How Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes REDEFINES the Franchise

[Applause] [Music] Apes together strong Apes together his words when Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes was first announced I'm sure most of you were a bit skeptical about the project like you're telling that you're going to just follow up that incredible groundbreaking Trilogy of films that put Planet of the Apes back on the map in a way it hadn't been since I don't know what the 60s or so we are a new chapter in this long Legacy of movies since 1968 you know but still honor what came before us balance between being our own thing but still feeling it belonged Apes hunt humans we are an extension a continuation of that seizure Legacy I guess yes together those films make for one of the best trilogies of all time and it's still insanely underrated but you know that's a topic for a later video but my skepticism for a fourth planet of the apes film was only further fueled by the hiring of West ball such good closure you know beginning middle end 1 two 3 it's a great number you don't want to be a part four I have nothing against the guy he seems really nice I've really enjoyed hearing him open up about his passion for play the Apes so beloved and we're such big fans and some of the other projects He has in the works I can't say anything I can't say but you're telling me The Maze Runner guy was going to follow Matt Reeves I mean all right all the power to you I suppose it's not like The Maze Runner movies were that bad I mean they weren't great but you know they were definitely better than most ya adaptations coming out at the time that wasn't Hunger Games or Harry Potter but he wasn't necessarily the obvious choice and perhaps that's a good thing I didn't have particularly high expectations for this thing even when the first trailer dropped I kind of dug it the VFX looked exceptional because you know WETA are the VFX Gods but what was this film really going to add yeah I get it you know I'm stubborn I need a little bit more convincing sometime but you know I also go into films with an open mind and when I finally got to sit down and watch Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes I was floored this thing is exceptional the idea of incorporating a 300-year Time leap was genius that's when suddenly the light bulb went off and we figured out wow there's lot of potential here actually what we could do with Caesar's storyline his legacy and it's really the only way something like this could have worked it allowed the dystopia of it all the ruin of the world to come together and this kind of Gap in time the things that have been lost we got to kind of ReDiscover Our World Through The Eyes of NOA and I was blown away Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is an epic Reckoning of the 2010's ape Trilogy a thoughtful inv vigorously considered outlook on the aftermath of that story that forego a direct continuation of it to instead widen the scope of the world after Caesar the ramifications decades on and the clash between not only apes and Humanity but the Apes various interpretations of Caesar's teachings with a couple centuries of telephone game twisting them up I think West ball killed this he is an exceptional filmmaker after watching this film and I think that it's only right that he gets to continue making these movies that he gets to finish off his Trilogy look space is an important aspect of these movies but in my mind if if if we had our choice we wouldn't go back and remake the 68 version we would just build all the way up to it he's introduced a captivating new protagonist in owes Noah and ultimately he set up a new era for the Apes that in its own right leads the charge as a staggering Apocalypto esque Odyssey for this decade and if you want to experience your own ape Odyssey like I know you do you're going to have to pick up a few more skills along your path to I guess survive out there in the wilderness and a great way to do that is with brilliant you've probably heard me talk about brilliant before on the channel and for good reason I 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filling every lesson with Hands-On problem solving brilliant helps you not only to learn but retain concepts by building your critical thinking skills through problem solving not memorizing so while you're building real knowledge on specific topics you're also strengthening your brain in general and each lesson is designed to fit into any schedule so you can ease yourself into habitual learning for even just a few minutes a day so quit Doom scrolling you damn dirty ape and become the leader you were born to be right now you can try brilliant for free for a full 30 Days by visiting brilliant.org filmspeak or click the link in the description of this video to give learning a trial run as well as receive 20% off an annual premium subscription that's brilliant.org filmspeak or click the link in the description below and receive 20% off an annual premium subscription remember Apes together strong and with brilliant we can make our brains strong too thank you so much to brilliant for sponsoring this video in death Caesar became Immortal