Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is now playing in theaters with an impressive box-office opening which all but guarantees we haven’t seen the last of those damn dirty apes. It remains to be seen how many more sequels we’ll get, but Planet of the Apes franchise producers Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver, who also wrote Rise of the Planet of the Apes and Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, told THR that they originally envisioned a nine movie arc for the modern franchise.

“When you first came up with this idea, the Apes franchise way back, you saw nine movies,” Silver said. “We thought, ‘This is crazy ambitious.’ But here we are. We’re at four.“

“I saw nine. I don’t know if we’ll make it to nine. I would love it,” Jaffa replied. “We’ve spoken to not just [director Wes Ball, writer Josh Friedman] and [producer] Joe Hartwick Jr., but to Steve Asbell and Scott Aversano at [20th Century Studios] about what these next movies can be.”

Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, and War for the Planet of the Apes grew into one of the best trilogies out there, and I’ve got high hopes that Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes will serve as the beginning of its own excellent trilogy. As for what lies beyond? Who’s to say? Maybe we’ll finally reach the point of the original 1968 movie and witness astronaut George Taylor plummet through the atmosphere and crash land on the Planet of the Apes.

Although our own Chris Bumbray felt let down by the second half of the latest Apes movie, he did find plenty to enjoy. “[Wes] Ball ended up making a good Planet of the Apes movie; even if it’s not quite the masterpiece some of those breathless early reactions teased,” Bumbray wrote. “In my opinion, there’s never actually been a bad Planet of the Apes movie, as the premise is just so interesting. Kingdom tries to act as a bit of a bridge between the Caesar trilogy and the original Apes series from the sixties and seventies. They use some of the same iconic shots and locations, and the score by John Paesano nods at Jerry Goldsmith’s classic score for the original in a pretty pleasing way.” You can check out the rest of his review right here.

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes “breathes new life into the global, epic franchise set several generations in the future following Caesar’s reign, in which apes are the dominant species living harmoniously and humans have been reduced to living in the shadows. As a new tyrannical ape leader builds his empire, one young ape undertakes a harrowing journey that will cause him to question all that he has known about the past and to make choices that will define a future for apes and humans alike.” Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is now playing in theaters, so be sure to check out our ranking of the entire franchise and vote for your favourite Apes movie!

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The mighty Planet of the Apes franchise ruled again at the box office, with the movie earning a mighty $56.5 million domestically (according to ComScore), which puts it right in line with the previous openings of Rise of the Planet of the Apes ($54.8 million) and War for the Planet of the Apes ($56.2 million). Dawn of the Planet of the Apes made a lot more at $72 million, but times have changed, and now a $50 million-plus opening is cause for celebration at the House of Mouse, with Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes the first solid box office win for Disney (who are releasing through 20th Century Films) in a while. This is much more than the $40 million we predicted earlier this week. 

However, there is one potential cloud on the horizon for the film. According to Deadline, the CinemaScore for the film has only garnered a B rating, which is low for a tentpole blockbuster and might hurt the film’s word of mouth. THe Caesar trilogy (Rise, Dawn and War) all earned an A- rating. Next weekend sees the release of John Krasinski’s family film, IF, which is considered a bit of a gamble, in that it could vastly under (or over) perform. 

Meanwhile, Universal’s The Fall Guy lost around 50% of its audience for a $13.7 million weekend. The movie seems unlikely to gross more than $80-90 million at the domestic box office, which is a drag, as the film will likely go down as one of the year’s biggest money-losers. It’s so strange that this movie hasn’t performed, with reviews and audiences all seemingly loving the film, but clearly, something somewhere didn’t connect, and audiences didn’t see this as a must-see.

The Zendaya-led tennis film Challengers continued to do well, with a $4.684 million weekend and a total just over $38 million. Could the film pass $50 million domestically? We’ll have to see, but even still it’s destined for a quick turnaround to Prime Video, which makes this a solid win for Amazon/MGM. The Sony horror flick Tarot made $3.45 million for an $11.7 million total. Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire added another $2.525 million to its coffers, with it well on its way to making $200 million domestically. 

The faith-based Unsung Hero made $2.25 million, and with a $16 million total, it seems like this one isn’t going to become a huge breakthrough hit for the Christian market. Kung Fu Panda 4 continued its strong box office showing, thanks mainly to a lack of competition out there for families, making $2 million for a $190 million-plus total. Could it pass the $200 million mark?

