If you ask me what I think the best sci-fi franchise of all time is, I won’t say “Star Wars” or “Star Trek.” I’m going to say “Planet of the Apes.” The original five films and the recent trilogy (the less said about the 2001 Tim Burton remake the better) are some of the most exciting sci-fi movies to come out of Hollywood as they frequently take big narrative swings, and are unafraid to go some dark, tragic places to hit upon rich subtext about the shortcomings of humanity.
Wes Ball’s “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes” is a continuation of the story that began with 2011’s “Rise of the Planet of the Apes,” but it completely abandons the tradition that made the series so distinctive and interesting.