a legend creating a mythology around the ape we came to know and understand through the trilogy that preceded Kingdom in a way he became the Martyr that the general couldn't let him become in war although here Caesar became a martyr after achieving success for his people to begin Kingdom with Caesar's funeral is maybe an obvious choice given what this film is ultimately about and from a practical perspective it catches people up who didn't see the previous Trilogy which is also great like you should watch that trilogy because they're remarkable films but it's also cool to just kind of be able to get into this one without I don't know eight hours of films because of that opening scene Caesar looms large over the rest of the movie in a way that he wouldn't if he was reduced to only the name drops later on We Wish witness the birth of a religion that ultimately splits into the two sects we personally witness 300 years later the mythology created around Caesar's story becomes more potent than the truth of the story ultimately replacing the truth entirely once the truth transcends history and becomes mythology the truth loses all relevancy becoming more about the Storyteller and what they hope to gain by appropriating Caesar's story the story lives on takes on new shapes and forms while the history is lost as is the truth and the knowledge that comes with it knowledge is it better leveraged shared ignored or withheld everything in Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes ties back to this idea of knowledge and who's allowed to wield it it starts with eagle Clan Noah is a clever Innovative ape whose intellect is largely ignored in favor of tradition and yet it's clear from the beginning that he's not only reaching for the highest Branch as a means to earn his father's approval and follow the law of the tribe but symbolically it shows that the status quo doesn't suit him he's constantly reaching for the fruit from the Tree of knowledge he feels his path is determined his father was the master of birds and so too shall he be when the time comes he struggles with what is but follows suit because it's all he knows and though he brushes up against disrupting the norm he never fully tips the the scales out of respect for his family's Traditions however his curiosity pushes him in the direction of uncovering what he doesn't understand that thing being the emergence of an echo the forbidden fruit that snaked its way into his life by pursuing May a human that Shadows him at the beginning of the film out of curiosity he shatters the confines of his reality personified by the cracking of the egg which would have led him down a more traditional path within Eagle Clan one that wouldn't have satisfied his impulses as a person the film does such a great job of showing how even those who monopolize knowledge create the laws and confines of society don't have all the answers it explores the leaders and the followers all Eagle Clan has known is Following the Leader following their Elders characters like rqa are slaves to their dogma and Silva the barbaric gorilla a devotee to Caesar and his proxy they don't question they fall in line because that is the norm they don't care to disrupt life as they know it even if deep down they know the status quo should be challenged well you know except Silva I highly doubt he thinks deeply about anything other than the Roman Empire the Elders of Eagle Clan have created an entire culture and way of life for their people and yet are the only ones who hold the power to make laws Safeguard information and decide what should and shouldn't be allowed when it comes to their citizens it's largely beneficial to the clan and in no way creates inequality but it does create an unequal Power Balance that someone like Noah rightfully so begins to question proximus for as knowledgeable as he is leverages that knowledge as a means for control manipulating the words of Caesar as he interprets them as a means for creating forced unity and subjugation directing his Apes towards a single goal he doesn't have the answers clearly I mean he keeps someone like travan around to teach him while trying to get the answers he seeks in the vault no his journey is one of Enlightenment and that comes part and parcel with understanding the necessity of not only questioning what is but learning that those in positions of power spiritual societal political don't have all the answers and won't have all the answers until they open themselves up to new experiences and different view points points Noah becomes a more worldly being which he then brings to his clan once they've been freed from proximus under Noah's Guidance the power structure will be more democratic all perspectives will be allowed in information free to those who seek it something he learns through his time spent with rqa rqa blindly follows what he perceives to be the word of Caesar to a fault even going so far as to adopt these wildly outlandish ideas of how Society functioned during the time of Caesar Caesar and apes watched over humans humans have always been primitive and helpless and it is Apes duty to Shepherd them exercise compassion and empathy in allowing them to survive it's