A24’s Civil War started to wind down a bit this week, with it making just under $2 million for a strong $65 million plus total, which makes it A24’s second-biggest movie ever domestically. Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace continued its 25th-anniversary celebration this year, with it making another $1.5 million (even if the movie’s new look has been controversial). Finally, Abigail, which just made its PVOD debut, made just over $1 million for tenth place and a total of just under $25 million. 

Next weekend sees the release of IF, as well as The Strangers: Chapter I, so it’ll be interesting to see if those damn dirty apes can hold on to a chunk of their audience. With many more films in the franchise planned, its second weekend will no doubt be the ultimate judge of whether or not this saga continues on the big screen.

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In a nice piece of good news for exhibitors and studios, audiences are checking out to see Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes in theatres, with Deadline reporting that it’s on track for an opening north of $50 million. That’s about on par with industry projections and better than the $40 million-plus we expected. That’s similar to the openings for Rise of the Planet of the Apes and War for the Planet of the Apes, which opened with $54.8 million and $56.2 million, respectively. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes did much bigger business, with a $72 million opening, but that was seen as a one-off.

While the $50-55 million is undoubtedly softer than those other movies if you adjust it for inflation, the industry has changed in recent years. The Fall Guy had a disastrous opening last weekend despite great reviews. Hollywood and exhibitors are feeling the pinch, especially in a summer with very few surefire hits (outside of Deadpool and Wolverine) due to the production shutdown with the strikes last year. As a result, a $50 million-plus opening is considered a huge win for Disney and bodes well for them continuing the franchise if the global box office is good.

Meanwhile, The Fall Guy, as expected, will slip to second place, with Deadline estimating a weekend in the $14-15 million range, which means the movie only fell about 50% week-to-week, which isn’t bad but isn’t amazing either. If it had an opening in the 40-50 million range, a 50% decline would have been great, but the soft opening means the movie will undoubtedly end up as a money loser for the studio (sadly). It may not even hit $80 million domestically.

We’ll be back tomorrow with a full breakdown of the weekend box office. In the meantime, have any of you checked out Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes this weekend? Let us know in the comments!

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I love me some damn dirty apes, and I’m not alone. Ever since the first Planet of the Apes movie in 1968, it’s been one of Hollywood’s most consistent (on a quality level) franchises. Think about it. Has there ever really been a lousy Planet of the Apes movie? Not really. Yet, it’s often unheralded when we talk about the great franchises. So, let’s look at the series as a whole, with this Planet of the Apes movies ranked list (from worst to best). And don’t worry – you’ll get to have your say tomorrow with a poll I’ll be publishing, so check back for that.

Planet of the Apes (2001)

Tim Burton’s remake of the original 1968 classic is a mixed bag. Mark Wahlberg was a little too green at this point in his career to make a captivating action hero, with him paling compared to Charlton Heston’s powerhouse performance in the original. The film itself is more than a little inconsistent, and I can see why it couldn’t launch a big new franchise for the studio, even if it did pretty well financially ($362 million worldwide). However, the makeup from Rick Baker is incredible, and the fact that it’s the last Apes movie to use the old, practical makeup FX instead of CGI makes it a must-see. Also, it’s one of Paul Giamatti’s favourite roles ever. 

Battle for the Planet of the Apes (1972)

In the sixties and seventies, sequels were made differently. The general consensus was always that a sequel would make less money than its predecessor, so the budgets were lower. As the Planet of the Apes series went on at 20th Century Fox, the studio started pumping less and less money into them, and Battle for the Planet of the Apes had a minuscule budget, resulting in the cheapest-looking Apes film of all time. However, it still has Roddy McDowell acting his ass off in the culmination of the original Caesar trilogy. It also has a very eccentric supporting cast, with director John Huston and singer Paul Williams (The Phantom of the Paradise) turning up as Apes. Williams loved playing the part so much that he was known to turn up on talk shows wearing John Chambers’ makeup. Like all the other Apes movies, it made money for Fox, but rather than make an even cheaper sequel, they opted to spin the series off into a short-lived TV series they managed to get McDowell to return for. 

Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970)

When Planet of the Apes was a smash hit, 20th Century Fox immediately committed to a sequel. But, as was the general thinking about sequels those days, it was not designed as an “A-feature” in the vein of the first film. That movie’s director, Franklin J. Schaffner, never considered returning, with him making the Oscar-winning Patton for the same studio instead. The budget was only a fraction of the first film’s, partly because the studio had suffered a series of costly flops. The result is a reasonably cheap-looking film, with TV actor James Franciscus taking over for Charlton Heston in the lead. However, they did manage to entice Heston back for an extended cameo, which allows the film to end on a provocatively gloomy note, making the movie worth watching. This is the only classic Apes movie that didn’t have Roddy McDowell in it, with him shooting another film while doing this – and his absence is sorely felt.

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes (2024)

Wes Ball’s new entry into the Apes saga is half a great movie. It’s terrific when it focuses on Ape culture and the new characters, such as Owen Teague’s Noa. But, when it starts to emphasize the humans and tee up yet another interspecies war, it becomes more of a mixed bag. We already have a pretty good trilogy on that very topic, so it would be nice to see this potential new series heading in another direction.

Escape From the Planet of the Apes (1971)

This one starts on a deceptively light note, with us seeing that Apes Zira (Kim Hunter) and Cornelius (Roddy McDowell) escaped the destruction of the planet of the apes (a future version of Earth) and have gone through a time warp that sends them back in time to 1973. Initially, they become celebrities, with the movie adopting a silly, sitcom-style tone, only to take a HARD left turn towards the finale, when it becomes a tragedy that expertly sets the stage for all the movies to come. 

Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011)

In my review of Kingdom, I mentioned this movie being a mixed bag, and I was surprised at how upset some folks got with me in the comments, as this is almost universally beloved among fans of the series. I remember it getting more of a mixed reaction when it originally came out, and I stand by the idea that it’s a GOOD film, but the sequels are better. James Franco phones in his performance, but it doesn’t matter in the end because the movie wisely focuses on Andy Serkis as our new ape hero, Caesar. John Lithgow is excellent in this as Franco’s dementia-affected father, who becomes a surrogate parent to Caesar, leading to a heartbreaking conclusion.

War for the Planet of the Apes (2017)

The reboot trilogy ended with this all-out war film depicting how humans lost control of the planet due to their desire to re-establish dominance over the Apes. Some found the film overly self-serious and dark, but it brought the reboot trilogy to an operatic end and gave Serkis a platform to deliver (perhaps) his best mo-cap performance to date. Woody Harrelson also makes one of the most despicable human villains in the series (to date).

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014)

For me, this stands as the best entry in the reboot trilogy. It was Matt Reeves’ first time making a super large-scale blockbuster, and he does a better job than most other films in the series of juggling the screen time between humans and aes, with Gary Oldman playing the most sympathetic antagonist the series ever had. 

Conquest of the Planet of the Apes (1972)

While Beneath and Escape the Planet of the Apes were hits, Fox continued slashing every subsequent instalment’s budget. Yet, the silver lining was that the movies were able to tackle riskier material, with director J. Lee Thompson and his writer Paul Dehn making the film a metaphor for fraught race relations in the U.S, with this very much informed by the battle for Civil Rights, the rise of the Black Panthers, and more. The film’s theatrical cut was toned down a bit by Fox, but if you watch it on Blu-ray, you’ll see the legit, uncompromised cut, with it standing as one of the more radical sci-fi films of the era.

Planet of the Apes (1968)

Of course, no movie in the series can match Franklin J. Schaffer’s original entry, one of the best science fiction movies ever made. It’s a very influential film, with stunning makeup effects courtesy of John Chambers, a superb musical score by Jerry Goldsmith, and an iconic performance by the great Charlton Heston in the lead. It also has one of the most unhinged, disturbing endings of all time. As good as every other movie in the franchise is, this one is arguably the only true masterpiece of the series. That said, in my opinion, again, there’s never actually been a bad Planet of the Apes movie. 

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Some cliche somewhere said that ‘a picture is worth a thousand words.’ This has proven to be the case for me and especially when it comes to fan art. I have always sought out great fan art and have wanted to share it with as many people as possible. “Awesome Art We’ve Found Around The Net” is the outlet for that passion. In this column, I will showcase the kick-ass artwork of some great artists, with the hopes that these artists get the attention they deserve. That’s the aim. If you have any questions or comments, or even suggestions of art or other great artists, feel free to contact me at any time at theodorebond@joblo.com.

