Honestly, walking into the theater for a new Apes movie feels different now. We aren't just watching talking monkeys anymore. We're watching a legacy.
When Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes dropped in May 2024, it had a massive mountain to climb. How do you follow up on Caesar? You don't. You jump 300 years into the future and let the dust settle.
Planet of the Apes movies 2024 took a massive gamble by ditching the gritty, snowy misery of the previous trilogy for something that looks like a National Geographic special gone wrong. It’s lush. It’s green. And humans? They’re basically lawn ornaments at this point.
The story follows Noa, a young chimp from the Eagle Clan. His life is pretty chill until a bunch of marauders on horseback—led by a gorilla named Sylva—burn his village to the ground. Why? Because a self-proclaimed king named Proximus Caesar wants to open a big metal door.
The Caesar problem and the 2024 shift
Here is the thing most people miss about the 2024 film: it’s really a movie about how religion starts.
Caesar, the legendary leader played by Andy Serkis in the older films, is long gone. But his "Apes Together Strong" mantra? That’s been twisted.
- Raka, a wise (and hilarious) orangutan, keeps the peaceful version of Caesar’s teachings alive.
- Proximus Caesar, our villain, uses the name like a weapon to enslave other clans.
- Noa is caught in the middle, having never even heard of Caesar until he meets Raka.
It's a clever way to keep the franchise's DNA without feeling like a tired retread. Director Wes Ball, the guy who did The Maze Runner, brings a much "younger spirit" to this world. It’s a quest narrative. It feels like an adventure movie, but with that heavy, philosophical pit in your stomach that only this franchise provides.
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Meet the new cast (and the humans in the shadows)
Owen Teague plays Noa, and he is fantastic. He’s not a warrior-king like Caesar was; he’s just a kid trying to find his family. But the real "puzzle," as Ball puts it, is Mae.
Played by Freya Allan (you probably know her as Ciri from The Witcher), Mae is a human who isn't... well, she isn't like the other "feral" humans. Most people in this era have lost the ability to speak. They’re basically deer.
But Mae can talk. And she has a mission.
There’s a scene where Mae, Noa, and Raka are traveling together that highlights the weird tension of this new world. Can they actually coexist? Proximus Caesar doesn't think so. He spends his time listening to a human named Trevathan (William H. Macy) read him history books about how humans used to rule the world.
Proximus is terrified that if humans get their tech back, the apes are toast.
And honestly? He isn't wrong.
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Why the ending of the 2024 movie changes everything
If you haven't seen it yet, the third act is a wild ride inside a "vault"—which is actually an old human military bunker.
The movie ends on a note that is way more depressing than it looks on the surface. Sure, Noa saves his people. But Mae delivers a "key" to a group of surviving humans in a satellite base.
The final shots show humans successfully communicating via satellite.
They’re back online.
At the same time, Noa is looking through a telescope at the stars. It’s a beautiful, quiet moment that echoes the 1968 original. But it’s also a warning. The humans are waking up, and they aren't looking to share the planet.
Quick stats for the nerds:
- Budget: $120–$160 million.
- Box Office: Roughly $397.3 million worldwide.
- VFX: Over 1,500 shots by Wētā FX (the people who did Avatar).
- Length: 145 minutes of pure simian drama.
What's next for the Apes?
If you liked the 2024 vibe, good news. 20th Century Studios head Steve Asbell confirmed that another movie is in development for a 2027 release.
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Wes Ball has talked about this being the start of a new trilogy. We’re likely going to see a full-scale war between Noa’s evolving society and these "high-tech" humans hiding in bunkers.
The most exciting theory? Space.
Ball has dropped hints that "space is a key idea" in these movies. Whether that means we get astronauts falling from the sky like the original 1968 film, or apes building their own rockets, who knows? But the seeds are definitely planted.
How to prepare for the 2027 sequel:
- Watch the "Raw Cut": The Blu-ray for the 2024 movie includes a version called Inside the Lens, which shows the actors in their gray mo-cap suits. It’s actually mind-blowing to see how much of the performance comes from the human actors’ faces.
- Revisit the 1968 Original: The 2024 film is packed with Easter eggs—the scarecrows, the music cues, the "Nova" name. Understanding the original makes the ending of Kingdom hit way harder.
- Track the "Icarus" Mission: Go back to Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011) and look for the news report about the lost spaceship. That's the ticking time bomb of this whole series.
The Planet of the Apes movies 2024 era is just getting started. It’s less about "monkey see, monkey do" and more about "monkey see, monkey build a civilization."
Keep an eye on the trades for casting news regarding the 2027 sequel. With the human survivors now active, expect a much more "human-heavy" conflict next time around.