great stuff like that reminds me of the classic Planet of the Apes films and I'm glad that ball had fun weaving them into the fabric of this story so these movies are always about humans and apes living together or not how they coexist the drama and the conflict between them that's always what makes these movies kind of tick for as flawed as the truth behind rocka's Dogma is it does teach Noah compassion and empathy for humans whom he was taught to consider pests that must be dealt with or shed away it teaches him that humans and apes aren't so different and are both empathetic beings that's why the telescope scene is so great one of the most beautiful moments in the entire film it shows Noah putting aside his biases because he recognizes the humanity in May it's also the only time we see apes and humans coexisting rqa Noah may all beings from different backgrounds with different beliefs and biases who are able to sit down together Converse and coexist it's telling that raqqa's final words to both Noah and may are together strong and not Apes together strong despite the cracks that slowly form in his belief system he still lives by the empathetic code of the order of Caesar he's a great example of the specifics of his religion not mattering as much as the principles behind it rqa is so willing to share what knowledge he has with Noah and the humans as a means to guide toward a more peaceful ecosystem Noah's time with raqa is useful because it's what allows him to cooperate with May towards the back half of the film despite the many attempts she continues to withhold information from him and it's what teaches him the value of sharing all that you know no matter how little or how flawed with those who need it this is beautifully brought to a head in Noah passing rocka's Caesar necklace on to May in hopes that maybe she'll find the meaning in what Caesar represents on a macro level then we reach proximus I just [ __ ] love this character so much I wanted so much more of him and what's so brilliant about this character is that despite how scary and menacing he appears to be and how ruthless the actions of his soldiers are he's actually not quite the monster you expect he never berates his own kind never tortures or torments them within the walls of his kingdom take the dinner scene for example it's such a beautiful scene because every action of his during that sequence is a subvert version of what we've come to expect from a person in a position of power and how they would act during that scene when anayia fumbles with the food and Noah recognizes him proximus doesn't sit there and scold annia for being an idiot or begin to torture him no he just quietly tells him that's okay and moves him along and as annia passes Noah and Noah looks at him proximus never once really looks at Noah and tries to discern whether or not the two know each other and try and use annaya as leverage for getting Noah to give him what he wants I mean it's just all of these things that we expect from a villain in a scene like this go out the window and it's brilliant because it creates such tension and it creates layers for a character that is on the outside seemingly intimidating and scary now having said all that there's still a clear power and balance at play he's instituted his own laws that he feels are to benefit apes and his ego Without Really Consulting any of the Clans he abducts if they want to be a part of his kingdom he understands that the only way to amass power is to take it which he does Eagle Clan feels they don't have any other options it's either about proximus or death the law is the law but Noah learns to question the law the very thing he never did back home when it's used for nefarious intent like in proximus Kingdom the law is wrong that being said proximus isn't without his points he's the polar opposite of Rocka someone who learned the truth about humanity and hates them because of it versus someone who thinks they know the truth about Humanity learns the truth and still adheres to the principles they live by proximus is more closely aligned with someone like Koba Humanity possessed the power for incredible things flight the ability to level mountains speak across oceans and now that Apes hold the power it's only fair that they amass the knowledge that allowed Humanity to flourish yes he wants to use that power to assert his dominance and Achieve retribution for Humanity's treatment of Apes but the general idea of attaining the same knowledge so that Apes May evolve as humans once did isn't without its merits in fact it's really not too dissimilar from a smaller country wanting to legitimize themselves and using the advancements safeguarded by global superpowers to strengthen their own communities their own home the reason this becomes a bad idea though is because of the particular ape in this case in charge and to be fair proximus does claim to want to share the knowledge of the Vault with his people yes he primarily wants it to further cement his Reign but his priority first and foremost is a preservation and prolonged Prosperity even if it's by way of superiority proximus is ultimately the adversary because of his transgressions against his own kind