Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes (2024)

At 145 minutes, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes walks when it could run, and too much of its last stretch is busy setting up the next movie. Still, those apes look unreal. Generations after Caesar, Noa, a young chimp from a clan that trains eagles, watches raiders with electric staffs storm his village and haul his people away, and he goes after them. Along the way he picks up Raka, a gentle orangutan who still quotes Caesar’s old teachings, and a human scavenger who turns out to be a lot sharper than she lets on. Freya Allan plays her, but Mae is more of a plot engine than a person. Kevin Durand’s Proximus Caesar, a chimp king who has bent those teachings into an empire on the beach, makes a swaggering villain. Wes Ball stages the action with real weight. It made $397 million worldwide on a reported $120M to $160M. A 7.2 because the world is gorgeous even when the story drags. $94.85 says you look up how to become a falconer before the credits finish.

What works: The apes are astonishingly real, and Noa’s trek through an overgrown world has a big, old-school adventure feel.

What doesn’t: It drags in the middle, Mae is more of a plot device than a person, and the ending spends too long teeing up a sequel.

Who it’s for: Fans of the Caesar trilogy who want to see where the world went next and don’t mind a long walk to get there.