Finally, the much-anticipated “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes,” released in 2024, is exceeding expectations and performing exceptionally well at the box office.
However, if this is your first experience with the ape’s verse, then I am sure you were all impressed but confused in the theatre.
The main reason behind this is that you aren’t familiar with the storyline of this movie.
And now, when you finally want to start the series, you don’t know where to start, as it’s a massive 55-year-old franchise with TV shows, movies, and novels based on that theme.
Now, if you start watching every one of those creations, it will take years to complete so that we will shift your focus to movies only today.
But what if I tell you that you only need to watch 3 movies to understand the whole storyline?
The cool fact is all of them were made in the 2000s. Isn’t that great?
Before that, let’s pay our respect to Planet of the Apes (1968), Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970), Escape from the Planet of the Apes (1971), Conquest of the Planet of the Apes (1972), and Battle for the Apes (1973), as without these movies the foundation of apes verse couldn’t have been built.
Now, let’s delve into the plots of each of those movies. Hey, let me warn you: this includes spoilers from every movie.
1. Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes (2011)
| IMDb | |
| Release Date | 2011 |
| Cast | James Franco, Andy Serkis, Freida Pinto |
| Director | Rupert Wyatt |
| Watch Time | 1h 45m |
The story starts with a scientist named Will Rodman.
Will is testing the drug ALZ-112 on chimpanzees to treat his father’s Alzheimer’s.
In the process, a new Chimp named Caesar is born. Due to the drug, Caesar is gifted with high intelligence.
Since Caesar’s mother goes on a rampage, he is raised by Will but is mistreated in the primate facility.
With time, Caesar and the other apes learn to escape from the facility, and in the meantime, he also manages to steal the ALZ-113 (the updated version of ALZ-112).
Caesar and other apes are boosted with the help of drugs, and they decide to launch an uprising.
The first battle occurs on the Golden Gate Bridge between apes and police. After the battle, he also manages to free the remaining apes.
Then, with his leadership, they manage to hide in the Muir Woods redwood forest.
By the end of the movie, it is revealed that ALZ-113 is the virus that caused the pandemic, which wiped out the human race.
The movie mentions the Icarus spacecraft, which foreshadows the connection with the original franchise.
2. Dawn of The Planet of the Apes (2014)
| IMDb | |
| Release Date | 2014 |
| Cast | Gary Oldman, Keri Russell, Andy Serkis |
| Director | Matt Reeves |
| Watch Time | 2h 10m |
It’s been 10 years since the rise, and the ape colony in Muir Woods is thriving.
In the meantime, a small group of human survivors from San Francisco make contact with the apes.
But Koba, a scarred ape, is skeptical of humans. He thinks they are a threat to their society.
However, the kingdom thrives in peace until Koba ceases control by shooting Caesar.
Then Koba starts acting as the leader of the ape army. As their leader, he launches an attack on the human race in San Fransico.
But during the battle, he learned that Caesar had already recovered from the injury. Caesar then confronts Koba and accuses him of prizing vengeance over compassion.
Then, the two apes indulge in a fierce fight. In the aftermath of the battle, we learned that Koba fell to his death from the ruins of the San Francisco tower.
Malcom, one of the human survivors, manages to earn Caesar’s trust, and it seems that they will coexist in peace.
But to everyone’s surprise, a large human military force is spotted toward the ape village.
With no other choice, Caesar issues a call to war with the impending military attack.
3. War Of The Planet Of The Apes (2017)
| IMDb | |
| Release Date | 2017 |
| Cast | Andy Serkis, Woody Harrelson, Steve Zahn |
| Director | Matt Reeves |
| Watch Time | 2h 20m |
At the start of this movie, we learn that the virus has mutated, and the human race has finally started to evolve.
There is a military named Alpha-Omega, and he is led by a ruthless Colonel. Their only aim is to wipe out Caesar and his apes.
Caesar’s wife and son are already killed by them. He is fuming with a vengeance, but his ape army is decimated after an attack by the military.
With time, Caesar is also captured and imprisoned at a Labor camp.
At the camp, he meets with the mutated human girl and an ape named “Bad Ape.“
They decide to help Caesar, who manages to escape. During their escape, they decide to confront the Colonel directly.
During the final battle, Caesar achieves victory but suffers many injuries.
Then, he decides to leave the leadership to others.
And apes find a new homeland to settle in as the dominant species on Earth.
What Happened In The Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes (2024)?
| IMDb | |
| Release Date | 2024 |
| Cast | Owen Teague, Freya Allan, Kevin Durand |
| Director | Wes Ball |
| Watch Time | 2h 25m |
Ok, major spoilers alert!! In this section, we reveal the details of the recently released movie.
This movie starts with Caesar’s funeral and then jumps ahead into the future. The main character is Noa, a child from the Eagle Clan who trains eagles for hunting.
The village that Noa grew up in is attacked by an enemy ape army led by Silva. Silva serves the tyrannical ruler named Proximus Caesar.
With time, Noa teams up with a human girl, Mae, and an orangutan scholar, Raka, who has dedicated his life to Caesar’s teachings.
Initially, both Raka and Noa are unaware that Mae could also speak.
But with time, they learn about her story and her smartness.
On the other hand, Proximus is searching for humans who will give him ideas about the ancient technologies that will further evolve the apes.
With time, we learned that there is a vault that contains details about human technologies like books, computers, and weapons, and Noa’s group infiltrated that vault.
After the infiltration, Mae reveals she is part of a secret human resistance group trying to find other humans.
Fascinated by human stories, Proximus learns about this and launches an attack.
With the help of his eagles, Noa defeats Proximus, but Silva is killed in the process.
Afterward, Mae leaves to rejoin her group of resistance.
By the end, it is revealed that there will be a future conflict between the ape kingdom and the resurgent human race for the control of technology and territory.
Honorable Mention: Tim Burton’s Planet Of The Apes (2001)
| IMDb | |
| Release Date | 2001 |
| Cast | Mark Wahlberg, Helena Bonham Carter, Tim Roth |
| Director | Tim Burton |
| Watch Time | 2h |
Now, if you have stayed with me this long, here is a bonus: Let me reveal the storyline of Tim Burton’s version as well.
The story in this movie starts with Astronaut Leo Davidson, who crashes on a planet where apes dominate.
Then, he gets captured and is imprisoned by the apes who view humans as pets.
Ape’s leader, General Thade, has his own daughter turned into a human slavery worker.
With time, Leo starts a human resistance movement with other imprisoned humans. After being out of the prison, he discovers the ruins of human civilization, including the Lincoln Memorial Statue.
Now we are revealed that this alien planet is actually future Earth in ruins.
By the finale, he manages to use detained apes to stage a siege against Thade’s forces and escapes the planet by reactivating the old space station.
This version wasn’t connected to the current storyline. Instead, it was loosely based on the older planet of the apes.
Previously, directors considered continuing this storyline, but they went against it.
Summary of Which Movies To Watch First
| Movie Name | Release Date |
| Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes | 2011 |
| Dawn of The Planet of the Apes | 2014 |
| War Of The Planet Of The Apes | 2017 |
| Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes | 2024 |
| Planet Of The Apes (Not Connected To Current Timeline) | 2001 |
