Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes
dir. Wes Ball · 2024
An ape leader, driven by ambition, begins to enslave other groups in a desperate quest for lost human technology. Meanwhile, a young ape embarks on a perilous journey to rescue his clan and confronts a human woman with her own agenda. Watching this film is like navigating a treacherous landscape where alliances shift and the struggle for power reveals the fragility of civilization.
The new Apes movie is set many years after the conclusion of 2017's War for the Planet of the Apes. Many apes societies have grown from when the Moses-like Caesar brought his people to an oasis, while humans have been reduced to a feral-like existence. Some ape groups have never heard of Caesar, while others have contorted his teaching to build burgeoning empires. In this setting, one ape leader begins to enslave other groups to find human technology, while another ape, who watched his clan be taken, embarks on a journey to find freedom. A young human woman becomes key to the latter's quest, although she has plans of her own.
Talking points
- the ethics of leadership in crisis
- the role of technology in society
- the evolution of civilization
- the nature of freedom and oppression
