The new Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes 4K release includes something I’ve always wanted to see, which is a full-length cut of the human actors in motion capture suits giving their performance before all of the CGI has been overlaid on top of them to make them apes. That might seem like a gimmick, and it’s easy to laugh it off at first, but after watching this version, I walked away with much more of an appreciation for what a feat the finished product is and even more respect for the talented actors that breath so much life into these characters.
“Director Wes Ball breathes new life into the global, epic franchise with this action-adventure spectacle from 20th Century Studios. Set several generations in the future following Caesar’s reign, apes are living harmoniously as the dominant species — 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,” says the official description.
First off, let’s talk about the actual film, which is truly visually stunning in 4K and comes in a really lovely SteelBook case. The new start of a potential trilogy is excellent as Wes Ball takes the series in a more action-adventure nature rather than the war dramas that preceded it. The opening sequences that introduce us to Owen Teague’s Noa and his falconry-practicing ape tribe are filled with excitement and wonder. By setting it more in the future, we get to see how the apes have come up with a society rather than dealing purely with the aftermath of human civilization. It’s extremely interesting and that sense of wonderment leads to some of the best moments early on.
Eventually, the villain is introduced, and Kevin Durand gives a stellar performance as Proximus Caesar. We see how the teachings from Andy Serkis’ Caesar have been warped with time and used for control rather than brothership. Humans take a backseat for the most part, as they’re mostly mute, with Freya Allan’s Mae playing a larger role near the end and setting up a potential sequel. Whether or not we get it doesn’t matter as Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes works wonderfully as a stand-alone sci-fi epic.
The Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes 4K SteelBook version also comes with an extra Blu-ray disc that includes all of the bonus features and the alternate cut titled “Inside the Lens: The Raw Cut.” This raw cut is truly incredible, as it is a split-screen version of the film with unfinished VFX, mocap footage, and animatics being shown next to the finished product. It really is remarkable seeing how the actual film was made in every shot, how elements were blended together, what was fully CG in some cases, and just how much monkeying around was done. It’s hilarious and incredible seeing the actors truly act like monkeys, using props such as crutches to walk in the correct manner. It really underscores what a technical achievement this and the other recent Apes movies are.
Bonus features include a full commentary track over the Raw Cut with Wes Ball, Dan Zimmerman, and Erik Winquist. It’s a great track as they go into how each scene was made, the difficulties, and their goals. There are also 32 minutes of deleted and extended scenes (with optional commentary by Ball), plus a 23-minute featurette called “Inside the Forbidden Zone,” which details the making of the film. It’s really well put together, and this winds up having over three hours of content.
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes 4K Review: Final Verdict
The Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes 4K release is one of the coolest in recent memory. Much more than a gimmick, the new Raw Cut is phenomenal to watch and well worth the price of admission. While I wish the bonus features were also on 4K rather than Blu-ray, it’s a small gripe against a stellar set.
Disclosure: The distributor provided ComingSoon a copy for our Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes 4K review.