his need to be the alpha tipping his hand at the real reason why he seeks the knowledge of the Vault he's hiding behind a mask of Caesar as nothing more than a means to maintain power and control to legitimize himself by appealing to the spiritual beliefs of the Apes and imposing his own version of Roman Catholicism onto them in order to guilt them into falling into line once Noah and the others learn of what used to be of how Apes were once imprisoned by humans it opens up that generational wound that lends Credence to proximus point his methods are wrong but his reasoning isn't without Nuance or Beyond understanding through proximus Noah learns to be wary of humans and not to trust them despite the teachings of rqa pulling him in the opposite direction in the end he adopts elements of both ideologies proximus is ultimately proven right due to May's actions and yet because Noah spent time with May and came to see the humanity inside of her and knows what it's like to have someone else's will imposed on your people won't violently retaliate against her for betraying him at some point someone has to be the bigger person and at least for the time being Noah proved to be that person while May opted to hold a deter behind her back because of her inability to trust Apes instead of trusting Noah as a person Noah's trust in May has been broken time and time again and at the end of the day he may not trust her but he trusts her drive allowing for a mutual beneficial Alliance that helped him free his people despite her best attempts to flood all the Apes out May is such a great character she's really interesting because she too is a victim of her own biases towards Apes but she also knows everything about what happened to the world that led to the rise of the apes Apes have sort of had to figure this all out on their own which is why the finer details are a bit fuzzy fabricated or misconstrued potentially why proximus conflates ape history with human history she's been taught that she can't trust apes and that this world was once theirs and they must do whatever they can to reclaim it to restore things to the way they used to be the problem is Humanity's hubris created this situ ation they can't put the genie back in the bottle without committing humanitarian atrocities she's been taught that all apes are a monolith and so because someone like proximus and his cronies seek to destroy Humanity all Apes feel the same she doesn't see them as individual people with different cultures she sees them as one which isn't too dissimilar from how proximus views Unity for the Apes proximus largely rejects the ape culture as a means to inherit human culture and speed up his evolution in the end when his subjects turn on him after attempts to dissolve their culture embracing who they are instead of trying to be something they're not nor have any interest in he's reminded of who apes are who Eagle Clan is his entire culture is centered around no pun intended aping human history assimilating the parts that interest him the most in aiding his Ambitions such as Roman history adopting it passing it off as his own masquerading around as an imitation of human history instead of taking in all of its history to learn from it it's his attempt to tip the scales in favor of the Apes and make things right by making them the dominant species given the chance to have what the humans had at the expense of the culture from whence he came a culture unique to Apes this is Humanity's greatest fear Apes replacing entirely and that couldn't be more apparent in May's actions throughout the entire film Noah affords her trust that she doesn't afford him using her silence for safety out of fear that once Noah learns what she knows he won't extend that same kindness to her at the same time she's also grappling with her own personal experiences with Apes such as Noah and Rocka and has problems reconciling that with what she's been taught she's duplicitous and ultimately clings to her biases which is what makes her betrayal in the climax of the film so frustrating but Freya Allen is so good she's so so good in this film at conveying that internal conflict within May and even when she betrays Eagle Clan and abandons them all to fend for themselves she doesn't feel good about it at least that's kind of the vibe I get by looking at her after all of that she still can't trust Noah and his clan trust that not all Apes have the thirst for Superior it and retribution as proximus she doesn't understand that generally speaking all these apes are seeking is a fair shot at life with the knowledge needed to improve their quality of life yes some Apes like proximus seek to use that knowledge and the tools that come with it as a means of control but that doesn't mean you should condemn the entire species because of it if anything by lying and trying to tip the power scales back to the way they were you create more proximus also who is she or really Humanity for that matter to decide who should and shouldn't be afforded knowledge again it speaks to Humanity's desire to put Apes back in their once occupied cages to be captive and Silent yet despite all of this May's motivations are sympathetic that doesn't