The Watchlist: Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes

Russ Matthews & Laura Bennett talk about the franchise that has been part of our lives for over five decades. The premise introduced by Pierre Boulle in his novel Planet of the Apes, which reverses the relationship between man and primate. In 1968, Charlton Heston brought this futuristic idea of the world being run by apes and humanity being relegated to a hunted herd species. Yet, over the years, this concept has taken on different alliterations, eventually introducing the saviour figure, Caesar.

Film Summary: Jumping ahead 300 years since the recent series ended, the world of apes has developed into various clans since Caesar led to their domination over humanity. Noa (Owen Teague) is a chimpanzee who lives amongst the eagle clan and trains the birds to assist their kind in hunting and protection. All goes on in their idyllic atmosphere until a young human girl named Mae (Freya Allan) crosses paths with the inventive chimp. Curiosity turns to necessity as Noa’s family is kidnapped by a horde sent by the ape king Proximus Caesar (Kevin Durand). The pair must work with the wise orangutan, Raka (Peter Macon), to save his clan and help Mae find her people. As they venture outside of their familiar surroundings, each learns more about the vicious world that has developed around them and must decide how they will help remedy the evil striving to take over the world.

We've got a lot of ground to cover!

So many shows, so little time. At least it feels like it. Between all the different streaming platforms and the blockbuster movies coming to cinema trying to get audiences back in a post-COVID world, we are spoilt for choice on screen – and yet, still “have nothing to watch”.

Deciphering all the voices in entertainment and how to think about the themes raised in movies, TV, and streaming is tough: enter our new podcast The Watchlist.

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