Just to get out of the way what is becoming a broken record with The Legionnaire’s thoughts on the Planet of the Apes franchise: Catholicism is not against the theory of evolution.  The idea is in the background of all these films, though how much of it is in the installments made in the 1960s and 1970s, I could not tell you.  Perhaps one day I will get around to viewing those earlier iterations.  For now, you are getting a look at the most recent example, the newly released Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes.  I bring up what some misguided Christians still see as a controversial science only because the movie’s villain, Proximus Caesar (Kevin Durand), who we do not meet until over halfway through the story, discusses it.  When he says the word, it is with an emphasis on the first two syllables, making it sound like he is saying “evil-ution.”  I am here to tell you that the only thing evil about this movie is its pacing.

Significantly, the opening text to Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes say that it has been “many generations” since we last checked in with an Earth that has been taken over by simians.  Keep that amorphous time jump in mind as you read the rest of this, or if you decide to see it.  After seeing the memorial service for the original ape leader, Caesar (Andy Serkis), we then zoom ahead the aforementioned unknown period of years.  Noa (Owen Teague), and his friends Anaya (Travis Jeffrey) and Soona (Lydia Peckham), are swinging through the ancient ruins of Los Angeles in search of eagle eggs.  How do I know it is Los Angeles?  I did not initially until the unmistakable outline of the Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) is seen later.  Anyway, the point of this trio’s jaunt is as part of a ritual rite of passage for their clan, which extensively uses birds as companions, hunters, and for other functions.  Noa has a little more pressure on him because he is the son of the Master or Birds, Koro (Neil Sandilands).  Noa is eager to prove himself, climbing to the highest nest (which is quite the accomplishment, but is not finding interacting with the raptors easy.  Him and his friends also have a furtive encounter with what they refer to as an “echo.”  These are humans, by the way, who are out there somewhere beyond the valley, and a place these chimpanzees are not supposed to go.  After reassuring Koro that he did not venture in that direction, later that night Noa literally bumps into the same person before she disappears just as quickly into the tree line.  This might not sound like a big deal if not for the fact that this causes the egg he collected to break.  Upon conferring with Anaya and Soona, Noa makes the difficult decision to head back to the nests to collect another egg.  When he reaches the area, he finds members from his clan killed by outsiders.  These intruders are not humans but other apes working for Proximus Caesar.  Noa’s horse gives away his presence, though he remains hidden.  Instead, these other primates spur the horse on and follow it back to Noa’s village.  There, they burn the structures to the ground and take most of the clan prisoner.  Noa returns as quickly as possible, but is not able to save Koro.  Noa barely survives himself, falling from a great height and being left for dead.  Once Noa comes to, he buries his father and vows to bring everyone back to the village.  As he follows the raiding party’s tracks, he happens upon Raka (Peter Macon), an orangutan and the last of the keepers of knowledge about Caesar.  His people, too, have been hunted down by Proximus Caesar’s minions.  Raka teaches Noa a different lore about the echo, who Raka first identifies as “humans” to Noa.  Specifically, Raka asserts that apes and humans once lived side-by-side.  Though he remains incredulous, this new information helps Noa be more accepting when Mae (Freya Allan) finally reveals herself.  She does not speak at first, which is why Raka calls her Nova (which is a reference to the last film), but they take her in at Raka’s bidding.  Seeing her up close seems to confirm much of what Raka has to say for Noa.  As such, when they are once again spotted by Proximus Caesar’s minions, Noa rides in to save Mae from being captured.  This proves only temporary as our new trio fall into a trap on a bridge over a raging river, leading to Raka being swept off into it.  Mae and Noa are taken to the title place where Proximus Caesar is using his followers to attempt to open a set of heavy, large vault doors.  When Mae and Noa are finally brought before Proximus Caesar, it comes to light that this structure had been Mae’s target the whole time.  Noa feels betrayed by this for not having been told the truth, despite their shared adventures.  Apparently, it is a bunker that has been built into a cliff by the sea, and it houses something that she needs.  Immaterial of this goal, she remains his best hope of getting his clan away from Proximus Caesar, who thinks the vault holds what he needs to conquer the world.  To stop this from happening, Mae enlists Noa’s help, along with Anaya and Soona, to climb into a secret entrance into the manmade cave.  Mae obtains a computer drive, and together they open the doors Proximus Caesar had failed to crack, only to find their plot discovered.  However, Mae has snuck a pistol out, which she uses to back away from the situation and set off the explosives they had planted before Noa is ready.  With the detonation, sea water rushes in, and Noa frantically tells his people to climb.  The good guys make it to safety at the secret entrance where Noa and Proximus Caesar have a final showdown.  Just as all seems lost, Noa is able to get the eagles to come to his aid and they finish off his adversary.  Once back at the village, Mae and Noa have one last conversation, wondering if apes and humans can ever get along before she rides into the sunset.