mean she's right but given how we've seen Apes like proximus and his army treat humans it makes sense why they'd want to hide a loaded gun behind their backs the question then becomes what does it take to let the past be the past and progress towards a more Equitable future one in which both humans and apes are treated equally that was Caesar's dream and yet time and time again both apes and humans have proven that they are incapable of moving past past transgressions it's the age-old debate of Retribution versus atonement then there's travan who at first is a seemingly spineless coward who's thrown his lot in with the Enemy until he actually explains why he's doing what he's doing when May first confronts him she accuses him of being the human helping the Apes nothing more than a traitor to his own kind however travan protests that he's not really helping create a world for the Apes because it's already their world and he's right May's frustration with the status quo is Justified but it's coming from a place of wanting to regress trevathan has essentially accepted the world as is and found a place to live within it and be useful in it that's also not necessarily the right way of progressing towards a more Equitable future but it does signify the fact that travan has accepted that apes are now intelligent and we might as well guide them along the best we can humanity is the one who [ __ ] up and any attempt to reclaim what was is Feud travan is spineless and doesn't allow for much new new want to penetrate his worldview acting primarily out of fear but like all of the players on the board in West Ball's epic he does have a point the final sequence of the film beautifully illustrates the dichotomy of May and Noah Noah is willing to take the knowledge he has learned and use it to better his people and his community not just that but he's eager to share his knowledge with those closest to him exemplified in his taking sunna to the same telescope that led to his is Enlightenment whereas May takes the means for her people to communicate with other bases across the continent and bridges the Gap in communication that they've been so Desperately Seeking but also by the way the film ends you have to imagine a conflict between the humans and the Apes is on the horizon with the humans trying to reclaim the position they've lost as the dominant species Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is [ __ ] gorgeous it represents the continued ability of this franchise to sit at Forefront of a given film's time in VFX like look at this like I I don't know how they managed to outdo what was already insanely photorealistic in War for the Planet of the Apes but they did it and look I may have had my reservations about West ball taking over from Matt Reeves or really any followup to the Caesar trilogy but West ball proved me wrong and he cemented himself as a filmmaker with ideas about our culture about our society about confines and power structures that perfectly in line with what this Series has always been about holding up a mirror to our society and allowing us to feel uncomfortable and reflect on how it is we're going about our own lives these movies are always about humans and apes living together or not how they coexist the drama and the conflict between them that's always what makes these movies kind of tick and in so doing he's created what is probably my second favorite film in this new Planet of the Apes reboot Apes have never been stronger in West Ball's magnificent Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes the complexities of Caesar's Legacy Loom large but Twisted in this coming of age Odyssey of Truth and lies knowledge and power it's a breathtaking visual feast and reminded me a lot of how a New Hope plays after you've just finished watching Revenge of the Sith a clean break but that shadow still still looms large and it's going to affect the events that follow in these sequel films Owen Teague is incredible as Noah Kevin Durant turns in an all-time performance cementing Proxima Caesar as a classic antagonist especially within this series I couldn't get over this [ __ ] ape this guy is insanely captivating to watch but you get it I love this film and I cannot wait to see this go bigger and better with the next entry or two or three or just keep keep them coming they said they're going to make nine of these things I want to see 10 of them and considering what a hit this thing has been at the box office I suspect we'll be seeing Noah and West ball reunite soon what a wonderful day [Music]

Channel: FilmSpeak

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Keywords: filmspeak, video essay, ending explained, explained, kingdom of the planet of the apes, planet of the apes, planet of the apes video essay, kingdom of the planet of the apes review, kingdom of the planet of the apes explained, kingdom of the planet of the apes ending explained, why planet of the apes is so good, how kingdom of the planet of the apes redefines the franchise, kingdom of the apes, kingdom of the planet of the apes movie review, kingdom of the planet of the apes analysis

Id: RWpAQt9bIPk

Length: 29min 4sec (1744 seconds)

Published: Tue May 28 2024