The original series (Planet of the Apes, Beneath, Escape, Conquest and Battle) was a huge success between the late 60s and 70s, the 2001 remake by Tim Burton was fine, and the reboot trilogy (Rise, Dawn, and War) was fantastic, I was most excited when the franchise returned for another sequel in the reboot series, directed by Wes Ball (The Maze Runner Trilogy). Basically, taking place many generations (300 years) after the reign of Caesar, apes are the dominant species with many societies and clans established. The human race has diminished, their cities have overgrown, and any remaining humans have been reduced to mute feral beings. Living in the ruins of Los Angeles is an ape society that practices falconry. Noa (Owen Teague), a chimpanzee, prepares for a coming-of-age ceremony by collecting eagle eggs with his friends Anaya (Travis Jeffery) and Soona (Lydia Peckham). However, a human scavenger (Freya Allan) follows Noa home and inadvertently cracks his egg during a scuffle before fleeing. Noa searches for a replacement egg during the night and witnesses a group of ape raiders using electric weapons. Hiding from them, the apes follow Noa's horse back to his clan. Upon returning home, Noa finds his village burning, the leader of the raiders, Sylva (Eka Darville), kills Noa's father, Koro (Neil Sandilands), and Noa is knocked unconscious. When Noa wakes, the village has been reduced to ashes, and his tribe has been abducted. He buries his father and sets out to rescue his clan. On his journey, Noa meets Bornean orangutan Raka (Peter Macon) who tells him about Caesar, his teachings, and the world when apes and humans co-existed together. The two apes notice they are being followed by the human scavenger. Raka offers her food and a blanket and names her Nova. Continuing their journey, Noa, Raka, and the human encounter a group of feral humans. They are suddenly attacked by Sylva's raiders, and when the apes rescue their human companion, they are surprised she can speak. She reveals her name is Mae and she knows that Noa's clan has been taken to a beachfront settlement outside an ancient human facility. Whilst heading to the settlement, they are ambushed by Sylva while crossing a bridge. In the ensuing fight, Raka saves Mae from drowning but is swept away by the rapids. Noa and Mae are captured and taken to the settlement, and Noa is reunited with his clan. Noa is introduced to the apes' self-proclaimed king, Proximus Caesar (Kevin Durand), who has enslaved Noa's clan. The king is forcing them to try and open the vault of the facility to access human technology locked inside. Mae meanwhile meets with human prisoner Trevathan (William H. Macy), he speaks and is teaching Proximus about the old human world. Proximus invites Noa to dinner along with Mae and Trevathan; Proximus believes that Noa knows how to open the vault and warns him that Mae only has her own interests in mind. Noa confronts Mae, demanding the truth and offering to help her. Mae knows of a hidden entrance to the vault and says it contains a mysterious "book" capable of restoring speech to humanity. Noa agrees to help her enter the vault, hoping to destroy Proximus' settlement and help his clan return home. Noa, Mae, Soona, and Anaya secretly plant explosives around the embankment surrounding the settlement. Trevathan catches them and intends to warn Proximus, but Mae kills him. Climbing the cliffs from behind it, the group reaches the vault, which is revealed to be a military bunker containing a stockpile of weapons, including the "book," which is a deciphering key for a satellite. Meanwhile, the apes find a children's picture book, which depicts humans as the once-dominant species and apes in cages at a zoo. The group finds the entrance to the bunker which the apes have been trying to open and make their way out. They are confronted by Proximus and his tribe, who threaten to kill Soona if they do not allow them to enter. They are stopped when Mae shoots a gun and kills one of Proximus's apes. Proximus agrees to let Mae leave if she tells them where the other weapons are. Mae refuses and the explosives are triggered, flooding the bunker with the apes still inside. Mae flees the settlement while the apes travel through the bunker to find higher ground. Noa is pursued by Sylva, but he is trapped by Noa as the water rises and he drowns. Noa and his clan escape the bunker, but he is attacked by Proximus, who demands that Noa kneel before him. Noa leads his clan in summoning their eagles to attack Proximus, resulting in him falling off a cliff to his apparent death. Noa's clan returns to rebuild their home, and Mae bids Noa farewell. She explains that humans deserve another chance since they were once the dominant species, but Noa questions if apes and humans can coexist peacefully. As Noa shows Soona a telescope he discovered at an observatory, Mae travels to a human settlement. It is revealed that several humans with the ability to speak have been quarantined from the outside world. Mae delivers the decipher key, allowing the humans to reactivate the satellites and successfully contact other humans across the world. Also starring Ras-Samuel as Lightning, Sara Wiseman as Dar, Kaden Hartcher as Oda / Rust, Andy McPhee as Honored Elder, Karin Konoval as Maurice, Zay Domo Artist as Milo, and Dichen Lachman as Korina. I will admit the first half of the film is a little slow as it re-establishes things, by the second half it gets interesting, as apes discover the secrets of the past and have their beliefs of ape history questioned, and choices could determine the future. Borrowing elements of Beneath the Planet of the Apes, this is the first in a new trilogy, it has decent performances, the CGI special effects for the characters and landscapes have evolved and are superb, and it is exciting at the right moments, it'll be interesting to see where it goes next, this is a worthwhile science-fiction action. Good!