Black Swan by SINOSSI

Darth Vader by John Gallagher

The Godfather by Ruiz Burgos

Mega Man X by Jerry Padilla

Planet of the Apes by Jason Edmiston

Reservoir Dogs by El Caballeros

Scorpion by Flavio Luccisano

Superman by Buffy2ville

The Thing by Joris Longuet

The Wizard of Oz by Leah Kellaway

The post Awesome Art We’ve Found Around The Net: The Godfather, Planet Of The Apes, Superman, The Wizard of Oz appeared first on JoBlo.

The consensus out there seems to be that 20th Century Studios’ Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is a sure bet to dominate the box office this weekend, with studio estimates putting it in the $50 million range. While that certainly seems reasonable considering the fact that the two last Apes movies, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes and War for the Planet of the Apes, opened with $72 million and $56 million, respectively, I’m not buying it. 

The fact is, and I’m sorry to say this, the market has changed. Audiences will no doubt turn out to see Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, which has been well-reviewed (including by me), but I also think a good chunk may opt to wait for its inevitable Disney Plus digital release. That’s why I do not think it’s going to open much north of $40 million.

Even still, that will put it well ahead of the disastrous opening The Fall Guy suffered through last weekend, with it inevitable that the (really good) film will wind up being a money loser. The amount of a loss the studio will take will likely be revealed this weekend, when it becomes clear how much the presumably good word of mouth will allow it to hold up. I’m expecting a modest decline in the 55% region, which would mean a $15 million weekend. If it makes less than that, expect a very quick turnaround to VOD for this Ryan Gosling vehicle.

The Zendaya drama, Challengers, should be able to hold on to third place with a $5 million weekend. It’ll end up making a decent amount of coin before finding a bigger audience when it makes its debut on Prime Video, with this being an Amazon-MGM movie. It’ll be interesting to see if Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace will be able to attract much of an audience this weekend, with it’s re-release being held over a second weekend in many markets. It could make in the $2 million-ish range, which would give it a fifth-place finish, while Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire should be able to overtake it in fourth place, with about $3 million. Tarot should lose most of its audience and hang on to fifth place with about $1.5 million.

Here are my predictions:

1. Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes: $40 million

2. The Fall Guy: $15 million

3. Challengers: $5 million

4. Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire: $3 million

5. Tarot: $1.5 million

What are you going to see this weekend?

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PLOT: Generations after the death of the Ape leader Caesar, humans have continued to slip down the evolutionary ladder, with apes taking their place. Noah (Owen Teague) is a young chimpanzee whose peace-loving village is attacked by an ape army led by the evil wannabe monarch, Proximus Caesar (Kevin Durand). Vowing to rescue his kin, he sets off on a journey across the new wasteland of earth, where he encounters a human girl (Freya Allan), who becomes his tentative ally. 

REVIEW: It was never going to be easy following up on the pretty damn good Apes trilogy 20th Century Fox put out a little while back. Many forget that director Matt Reeves, who was elevated to the A-list thanks to his work on those films, actually only directed the second and third films of the trilogy, with Rupert Wyatt directing the first film, which wasn’t quite the epic the other two were. In fact, I’d even go so far as to say it was a kind of shaky start to what ended up being an amazing trilogy, so as such, I went into Wes Ball’s Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes willing to cut the former Maze Runner director a lot of slack.

Happily, Ball ended up making a good Planet of the Apes movie; even if it’s not quite the masterpiece, some of those breathless early reactions teased. In my opinion, there’s never actually been a bad Planet of the Apes movie, as the premise is just so interesting. Kingdom tries to act as a bit of a bridge between the Caesar trilogy and the original Apes series from the sixties and seventies. They use some of the same iconic shots and locations, and the score by John Paesano nods at Jerry Goldsmith’s classic score for the original in a pretty pleasing way.

The first half of Kingdom is actually great. It does a nice job of setting up where the Ape world is at in terms of evolution, with them now fully vocal, even if they speak slightly haltingly, still using the sign language from the last trilogy to communicate at times. The Ape world is fractured, and the movie starts to depict, in a fashion, how the Apes were united and the evolutionary hierarchy that evolved between them and the humans.

