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Even seven years afterthe Caesar trilogyclosed, apes together are still strong.Kingdom of the Planet of the Apeshandily dominated the box office last weekend, and for good reason; it’s another surprisingly great installment in a franchise that keeps defying the odds time and time again. AndKingdomsets the stage for what should be another excellent trilogy, with emotional investment, breathtaking visuals, and strong world-building that proves Wes Ball will be a match made inheaven forThe Legend of Zelda.
One of the film’s undeniable assets is its antagonist, Proximus Caesar, who may be the franchise’s best threat since Koba. Played with strong presence and menace by Kevin Durand, Proximus capably gives weight to the movie’s theme about legacy and how the teachings of our heroes can be distorted by time. And yet, as captivating a villain as he is, his distrust towards humans proves not unfounded; in fact,he might not even be the film’s true antagonist.
Was Mae the True Villain in Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes?
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes’s plot kicks into motion when the young ape Noa (Owen Teague) finds his village destroyed, his father murdered, and his tribe abducted. As he journeys to find and rescue his comrades, Noa meets Mae (Freya Allan), a human girl who takes an interest in him. Most intriguing, unlike the rest of the human race, who’ve reverted to a mute, primitive state from the effects of the virus,Mae can talk. Despite their initial distrust, the two quickly gain mutual respect for each other, and she agrees to help Noa on his quest.
Ultimately, they make it to Proximus’s camp, learning it resides next to a vault full of human weaponry and that Proximus desires to get his hands on it. The scenes that first introduce Proximus in full paint him as a sort of Colonel Kurtz figure (or arguably evenan Elon Musk type), mythic to his followers, and a strong focal point for the film’s thematic concerns. He follows Caesar’s teachings of “apes together strong,” wanting to unite all the tribes and free them of human influence. But whereas Caesar was a benevolent leader willing to give his life for his people, Proximus twists his teachings to accumulate power for his personal gain, and his militaristic ways prove a natural counterpoint to the mostly peaceful apes in the Caesar trilogy.
Owen Teague & Freya Allan Talk Chemistry and Characters in Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes
The actors behind Noa and Mae in Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes discuss motion capture and their characters and chemistry.
But as is typical of anApesfilm, the lines between good and evil gradually blur. As Noa begins to trust Mae,Proximus warns him that she will inevitably betray his kindif it means giving the humans a way to take back the planet. As we see in the climax, when Mae steals a decryption key from the military base before leaving the apes to drown as the base floods, he might have been right.
As theending makes clear, Mae’s actions may have destroyed Noa’s trust in her permanently. Fearful that Proximus may have been right all along, Noa seems to reject her offer for peace during their final meeting. For as monstrous as he was,Proximus’s distrust of humans was not unfounded. While he twisted his teachings for selfish reasons, he at least somewhat understood Caesar’s dream of ape unification. Mae is not interested in any form of liberation for the apes unless it benefits her own people, and as such, she seems likely to be an antagonist throughout the rest of the trilogy.
Mae Follows in the Series’ Tradition of Sympathetic Villains
Yet, as much as her actions seem destined to disrupt the balance of power,her reasons are just as justified as Proximus’s, if not more so. As we saw throughout the Caesar trilogy,humans were usually the biggest outside threatto our heroes. Thus, there was satisfaction in seeing the likes of Woody Harrelson’s Colonel go down. However, the trilogy also had sympathetic humans, namely Malcolm and Ellie fromDawn of the Planet of the Apes, and seeing decent people like them also fall victim to man’s downfall seemed like an unjust punishment.
From what we’ve seen of Mae this far, she at least seems loyal and dependable to her close ones, even if there’s a slightly duplicitous streak. As she explains to Noa in the final scenes, man has suffered under the planet’s new hierarchy, not unlike how apes were once subjugated, and if there’s even a minor chance for her to help her people, she will take it.
Wes Ball Talks Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes' Time Jump and Its Social Themes
The director of Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes explains the movie’s meaning, how it sets up the trilogy, and if there will ever be peace.
One of the best qualities of therecentPlanet of the Apesfilmsis theirrefusal to engage in black-and-white morality, giving even the most monstrous characters somewhat sympathetic motivations. The best example of this was in 2014’sDawn of the Planet of the Apes, where the antagonist Koba (Toby Kebbel), Caesar’s traitorous second-in-command, had perfectly good reason to distrust humans. Before Caesar’s uprising, he spent his life in captivity, where he was regularly subjugated to cruel treatment. Unlike Caesar, who was raised by a loving family, his conditioning never allowed him to consider the possibility that man could be capable of good. His actions were monstrous, but like all the best villains, there was a strange empathy for him.
Assuming this new trilogy decides to continue forward with Mae in an antagonistic role, she fits perfectly in the series’ tradition of sympathetic villains. AsDawnillustrated, peaceful coexistence between humans and apes is a perfect ideal to strive towards, but in a world where no one is truly good or evil, not everyone might be willing to achieve said coexistence in the same way. Of course, she could also become more willing to help Noa’s cause, but assuming her endgame is directly opposed to his, she inescapably fills a villainous role, no matter how justified.
Mae Sets the Stage for an Exciting Planet of the Apes Trilogy
Obviously, only time will tell howthe rest of this new trilogywill utilize Mae. At this point, it seems likely that she could turn on her people and join Noa’s tribe or double down on her duplicity and become the outright antagonist going forward. But whatever happens, the stage has been set for another excitingApestrilogy, and we can’t wait to see where things go from here.Kingdom of the Planet of the Apesis playing now in theaters.
