DUBAI: When soulless, cookie-cutter franchises were but the norm, the “Planet of the Apes” reboot trilogy — starring Andy Serkis’s commanding Ceasar — cut through the noise to offer a textured, resonant story that not only did well with the critics but also broke box office records. For the latest updates, follow us on Instagram @arabnews.lifestyle Coming seven years after the final instalment of that trilogy, “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes” continues the legacy with a visually rich and emotionally layered story. It takes its inspiration from the original 1968 film, “Planet of the Apes,” which was in itself an adaptation of French author Pierre Boulle’s 1963 novel “La Planete des singes.” Director Wes Ball (“The Maze Runner” trilogy) continues his run of dystopian features, but this time explores it in a lush, Garden of Eden-adjacent setting. “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes” is set generations after Ceasar’s time, when the world has been taken over by intelligent apes. The same virus that evolved them has regressed humans into an echo of their former selves, rendering them primitive and without language. A coming-of-age story, our protagonist is the young simian Noa (a poignant and scene-stealing Owen Teague). When his clan is murdered by a rival group of bloodthirsty apes, Noa goes on the adventure of his life as he sets out to save those he can from the tyrannical rule of Proximus Caesar (Kevin Durand). On his journey, he teams up with a human girl May (“The Witcher” star Freya Allan) and a wise orangutan named Raka (Peter Macon), who still live by the words of the original Caesar. While the premise itself lacks the depth of the previous trilogy, Ball compensates through extensive character work. He poses thought-provoking questions about whether humanity deserves a second chance, whether the apes will continue to make the same mistakes humans did, and whether apes and humans can imagine a future of peaceful co-existence. The action and emotions are supported by groundbreaking visuals that seamlessly blend convincing motion-capture performances with beautifully rendered CGI. To sum up, “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes” proves a more than worthy successor to a franchise that refuses to quit — and for good reason.