The CGI is incredible, with the apes looking superb. Owen Teague’s Noa is a lower-key hero than Andy Serkis’s Caesar but by design. He’s a gentle figure who becomes hardened as the film goes on, paving the way for what could be an exciting trilogy that may show how his rule eventually helps shape society in a not altogether positive way. The entire Ape cast is pitch-perfect, especially The Orville’s Peter Macon (Bortus), who voices Raka, a wise Orangutan, and steals every scene (he must have one of the best voices in Hollywood). Kevin Durand makes for a surprisingly sympathetic villain; he is looking to unite his species against what he sees as a greater threat, even if he does so in a tyrannical way.

So it all sounds good, right? As long as the movie focuses on those damn dirty apes, it is. Where Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes starts to fall flat is when too much emphasis is placed on the humans, especially Freya Allan’s Mae. There’s nothing wrong with her performance, but the dynamic between her and Noah was done similarly (and to greater effect) in both Rise of the Planet of the Apes and Dawn of the Planet of the Apes. Even worse, seeds are planted that suggest future films in the franchise will basically be War of the Planet of the Apes all over again, with future conflicts between humans and apes being what they’re building towards. Do we really need that? Didn’t the last trilogy cover that enough? Most of this movie teases a world where humans have completely slid down the evolutionary chain, but suddenly they seem to pull back on that intriguing idea, and the movie turns into too much of a clone of the other movies. That’s a shame; it was REALLY effective when it was doing its own thing.

Even if I was disappointed by how Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes plays out in its second half, I still had a good time with it. Half of the movie is excellent, making it a worthy addition to the franchise, even if the direction follow-up movies are heading in is a little too familiar for my tastes. As far as the series goes, I’d say it’s about on par with Rise, better than Burton’s remake and Battle for the Planet of the Apes, but not as good as the Reeves movies or some of the really classic ones from the sixties and seventies. 

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Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes has already garnered some pretty stellar first reactions, and the film looks like it will rule the box office as well. The film is projected to gross $130 million worldwide during its opening weekend, which would be a nice boost for theaters after the lacklustre opening of The Fall Guy.

The domestic box office take for Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is currently sitting at $50 million or more, which places it more or less even with the previous installments of the modern franchise. Rise of the Planet of the Apes opened to $54.8 million in 2011, followed by Dawn of the Planet of the Apes with $72 million in 2014, and War for the Planet of the Apes with $56.2 million in 2017. As a massive fan of the entire Apes franchise, I hope Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is a big success and will be able to launch a new trilogy. I can’t get enough of these movies.

Our own Chris Bumbray caught an extended preview of Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes at CinemaCon in Las Vegas and was impressed, calling the footage “pretty jaw-dropping” and a worthy continuation of the modern trilogy. Our own JimmyO has seen the film and teased that it “maintains – and builds –  this impressive world that was explored by Matt Reeves. Wes Ball, The Maze Runner director, offers rich characters and an interesting take on the franchise. Perfectly cast, the film continues to take this story to exciting and effective cinematic adventures.” Our official review will be released on Wednesday at 11 am ET, so be sure to check that out!

Directed by Wes Ball, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes “breathes new life into the global, epic franchise set several generations in the future following Caesar’s reign, in which apes are the dominant species living harmoniously and humans have been reduced to living in the shadows. As a new tyrannical ape leader builds his empire, one young ape undertakes a harrowing journey that will cause him to question all that he has known about the past and to make choices that will define a future for apes and humans alike.” Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes will hit theaters on May 10th.

The post Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes projected to rule the weekend box office with $130 million worldwide appeared first on JoBlo.

Matt Reeves did wonders with the Apes. The filmmakers’ Planet of the Apes trilogy created a fantastical world that was surprisingly rich and beautifully crafted. With that, it was difficult to imagine another director taking on this exciting series. Enter Wes Ball. Coming off of the popular Maze Runner franchise, Ball has successfully continued the already impressive world with his latest, The Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes. The film offers a fresh faced cast that includes, Owen Teague, Freya Allan, Kevin Durand, Peter Macon, and William H. Macy. It is a bold sequel that continues what Reeves started with a smart and satisfying new story (which is getting great buzz).

Last Wednesday, I took a drive to the idyllic and incredibly peaceful Descanso Gardens in La Canada-Flintridge. It was a perfect day to get close to nature, and yes, talk about Apes. First up, I met a new friend, a hawk named Jasper. Did I mention it was also a perfect day for Falconry? After that incredible experience, one where I couldn’t resist the beauty of this incredible bird, I continued on my day.

