Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes: A New Era Unfolds

In the distant future, many generations after Caesar's death, the world has changed drastically. Apes have formed various clans, establishing their dominance, while most humans have reverted to a feral existence. Among these clans is a young chimpanzee named Noa, who belongs to a group that practices falconry. As he prepares for his coming-of-age ceremony, an unexpected encounter sets him on a perilous journey.

While collecting eagle eggs with his friends Anaya and Soona, Noa is followed by a human scavenger who accidentally breaks one of his eggs during a scuffle. In search of a replacement, Noa stumbles upon a band of ape raiders armed with electric weapons. These raiders follow Noa’s horse back to his clan, leading to a devastating attack. The raider leader, Sylva, kills Noa’s father, Koro, and leaves Noa for dead.

Surviving the assault, Noa discovers that his clan has been captured. Determined to rescue them, he buries his father and sets out on a mission. Along the way, he meets Raka, a wise orangutan who shares the teachings of Caesar. They soon notice they are being followed by the human scavenger, who Raka helps and names Nova. When Sylva’s raiders attack again, they rescue Nova, who surprises them by speaking and revealing her name is Mae. Mae informs them that the raiders have taken Noa's clan to a settlement near an old human vault.

As they approach the settlement, they are ambushed by Sylva. In the ensuing chaos, Raka saves Mae from drowning but is swept away himself. Noa and Mae are captured and taken to the apes' stronghold, where Noa reunites with his clan. Here, they meet Proximus Caesar, a tyrannical leader who has enslaved other clans to open the vault containing ancient human technology.

Proximus sees potential in Noa’s intelligence and invites him to dinner, along with Mae and Trevathan, a human prisoner knowledgeable about the old world. Proximus hopes Noa can help open the vault and warns him about Mae’s true intentions. Mae confesses to Noa about a hidden entrance to the vault and the existence of a book that can restore human speech. Agreeing to help her, Noa plans to destroy Proximus' settlement and free his clan.

Noa, Mae, Soona, and Anaya secretly plant explosives around the settlement’s levee. Trevathan catches them, but Mae kills him before he can alert Proximus. Inside the vault, they find a cache of weapons and Mae’s "book," a satellite deciphering key. The vault also contains picture books showing humans as the dominant species and apes in cages.

As they leave the vault, Proximus and his tribe confront them. A fight ensues, Mae kills one of Proximus' lieutenants, and triggers the explosives, flooding the bunker. Noa and his clan escape, but Proximus attacks Noa, who summons eagles to drive Proximus off a cliff.

With the threat eliminated, Noa’s clan returns to rebuild their home. Mae, before departing, explains she destroyed the bunker to keep human weapons from the apes. Noa questions the possibility of peaceful coexistence between humans and apes given her stance. As Noa looks through a telescope with Soona, Mae heads to a human settlement at a satellite base. There, she uses the decipher key to reactivate satellites and re-establish contact with other humans.

"Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes," directed by Wes Ball and featuring stars like Owen Teague and Freya Allan, marks the fourth installment in the rebooted series. Despite some critics noting its slow pace, the film maintains the franchise's tradition of rich visuals and compelling characters, continuing the legacy of the Planet of the Apes saga.