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I must confess that I loved the dystopian world in which the new film is set. The virus that made the apes become intelligent and almost wiped out all humans had as a result of vestiges of ancient human structures covered by dense nature remain.
The colors and sharpness with which all the details of this new reality are presented are really amazing. I think the special effects team took the right decision when they went for the use the CG they also worked with for Avatar: The way of the water.
Every scene is so breathtaking that I just kept saying to myself the whole movie that I wanted to leave this world to move to the planet of the apes (although it's funny because I would probably end up dead or on the run all the time). Anyway, now I want to start talking a bit about the plot itself.
In the dystopia of the Kingdom, there are many clans of apes, each living by their own convictions and ways. The clan to which the protagonist of the new trilogy, Noa, belongs to is one that specializes in falconry. I found this very appealing in that it gives new scope to the apes' already versatile physical and communicative skills.
In fact, it is thanks to a coming-of-age ceremony collecting eagle eggs that it all begins. With her friends, Noa collects his egg, but it is soon destroyed by a mysterious figure who has infiltrated her village (whom the apes had previously scared away in their search).
In his attempt to find another egg for the ceremony, Noa is detected by another clan of apes and, although he manages to hide, this clan uses his horse to find the falconry clan.
All this leads to the destruction of Noa's clan's facilities, the death of his father and the abduction of several apes, including his mother.
Such a situation forces Noa, in a huge existential guilt, to go to the rescue of his clan at any cost. On the way, he meets Racka. It is an orangutan, who in his lively and wise personality, introduces Noa to Caesar's teachings and everything that happened when he was alive.
This duo is joined by someone who until then was someone odd: Nova. She is one of the human survivors in the Kingdom. At first, she is only looking for food and shelter. Later, she becomes important in finding Noa's clan.
Unfortunately, in their search, they are intercepted by members of the same clan that destroyed Noa's before. This violent encounter on a bridge was very stressful, I think. Everything seemed to be at risk. In the end, the friendly orangutan sacrificed himself by helping Nova from drowning. Raka was swept away by the current of the river. I could feel the sadness that filled the movie theater when this happened.
However, the previous sacrifice did not stop the rival clan from taking Noa and Nova hostage. For, in short, it is a clan that fortifies itself by stealing members from others.
The thread of events brings us to the point where we first see the “empire” that the rival ape clan was building. On the shore of the beach, the remains of shipwrecks serving as shelter/jail. A scene, like the previous ones, where there is a strong contrast between the remains of human civilization and the indomitable nature marking its territory.
The leader of the enemy clan is Proximus Caesar. Ironically, this ape has no respect for following the teachings that Caesar himself once proclaimed among his peers. It is only a name that serves as a false tallow so that those who follow him (or his slaves), believe that he is actually leading them to the welfare of all, when he only seeks his own.
For the denouement of this film, Noa, along with his ape friends and Nova, seeks to ruin Proximus' plan by breaking the barrier that protected the clan from a flood, so that all the water ends up, in particular, inside a kind of warehouse that the antogonist wanted because it stored all kinds of weapons.
Its execution is successful and the destruction of the incipient empire is imminent. Faced with what has happened, Proximus can only fight Noa on top of a cliff. It's a 1 vs 1 fight that, in my opinion, lends itself very well to an ending. This one was won by Noa in a great way by making use of the singings that his clan had developed over generations to call the eagles, and having them attack Proximus until he falls down the cliff.
On the other hand, Nova manages to get hold of a device that was stored in the warehouse, which she later manages to give to her intelligible fellow humans, until then thought to be non-existent, to activate satellites through which they can communicate with other surviving humans.
As a fan of the Planet of the Apes, I found the Kingdom itself to be a wonderful film, loaded with dynamic performances, entertaining dialogue and dazzling sceneries. Being the first film in a new trilogy, I think it left a very good taste in my mouth for what's to come. I can't wait to see which species manages to outdo itself the most in the course of events to achieve not only their survival, but the domination of planet Earth.
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This is my first time ever posting on the Movies & TV Shows community. I'd seen great posts here before, but never felt confident enough to make a review on any movie or show. Suddenly, I made up my mind to break the mold and try something different this weekend. Hope you all like it!