Planet of the Apes: New Kingdom saves its best moment for last. With just one shot, the sci-fi blockbuster challenges everything we’ve seen before
Although the first Planet of the Apes film ends with one of the biggest twists in movie history, the reboot kicked off by Planet of the Apes: Prevolution instigated reboot series has refrained from turning the narrative on its head at the last minute. No wonder: how do you top the reveal of the Statue of Liberty, which reveals that we were on Earth and not on an alien planet all along?
Instead, the new Planet of the Apes films tell the story of the collapse of human civilization in chronological order. In the latest installment, Planet of the Apes: New Kingdom, we find ourselves 300 years in the future, where the apes have taken over on Earth. The ending is particularly strong: although there is no big twist, it is still a moment that leaves you breathless.
Attention, spoilers follow!
In Planet of the Apes 4, mistrust between apes and humans is spread with every new scene
After the conclusion of the Caesar trilogy, Planet of the Apes: New Kingdom introduces us to a new main character: Noa (Owen Teague). The young chimpanzee grows up in a small village and wanders through the ruins of the old world overgrown with plants. This carefree life comes to an abrupt end when his tribe is attacked by apes who are on a mission from the villain Proximus (Kevin Durand).
Here you can watch the trailer for Planet of the Apes: New Kingdom:
Black smoke heralds the destruction of the peaceful place. While searching for his abducted friends, Noa runs into a human: Mae (Freya Allan). Can he trust her? In Planet of the Apes: New Kingdom, there is great mistrust between the species after years of murder and manslaughter. But Mae seems so helpless – unlike Noa, she can’t even speak properly.
Unlikely allies: An unspoken alliance is formed between Noa and Mae before Proximus emerges as a manipulative force. Not only does the dictatorial bonobo twist Caesar’s teachings to his own advantage. He divides the apes, which he forcibly gathers around him, and plays them off against each other. He also sows discord among Noa and Mae in order to strengthen his own supremacy.
However, he is not the only one who deliberately uses words to get what he wants. As it turns out, Mae hasn’t told Noah the whole truth about herself either. Her character is like a living twist that is carefully revealed step by step in the movie. Mae can speak and is on an important mission for a group of people who have retreated underground.
Freya Allen’s Mae is much more sinister and unpredictable than Planet of the Apes 4 villain Proximus
Although at first glance New Kingdom has little of the profundity of its predecessors and leans more into the playful adventure aspects of the story, the movie rips open unexpected chasms with Mae’s character development and asks questions that aren’t so easily answered. Just like Noa, she has a series of traumatic experiences behind her that determine her actions.
(Planet of the Apes New Kingdom)
The difference is: Noa’s pain doesn’t lead to questionable decisions. He is the sincere hero of the movie and the script puts fewer obstacles in his way than Mae, who turns into his dark mirror image. In order to save her own tribe, the humans, she accepts the death of countless (and innocent) apes by flooding the bunker from which Proximus wants to steal war equipment.
Was this her plan from the start? Or was it just a last-minute emergency action to prevent an even worse catastrophe? With the hope that Noa will one day understand her motives, if he survives. Mae takes on the role of both victim and perpetrator. This ambivalence makes the character extremely exciting, especially because the film does not formulate many of her scenes too clearly.
The best moment lasts only a few seconds: At the very end, when Noa and Mae cross paths again and the signs tentatively point to reconciliation, a brief shot reveals that she is holding a gun behind her back. She is afraid of Noa, afraid that he wants revenge. Because he has every reason to. Is peaceful coexistence between apes and humans really no longer possible?
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Can humans and apes ever get along again? Planet of the Apes 4 is very, very skeptical
Two and a half hours of Planet of the Apes: New Kingdom this question. Will the humans and apes manage to get closer, or are the wounds left by the past 300 years too deep? Although Noa and Mae are going through hell, in terms of trust they are balancing on the narrowest ridge that leads through the post-apocalypse. At any moment they could fall into the depths
( Planet of the Apes New Kingdom)
New Kingdom seems very transparent at first. Last but not least, the fronts seem clearly divided, as Proximus is a villain that everyone can agree on. For a Planet of the Apes film, however, this black-and-white end-of-age picture would be too simple. Mae sneaks into the movie as the secret resistance and just when the gun flashes behind her back, the entire planet shakes.
A stab in the heart of the hopeful that makes us tremble and question the previous events. Even if Planet of the Apes: New Kingdom tries to ignite the spark of curiosity and discovery for the next trilogy in its final minutes, this brief moment that reverberates into the end credits – the unfinished dagger thrust – is the most exciting promise for the future of the series.
