INDIANAPOLIS — The summer box office season is in full swing – pun intended – as "Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes" opens nationwide.
The fourth film in the reboot franchise is set 300 years after the third film, "War for the Planet of the Apes."
"This film follows Noa, who is a young chimpanzee from a village called Eagle Clan because we raise eagles and bond with them as our spiritual core to the village," said actor Owen Teague ("It" films, "The Stand"). "I'm on the cusp of adulthood, along with my other two friends, and right before we get to have that ceremony that leads us into adulthood, our plan is ransacked and kidnapped by Proximus Caesar's army. I have to go on this journey to save them and see what's out there in the world."
As expected, the visual effects are breathtaking, as the actors use motion-capture technology to record their movements and portrayals of the apes.
"It was the opposite of what I thought it was going to be. I didn't realize it would be so incredibly liberating," said actor Kevin Durand ("The Strain," "X-Men Origins: Wolverine"), who plays villain Proximus Caesar. "I was so free of my own stupid, human vanity. It felt awesome to just focus and be completely immersed in this character."
In "Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes" apes are now the dominant species, and the majority of humans left are feral and can't speak — except for Freya Allan's character.
"She really is the looking glass for viewers," said Allan ("The Witcher," "Gunpowder Milkshake"). "But at the same time, when you're watching, I feel like the apes are so much of a mirror of us as humans that you almost are seeing more of us in the apes this time around."
And if you haven't seen the first three films in the reboot franchise, take Durand's clever advice:
"You can go see this movie and then after you see this movie, you can use the other movies as prequels," Durand said. "It's great how it stands on it's own and yet it truly is the evolution of the story."
And the interview with Teague and Durand concluded with the latter reciting his villainous character's iconic line, "What a wonderful day!"
"Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes" is now in theaters.