I don't think there has ever been a better time to be a fan of the sequel to Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes even more exciting.

In fact, I believe the next movie in the franchise could actually be better than the best movie. I still watching Dawn of the Planet of the Apes in theaters in 2014. Rise of the Planet of the Apes rebooted the franchise in extraordinary fashion, but nobody could have predicted that Dawn was going to be as good as it was. In my opinion, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is clearly the best film in the franchise, but I think it could be topped by the next Planet of the Apes movie.

Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes Is Still The Best Movie In The Franchise

Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes Turned Caesar Into An Iconic Character

Set ten years after the events of Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes was everything a sequel should be. It continues Caesar's journey, which began in Rise, and takes everything to the next level. Caesar was already a great character in Rise of the Planet of the Apes, but to this day, I am still so impressed by how Dawn turned him into one of cinema's most complex characters ever. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes' exceptional reviews also led to it being the highest-grossing movie in the franchise.

Recent Planet of the Apes Movies

Worldwide Box Office

RT Critics Score

Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011)

$470,986,200

82%

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014)

$710,644,566

91%

War for the Planet of the Apes (2017)

$489,592,267

94%

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes (2024)

$397,369,969

80%

The story of Dawn of the Planet of the Apes explores Caesar as a husband, father, and leader. Even though most of humanity has been wiped out, there are still some humans trying to survive. Caesar's group encountering humans residing in San Francisco leads to several complicated situations. While Caesar is willing to work with them to help them survive, another ape, Koba, doesn't trust the humans and wants war. This leads to a thought-provoking conflict between Caesar and Koba, and eventually turns the latter into the franchise's best villain.

Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes Wasn’t Meant To Be As Good As Dawn

Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes Began A New Trilogy

War for the Planet of the Apes, the film that concluded Caesar's journey and the first trilogy in the nine-movie saga, was also a very good entry in the series. However, it couldn't quite live up to the highs of Dawn of the Planet of the Apes. Regardless, it still provided a satisfying conclusion to the new trilogy, and proved that Planet of the Apes is one of the best franchises in the world. Therefore, anticipation was high when it was revealed that Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes would continue the franchise.

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Since War for the Planet of the Apes concluded Caesar's character arc, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes jumped hundreds of years into the future. Since its primary focus was establishing the state of the world and introducing new characters, Kingdom was not necessarily meant to be better than Dawn of the Planet of the Apes. In fact, it is more like Rise of the Planet of the Apes than it is like Dawn. However, the ending of Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes suggests that its sequel could be better than Dawn.

Kingdom’s Sequel Can Be To The New Trilogy What Dawn Was For Caesar’s

Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes Set Up A Sequel Well

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes reveals that the apes have established numerous clans and introduces Noa, who is a young member of the Eagle Clan. After his clan gets attacked and abducted by raiders, Noa sets off on a mission to save his fellow apes. While there are definitely some dark moments in Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, it is significantly lighter in tone when compared to Dawn and War. However, this could change in the sequel to Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes.

Noa seems set up to be the main character of this new trilogy, so the follow-up to Kingdom has the chance to turn him into a better character than Caesar.

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes was significantly darker than Rise, which suggests the next movie will adopt a darker tone than Kingdom. The second films in trilogies are usually when things get darker, so this would make sense. Noa seems set up to be the main character of this new trilogy, so the follow-up to Kingdom has the chance to turn him into a better character than Caesar. This will be difficult, but with the story set up in Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, it's definitely possible that its sequel could be better than Dawn.

Planet Of The Apes Has Been Consistently Great Since The 2011 Reboot

The Planet Of The Apes Franchise Is On A Roll

At this point, I don't think there's any reason to doubt that the next film in the Planet of the Apes franchise will be amazing. After Tim Burton's disappointing 2001 Planet of the Apes reboot, the franchise has consistently been not only exceptional, but one of the best franchises in Hollywood. Rise of the Planet of the Apes showed the origin of the virus that led to apes taking over the world. While Rise had a risky premise, I think it worked out incredibly well, and introduced viewers to Caesar, who quickly became an iconic character.

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Dawn of the Planet of the Apes and War for the Planet of the Apes were both incredible films, as well, and took Caesar's story in fascinating directions. Following up Caesar's trilogy was undoubtedly a difficult task for the franchise, but Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes proved that there are still many interesting stories to be told in the series. Therefore, after Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, it is clear that the franchise can stick around for many more movies.

This is exactly why the nine-movie Planet of the Apes saga plan is so exciting. While this is definitely an ambitious plan, I have faith that all nine of these movies will be exceptional. The Planet of the Apes franchise has been consistently great since 2011, so there's practically no reason to doubt that the next movie in the series could be better than Dawn of the Planet of the Apes.