Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes.

Review #2210: Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes.

Cast: 

Owen Teague (Noa), Freya Allan (Mae / Nova), Kevin Durand (Proximus Caesar), Peter Macon (Raka), William H. Macy (Trevathan), Travis Jeffery (Anaya), Lydia Peckham (Soona), Neil Sandilands (Koro), and Eka Darville (Sylva) Directed by Wes Ball.

Review: 

Legacies are hard to maintain, particularly when it comes to movies as varied and interesting for films involving apes and a semi-different Earth than the one we know. War for the Planet of the Apes (as directed by Matt Reeves in 2017) didn't exactly blow things up in the same way of say, Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970), but it probably goes without saying that it managed to seal the legacy of a trilogy of reboot films all focused on the character of Caesar (as played by Andy Serkis) as one for the books. Of course, even before the release of the film, one could hear ideas of where the series could go even after what happens with the aforementioned War, so it didn't seem too shocking that the acquisition of Fox by Disney set the stage for eventually getting a new one of these Apes films on the board, albeit one that is set "many generations later" that was apparently pitched by its director in Wes Ball as “Apocalypto with apes”; Josh Friedman then wrote the screenplay. This is the fourth feature film by Ball, for which the previous three were adaptations of The Maze Runner novels (Ball had also worked on an adaptation of Mouse Guard with Reeves that got cancelled in the Fox deal, incidentally). Evidently, there are ideas of potentially having this be the first of a new trilogy to try and fit the legacy of what came before it. Well, if one can wash the taste of a lame 2000s remake out of their mouth and get people to be behind a "X of the Apes" for the 10th time in over half of a century, I suppose anything is possible.

The legacy of Caesar and where the message of "apes together strong" can lead when it comes to a new path in the ways of ape and humankind. The legacy of Caesar is such that the new Caesar is one that desires to secure the ascension of one's kingdom. It may not reach all of the lofty heights of its predecessor (or its runtime, which is perhaps a tad too long at 145 minutes), but there is plenty of entertainment to be found here nonetheless. Rise and this one seem to have a mirror image when it comes to having the pivotal moment of speech between the non-dominant species inhabiting the planet that one just assumed could not talk (that's one way to do another take on "Nova"). It goes a bit deeper in its relation to harkening to religious ideas in the very assertion that the example Caesar set out to lead by has instead been twisted into something far different than what envisioned. Now it is a name used by self-proclamation from tyrants to turn themselves into some sort of prophet for the masses to bend their knee to in the name of Caesar (interestingly, in Roman times, there was more than one Caesar when it came to importance in the Empire) and where one has to find their wings again to rise from the chains that threaten to consume them. Teague pulls an all-around efficient lead presence to follow with in what essentially reads as a coming-of-age story in the eyes of baptism by fire that is pretty compelling in a way that I hope will get more time to grow when it comes to the inevitable clash of idealism versus the pragmatic truths that arise in finding just how much truth there is within the fire and brimstone. Allan does well within showing the human nature of what has become rare in the apeworld: human agency and drive, which makes for a compelling climax and setup for what might come next (consider how the film goes with fight-or-flight responses when it comes to human or ape). Durand plays his adversarial role with the right type of fervor that would be at home with the corniest of gurus or blustery politicians that actually has an interesting view when it comes to the desire for self-inprovement of a species, self-serving as it may be when one has apes essentially on a Crusade killing in their name. Macon makes a delightful guide to go with Teague and Allan while Macy has a few little moments of defeatist thinking (of course, seeing a Kurt Vonnegut book in the film means one can't be all that bad). With an eye for a setting a frontier to set a slate built for a new line of inevitable ape and human conflict, I would say this made a pretty good attempt at doing so with the air of all-around enthusiasm. The motion capture is one that is good enough to almost feel like routine with how one just rolls with what they see without the feeling of distraction, which basically mirrors how one hasn't felt tired for yet another one of these films. Kingdom is a pretty good starter to what might be another phase within the parable of where and ape and man intersect with their own share of similarities and differences when it comes to handling the nature of legacy of ones with a name or symbol to pass down in history. 