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is not a Western, but I could not resist finishing my plot synopsis on that clichéd note.  Neither is it the exact end of the movie.  After a trek of some undetermined distance, she comes to the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) Institute.  Here, she knocks on a door and is greeted by a woman in a hazmat suit, who takes the hard drive from Mae and closes the door.  I guess Mae is not allowed in?  We then follow the device to a bank of still operational computers.  Plugging it in somehow gets the rusted-out satellite dishes to function, and they send a message that is received and answered by . . . someone.  And this is the final shot of the film.  I do not like to nitpick about such things, but I am not sure how any of this makes sense.  This is also not the first time I have said such things about this franchise.  It is not so much about an Earth taken over by monkeys.  Again, not getting into evolution, but with science fiction you can come up with any kind of unlikely scenario you wish to explain such developments.  The problem here lies more with the previously discussed time jump put forward early in the synopsis.  When I see skyscrapers overgrown and city streets barely recognizable under foliage, I think hundreds of years have passed, maybe even a thousand.  However, when they make it into the bunker, Mae immediately finds the “on” switch, and the electricity comes back to life.  I am no expert on how things decay, but this seems highly unlikely.  Still, I could let that slide a little until we get to SETI and the remaining humans having still functioning computers and satellites.  This could all be possible, I suppose, but what would have made it more plausible for this reviewer would have been getting the elapsed time down in a more concrete manner.

What is also less solid is Proximus Caesar’s zealousness.  My initial reaction to him as a Catholic reviewer was to think of him as a sort of false prophet, misinterpreting the words of his predecessor, who has taken on a sort of messianic quality.  This is a more nebulous argument, and in the end he is little more than a villain-of-the-week bad guy with delusions of grandeur.  What is a more solid Christian connection is the care that Raka provides Mae when she first comes to their camp.  She is cold and hungry, and he provides food and warmth.  These are what the Church calls corporal acts of mercy, and clothing the naked and feeding the hungry are specifically on that list, along with five others.  In a general sense, you often see the protagonists in films performing all seven of these feats, which shows you just how much Western morality relies on Christianity.  Some might find that to be offensive, but it comes from God.  That last phrase could be taken as a bold statement, but if you see the scene I am specifically referencing, with a huddled Mae eating an apple and shivering, ask yourself: where do these empathetic feelings I am having for this character come from?  Atheists will tell you we are some kind of cosmic accident, and other religions are not as keen as is Christianity in positing our Divine origin.  Further, that you have an emotional reaction to a person in this condition is a sign that you care.  God cares for us, He loves us, and it is the source of everything that is good in the universe.  It does not matter if you are an anthropomorphic ape or a human, the fact that these feelings exist are an indication that God is real.

Though Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes does not articulate it as such, the fact that God is love is something that motivates the people you are meant to root for throughout the story.  The unfortunate part is that it takes forever for it to get anywhere.  It was roughly two-thirds of the way through the film before I figured out any kind of way forward for this plot.  If you can take the slow pace, then it is okay.  Otherwise, save yourself an expensive nap.