The first interview was the wonderful Kevin Durand and Peter Macon. It was one of the easiest interviews I’ve ever done as the the two just told me these amazing stories about becoming Apes. Having interviewed Kevin recently for his excellent work in Abigail, it was fantastic to chat with him again. Right after speaking with these two, I sat down with both Owen Teague and Freya Allan. The two were incredibly charming, and they opened up about being a part of this legendary series.

To finish the day up, we talked with director Wes Ball. It was clear that bringing life to The Maze Runner prepared Mr. Ball for yet another franchise. He discussed taking on after what Reeves brought us, and the casting of this latest installment. It was a delightful conversation, but one could not end an Apes junket without learning how to become an “ape.” The final trip of the day included a conversation with Movement Coordinator/Choreographer Alain Gauthier. And yes, I try my best to learn to walk the walk. Luckily, Mr. Owen Teague made a brief cameo to help us out.

The Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is heading to theatres this weekend, and it’s a sequel that manages to live up to the beauty of what came before.

The post Interview: Owen Teague, Freya Allan, Wes Ball, and More Talk Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes appeared first on JoBlo.

The impressive reboot series of the Planet of the Apes movies continues as the stories look to extend further than the arc of the revolutionary leader, Caesar (memorably played by Andy Serkis). The film is out in about a week, and now reactions to the new entry from The Maze Runner director Wes Ball have started to roll out on social media. Our official review will be released on Wednesday at 11 am ET, but our own Chris Bumbray got to catch an extended preview of Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes at CinemaCon in Las Vegas and was impressed, calling the footage “pretty jaw-dropping” and a worthy continuation of the modern trilogy.

Our own JimmyO participated in the junket, writing on Twitter, “#KingdomOfThePlanetOfTheApes maintains – and builds –  this impressive world that was explored by Matt Reeves. Wes Ball, The Maze Runner director, offers rich characters and an interesting take on the franchise. Perfectly cast, the film continues to take this story to exciting and effective cinematic adventures.”

Collider’s Perri Nemiroff maintains that the series continues to stand strong with this installment, “Between Rise, Dawn, War, and now #KingdomOfThePlanetOfTheApes, this series continues to be one of the very best franchise reboots out there. As expected, there was no better director to take over than Wes Ball. Of course the wizards at Wētā had a big hand in this, but there’s also no doubt that Ball’s personal proficiency with visual effects contributed big time to how incredible this film looks.”

Michael Lee of Geeks of Doom posted that “#KingdomOfThePlanetOfTheApes is a beautiful coming of age story framed around the idea of legacy and what happens to it when it’s lost to time or subverted by the wicked. It doesn’t surpass what Andy Serkis did with his trilogy, but Wes Ball’s approach proves that the franchise has plenty of stories to tell. Kevin Durand’s performance as Proximus Caesar steals this movie.”

Russ Milheim of The Direct also raves, but found the pacing to be off-putting at times, “#KingdomOfThePlanetOfTheApes is a fantastic addition to the series. While it may falter at times in the pacing department, that never keeps the movie from being an absolute thrill. The VFX is astounding and the characters beautifully crafted. Can’t wait to see what comes next!”

Griffin Schiller of Film Speak would interestingly liken this film to A New Hope in his reaction, “Apes have never been STRONGER in @wesball’s MAGNIFICENT #KingdomOfThePlanetOfTheApes! The complexities of Caesar’s legacy loom large, but twisted in this coming of age odyssey of truth & lies, knowledge & power. A breathtaking visual feast! A New Hope for the Apes franchise.”

Total Film’s Emily Murray also had issues with the movie’s pacing as she felt the length, but she was still fascinated by the story, “With #KingdomOfThePlanetOfTheApes being another great chapter, the series continues to hold strong There are undoubtedly pacing issues (too long), but I loved being lost in that world and the exploration of Caesar’s legacy is fascinating. The ending will leave you wanting more”

While Drew Taylor of The Wrap enjoyed the film as well, he also feels the story took some “curious missteps” in his reaction, “Yes, #KingdomOfThePlanetOfTheApes is very good. @WetaWorkshop outdid themselves and it’s good to be back in that world again. (One of the more underrated franchises ever?) The third act is exciting but also features some curious story missteps. Still. Ready for the next one.”

Are you excited to see this latest entry into the franchise? Let us know in the comments!

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