Overall, I give it 8 out of 10 stars.

Abigail (2024).

Review #2208: Abigail (2024).

Cast: 

Melissa Barrera (Joey), Dan Stevens (Frank), Alisha Weir (Abigail), Will Catlett (Rickles), Kathryn Newton (Sammy), Kevin Durand (Peter), Angus Cloud (Dean), Giancarlo Esposito (Lambert), and Matthew Goode (Abigail's father) Directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett (#1268 - Ready or Not)

Review: 

You know, it is funny, I picked this movie a few weeks after it was released because it just seemed like the kind of interesting little horror film you can encounter in the spring without needing too many audience members around (if one is paying over $8 for a theater experience, would you not take that chance?). Of course, it also helps particularly if you favor the directors, who, well, were behind Ready or Not (as released in 2019, although I suppose those two "Scream sequels" might be more familiar to certain folks). Perhaps not surprisingly, that film was also co-written by Guy Busick, who wrote Abigail with Stephen Shields (heh, a movie involving one controlled setting of a big house and trying to stay alive when presented with the fear of death, go figure). When it was first announced as being a production for Universal Pictures, it probably wasn't a surprise because of the fact that they were into the idea of just making a horror movie that could take loose inspiration from their previous history involving monsters to mold into something that would be along the lines of The Invisible Man (2020) rather than say, The Mummy (2017). With this in mind, one could be forgiven for thinking of this film as asking how one would do Dracula's Daughter (1936), which in it of itself was a very loose interpretation (read: little to no faithfulness) of a discarded chapter of the original Bram Stoker novel. And, well, I suppose I am making up for not watching Universal's two distributed vampire flicks in 2023 in Renfield and The Last Voyage of the Demeter.

The way one crafts the routine matters to enjoying what gets pulled for a film experience, particularly when it comes to horror, which gets plenty of flak from those who sure love other genres for playing to cliches just because they don't have "icky gore". But we aren't here to crap on people for their taste, we're here to see if a film seems worthwhile to spend time watching for 109 minutes. It delivers pretty much what you would expect from a film spent mostly in one location with a group of briefly describable characters and a title threat that is compelling enough to lend its ride to satisfaction. Weir (born and raised in Ireland) gets to play both sides of the coin that arises from a true wolf in a den of sheep that makes for an imposing presence in the fact that age and size is not the only way to spark terror when it comes to gnarly teeth and tone to go with it. She takes a playfully skilled approach to peeling off the illusion of being an outmatched youth with the endearing sense of fun theatrics. The ensemble around her (one that name drops And Then There Were None, to the surprise of probably nobody) does pretty well in the art of being picked off but having the tone of commitment a notch above staid. Barrera handles it best with useful timing that is generally worth rooting for when being in the house of the rising blood. When it comes to that old "final girl" trope, her worthwhile interest in the art of balancing "run!" and "it may be a vampire, but it's not a total monster" is solid for driving the film along, particularly when compared to the other key presence in Stevens in conniving engagement with baring opportunistic fangs. The others deliver a chuckle or two in their moments spent in the cast, such as Durand getting to play it naturally Canadian (with a bit of dim touch) or a silly Newton. As a whole, it is pretty standard type of gore, but it handles all the trimmings required of a well-oiled one-setting machine with the gore and pacing required to make for a solid curiosity piece. The setup for just what a vampire work just fine here (sunlight, ack!) to lend the climax a worthwhile execution when it comes to making decisions and, well, exploding splatter. Regardless of whatever may be next for Universal in playing it loose with familiar monsters or for the directors at large, I'm sure whatever lurks around the corner has a good chance of being solidly ready for viewing in the horror realm.

Overall, I give it 8 out of 10 stars.