace, with long quiet passages between set pieces and a tone that stays sombre more often than it lightens.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

Rise of the Planet of the Apes2011

The origin story that makes Kingdom work. Watch Caesar's impossible rise from lab subject to revolutionary leader, and understand why his legacy haunts this world. Emotionally earned and thrilling.

But Begins as a generic corporate-thriller setup before the ape uprising takes over. Some early scenes feel like they're from a different, lesser film.

War for the Planet of the Apes2017

The apex of the modern trilogy. Caesar facing his mortality while humanity descends into fascism creates genuine tragedy. Serkis and the motion-capture work are extraordinary. Visually stunning.

But Long, serious, and relentlessly grim. If you want lightness or hope, this film will not provide it. Some find the pacing deliberate to the point of slowness.

Dune: Part Two2024

Similar scale and ambition—a young protagonist thrust into political upheaval, learning truths that complicate his choices. Gorgeous cinematography, genuinely epic, and morally complicated without being preachy.

But Assumes you've seen Part One. Even then, plot-light for its 165-minute runtime. If you want clarity, you'll need to work for it.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Conquest of the Planet of the Apes1972

Kingdom is essentially asking what happens to Cornelius's dream—this film shows its original context, and how even revolutionary victory doesn't guarantee a just future.

The original Cornelius, now grown, must decide whether to ignite revolution or seek peace. It's a direct ancestor to Kingdom's themes—how a wise leader's legacy is perverted by those who follow. Shot like a low-budget thriller but with real ideological bite.

But A 1972 film about fascism and revolt that doesn't pull punches or soften its edges. Graphic violence, bleak ending, and a tone that refuses comfort. Rough around the edges technically.

Conquest of the Planet of the Apes poster

Andor2022

Trades spectacle for atmosphere and political intrigue. Watch ordinary people gradually radicalized by a system that grinds them down. Slow-burn, beautifully written, and unexpectedly gripping.

But Deliberately unglamorous. No lightsaber duels or hero moments—just competent people in bureaucratic hell. Some Star Wars fans find it boring.

Planet of the Apes1968

The original that started everything. Charlton Heston arrives on a world where apes rule and humans are mute—a sharp, witty satire wrapped in adventure. That ending still lands hard.

But Dated makeup effects and some hammy acting. The satirical edge, while clever, wears obvious. It moves at sixties-film pace, which is leisurely.

Blade Runner 20492017

Meditative sci-fi that loves its own world. A detective searching for lost children uncovers a truth that could restart a war. Stunning cinematography and a rare blockbuster willing to sit in quiet moments.

But Demands patience and will test yours if you find slow-cinema pretentious. Ryan Gosling delivers a whisper-quiet performance some find monotonous rather than contemplative.

Escape from the Planet of the Apes1971

Apes flee to the past in a time-travel reversal that lets the series ask: what if the threat came from the future? Weird, inventive, and genuinely explores paranoia and prejudice in 1970s America.

But Tonal whiplash from tragedy to camp. Cheap effects and some scenes that haven't aged well. The political subtext sometimes overpowers the story.

Escape from the Planet of the Apes poster

Arrival2016

A linguist tries to communicate with aliens and learns that language shapes how we perceive time itself. Haunting, intellectually gripping, and emotionally devastating. A sci-fi film about understanding.

But Dialogue-heavy and deliberately slow. If you want action, this isn't it. The central conceit, once revealed, either moves you deeply or leaves you cold—there's little middle ground.

Beneath the Planet of the Apes1970

A direct sequel that doubles down on the original's weirdness. Mutant humans worship an atomic bomb in the Earth's core. Audacious, strange, and genuinely unsettling in ways the original wasn't.

But Cheap and chaotic. The plot sprawls without landing cleanly. Some sequences are genuinely bad, not charmingly retro. It collapses into its ending without earning it.

The Expanse2015

Like Kingdom, it's about how knowledge of the past reshapes the future, and how different groups' competing survival imperatives make peace fragile. Both ask: can understanding prevent war, or does it come too late?

Humanity scattered across space, each faction convinced of their own righteousness, sliding toward war. Follows characters trying to prevent catastrophe while learning truths that complicate every side. Space opera that thinks like a thriller, visually striking, and genuinely suspenseful.

But Six seasons, and you need to commit. First season is exposition-heavy. If you want a tighter story, the sprawl will frustrate you. Some of the early effects look cheap.