It has been seven years since the previous Planet of the Apes film.
Over half a decade.
That can present some challenges when it comes to maintaining a franchise’s momentum - even one, like Apes, which has endured, through three distinct creative periods and ten total movies, for over fifty years now.
But 2017’s War for the Planet of the Apes?
It concluded the reboot trilogy, which began in 2011, with such emotional and narrative weight, that any inevitable follow-up would find itself in something of a tough spot.
Where, exactly, could things go next?
So it isn’t surprising then that the newest Apes movie, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, which released in theatres earlier this month, firmly presents itself as a standalone sequel - despite being, inescapably and to its occasional deterrent, very much indebted to the previous three instalments.
Looking to the past, perhaps for the final time, as a new era for the franchise begins.
Mostly successful, if not without a few notable hitches along the way.
Taking place some three-hundred years after Caesar (Andy Serkis) led his people to freedom, albeit, at the cost of his life, we return to an Earth now firmly in the apes control.
But Caesar’s teachings have become twisted and misinterpreted in the generations since, primarily by Proximus (Kevin Durand) a self-styled ape ruler, who has consolidated power over various clans.
Determined to unlock a long-forgotten US military bunker, Proximus believes the knowledge inside will allow him to take the “next step” on the evolutionary ladder, whatever the cost.
So when his village is raided by Proximus’ warriors, his father killed and his mother and clan kidnapped, young ape Noa (Owen Teague) sets out to find them, his perspective on the world, changing in the process.
Allying himself with Raka (Peter Macon), an ape who mentors him on the truth of what Caesar stood for and a human, Mae (Freya Allan) who has goals of her own.
Noa, coming to realize that things are not as black-and-white as he believed, as all roads, in time, lead to Proximus.
It is a simple enough set-up - perhaps too simple, as predictably steadily creeps in - but it is all bolstered by what Kingdom accomplishes on a technical level.
Building on what the trilogy before it achieved, it is a reminder of what the industry can do at its best, combining full performance-capture, meticulously-assisted VFX and a committed sense of realism, the way few other franchises can.
Noa’s quiet intensity, for example, is brought to startling life by Teague, contrasted with the more emotive performances delivered by Macon and Durand or Allan’s softly-buried fury.
It is a testament to their collective ability, enhanced through the work of director Wes Ball and credited screenwriter Josh Friedman: you can sympathize and understand where each character, including Proximus (to an extent) is coming from. It is, truly, a new world, human dominance, further away than it has ever been.
Mae, wanting to fight for what was, Proximus, focused only on what could be with him leading the charge and Noa, trying to carve out his own path, the best he can.
In many ways though, it is here where Kingdom stumbles the most.
Alongside the many references to the larger franchise peppered throughout (from the subtle and otherwise) there simply aren’t many surprises, narratively, when all is said and done.
Expected perhaps.
On a whole, the rebooted Apes trilogy is one of the better moviegoing experiences of the past twenty-or-so years. And led by Andy Serkis, who was an absolute presence as Caesar throughout there was a consistent element holding everything together (assisted by the larger cast too: from Karin Konoval as Maurice, Woody Harrelson as The Colonel in War or Toby Kebbell as Koba).
Now, expecting this new phase of the franchise to match that level of acclaim right out of the gate? That’s foolhardy. But nobody really brings that same energy either, playing things not sterile necessarily but quite safe, almost to a fault.
Across the board, from the performances to the particulars of the narrative, they’re well-done, if not overly memorable (William H. Macy, one might notice, pops in for what is basically a glorified cameo).
A series of missed opportunities, however well-presented the artistic flourish.
Kingdom ends though, on a deeply interesting note, avoiding the simplistic predictably that defines so many blockbusters. There is more to come in the future, obviously but the way these to-be-seen arcs are left dangling is quite exciting, as a fan of the franchise.
Again though, this is the struggle - the what could-be, seemingly more engaging than whatever is happening in the moment.
Wanting to pay some much-deserved dues, before fully striking out on its own, this new chapter of Apes has laid down the building blocks.
Strong, on many fronts, if just a touch too predictable.