Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes opens in theaters this weekend, and the reviews have been decent but fall short of the previous entries to the reboot franchise. Based on the Rotten Tomatoes scores, it seems like the film doesn’t quite live up to the lofty highs of its predecessors, War for the Planet of the Apes, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, and Rise of the Planet of the Apes. 82 percent is decent, and fans of the franchise may enjoy the film, but some critics have been downright harsh, especially compared to the almost universal praise for the other films.

The First Misstep For The Revamped Franchise

Adam Woodward of Little White Lies said, “Kingdom certainly has its moments, but the rougher, darker edges of predecessors Dawn, Rise, and War have been smoothed out, leaving us with an over-long, relatively low-stakes installment sorely lacking in originality.”

Nick Schager of the Daily Beast echoed some of these sentiments, saying, “Too often rehashing its myriad predecessors’ ideas, conflicts, and images, it’s a competent if unexceptional blockbuster game of monkey see, monkey do.” In other words, it seems like Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is a relatively middling entry to the franchise, which is a far cry from the acclaimed status the other films hold.

Into The Future

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes sees the franchise jump forward many years, with Andy Serkis’ Caesar now firmly in the history books. But, his leadership still looms large over the new colonies of apes, with the villainous Proxima Caesar perverting his ancestor’s teachings to his own ends. Meanwhile, the story follows a new ape protagonist named Noa, who embarks on a journey alongside a human woman named Mae.

Not The End Of The Franchise

Looking at the reviews for Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, the film at least succeeds in introducing some interesting new characters and setting up the future of the franchise. But, like the reviews above, many quickly point out that the movie isn’t as good as the Matt Reeves films. That said, as long as the movie gets enough of a box office take, it’s likely this won’t be the last entry to the franchise.

Start Of A New Trilogy

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes was confirmed to be the beginning of a new trilogy. Even if things aren’t off to an incredible start, a decent film that sets up the franchise’s future would be a win in the eyes of the studios. Of course, there are sure to be more reviews from audiences pouring in over the weekend, so we could see that score go down.

First Film With No Caesar

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes had some big shoes to fill, as it’s the first entry to the rebooted franchise that doesn’t feature Andy Serkis’ Caesar as the protagonist. Fortunately, the new cast is one of the things that has been getting some praise. The new cast includes Owen Teague, Freya Allan, Kevin Durand, Peter Macon, and William H. Macy.

Judge For Yourself

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes also sees the directing torch passed to Wes Ball, who takes over for Matt Reeves. Reeves directed both War for the Planet of the Apes and Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, while Rupert Wyatt directed the first entry to the rebooted trilogy, Rise of the Planet of the Apes. Many consider the rebooted trilogy to be an incredible overall sci-fi trilogy and a worthy successor to the original Charlton Heston film.

It remains to be seen if the new Apes trilogy can live up to the previous one, but Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes points to a shaky start. This weekend will reveal if audiences feel the same way as the critics. You can check out Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes for yourself in theaters tomorrow.