You’ll get in the swing of things right from the start watching this 10th film in the franchise. Looks like the start of a new series following a new ape-hero’s journey. Director Wes Ball jump starts with a big action opening sequence where Noa (Owen Teague), Soona (Lydia Peckham) and Anaya (Travis Jeffrey) are carrying on the tradition of swinging up from tree to tree to snatch one eagle egg each for the important Eagle Clan, coming-of-age ceremony.
Noa is the main character in this sci-fi action adventure. He goes on a quest to rescue his clan, after the brutal attack orchestrated by the ever shouting fascist Proximus (Kevin Durand). The action depicted here takes place many generations after the Time of Caesar, the original ape-hero from the earlier films. He was a revered, compassionate leader. Proximus has made himself a king, perverting Caesar’s philosophy of decency, morality, strength, and justice, capturing other clans and brainwashing his captives, creating labor camps for ultimate power and control.
Along the way, Noa encounters the two other central figures to his journey. Raka (Peter Macon), the wise big old orangutan. He is the keeper of the flame, who knew what Caesar stood for and wants to pass that knowledge forward to keep his hero’s legacy alive. Macon imbues Raka with picture perfect diction and a heart filled with the best attributes of a truly scholarly mind.
Over the millennia, while apes ruled the land, pandemics and virus had ravaged humans as they devolved into a speechless, lower life form. Noa encounters a pest, a human they refer to as an “Echo.” He believes he’s found a stupid human female trying to steal some food, but soon learns that this young woman, whom Raka names Nova in a homage to Linda Harrison’s character in the original Planet of the Apes from 1968. But Nova is much more and her real name is Mae (Freya Allen) who becomes the central player in whether or not Proximus is using will be able to access all of past humans power and technology.
While there’s little in the story or dialogue that is revelatory or groundbreaking, Director Ball shows tremendous talent for staging and shooting the action sequences. He and cinematographer Gyula Pados with editing team Dirk Westervelt and Dan Zimmerman employ motion capture along with CGI resulting in thrilling tension and grand scale battles. They make the movements of these creatures flow. Speaking of motion capture, the actor-pioneer of the technique, Andy Serkis, served as an advisor.
The setting, the scenery and the CGI has advanced with each of these films. The ape characters are totally believable displaying every expression in detail. Noa’s face and eyes clearly reflect everything going on in his head and his heart.
Noa and Mae develop a conflicted relationship. He’s wary of her motives, but he needs her help and she needs his. It all leads to a huge climax explaining what both are after and effectively lays the groundwork for what may be brewing for the installments to come.
With pristine sound design that still allows the dialogue to be discernible despite all the chaos and a musical score that enhances the action, this is a film that deserves to be seen on a big screen. For a franchise with 10 films, Ball, with writer Josh Friedman, has pulled off a rare feat. They manage to make this still feel fresh and original. Yes, it’s a chimp off the old block.
20th Century Studios 2 hours 25 minutes PG-13
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