The first trailer for Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes has dropped, and the first film in seven years promises a new spin on the franchise.
“Are you familiar with the concept of evolution?” intones Proximus Caesar at the beginning of the trailer. The new leader of the apes sets the scene, telling of how humans once had great technology to fly, and communicate across the oceans… but now it is the time of the apes.
This time round – the fourth instalment in the modern reboot of the franchise – the scene is set in a world 300 years on from 2017’s War For the Planet of the Apes, and in that time, the apes have emerged from the oasis that Caesar led them to at the end of the last film to create new civilisations, while humans have regressed to a feral state, living on the land in large groups.
But now, Proximus Caesar wants to conquer the ape world with his clan and rule it himself, including by harnessing the last remnants of human technology and enslaving others.
But there is also a young ape, Noa, who questions what he has been taught by his leaders, including that apes hunting humans is wrong. He teams up with a young human, Nova, to fight back against the ruling apes.
The effects are spectacular in this film, and there is enough fire and explosions to keep action fans satisfied as well as sci-fi fans.
Owen Teague stars as Noa, with Freya Allan as Nova and Kevin Durand plays Proximus Caesar, while Peter Macon as Raka, a wise orangutan and an ally of Noa.
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is in cinemas on May 10.
