Everything You Need to Know About Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes

Oliver Brandt
·3 min read

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is out today, and it’s pretty good! The fourth film in the rebooted Planet of the Apes franchise, Kingdom takes a step forward and looks at a post-Caesar world, with a passionate and well-rounded story about what it means to be human.

We loved Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes in our review, and reviews across the internet have been very positive too — as noted in our Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes review roundup, the film has a certified fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with 83% of all critic reviews being positive.

Now that the film is out, we’ve put together this handy guide with everything you need to know about Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, including the answers to some of your burning questions, the synopsis for the film, the case, trailers, and whether or not you need to watch the other three films first.

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes Synopsis

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes tells the story of a young chimp named Noa who becomes wrapped up in the tyranny of a rogue clan of apes following a twisted version of Caesar’s teachings.

Here’s the official synopsis for the film courtesy of the Disney-owned 20th Century Studios:

Director Wes Ball breathes new life into the global, epic franchise set several generations in the future following Caesar’s reign, in which apes are the dominant species living harmoniously and humans have been reduced to living in the shadows. As a new tyrannical ape leader builds his empire, one young ape undertakes a harrowing journey that will cause him to question all that he has known about the past and to make choices that will define a future for apes and humans alike.

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes Cast

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes features a solid cast, all of whom give fantastic performances throughout the film. Owen Teague stars as Noa, the leading chimp himself, while Freya Allan, best known for her role as Ciri in Netflix’s The Witcher series, takes the leading human role as Mae.

Here’s the full main cast for Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes:

  • Noa – Owen Teague

  • Mae – Freya Allan

  • Proximus Caesar – Kevin Durand

  • Raka – Peter Macon

  • Trevathan – William H. Macy

  • Soona – Lydia Peckham

  • Anaya – Travis Jeffery

  • Dar – Sara Wiseman

  • Koro – Neil Sandilands

  • Sylva – Eka Darville

  • Lightning – Ras-Samuel Weld A’abzgi

  • Korina – Dichen Lachman

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes Trailers

Four official trailers have been released for Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes – including one teaser trailer, an official trailer, an IMAX-exclusive trailer, and the final launch trailer, the latter of which was released last week. You can watch all of them below, or view the official Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes YouTube playlist, which includes all these trailers, a few clips from the film, and some behind-the-scenes footage.

Do You Need to Watch the Other Films Before Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes?

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes does a great job of including new audiences despite being the fourth film in the reboot series, and as such, you do not need to watch any other films in the series to enjoy this one.

Wes Ball gives newcomers to the franchise enough context to understand what's going on in this chapter now that the reign of Caesar has come to an end. Audiences may miss out on additional subtext and nuance of Caesar's legacy, but there is much reference throughout Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes about who he was and what he stood for.

Is There a Post Credit Scene in Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes?

There is no post-credits scene in Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, nor is there a mid-credits scene. There is, however, a noise that sounds like Raka towards the end of the credits, although what exactly that means is anyone's guess.

Related: Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes Review: Epic in Heart and Scale