Summary

• Dawn of the Planet of the Apes raised the bar for the franchise with a complex narrative and character development.
• The sequels, War and Kingdom, continued to elevate the franchise with intense, gut-wrenching stories.
• A Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes sequel could be the "Dawn" of a new trilogy, building on themes and characters.

every Planet of the Apes film is set in the same continuity, the series is widely considered one of the best sci-fi franchises of all time. 2024 marked the beginning of a new chapter in the saga following the prequel trilogy.

Caesar’s story in Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, and War for the Planet of the Apes can be considered a prequel to the original films, even though this new take on the franchise contradicted the previous installments in a couple of ways. The modern Planet of the Apes movies brought the saga back to the big screen for the first time in 10 years following the disastrous Tim Burton Planet of the Apes remake and raised the bar not only for this franchise but for science fiction in general.

Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes Remains The Franchise’s Best 10 Years Later

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes raised the bar for the franchise.

I loved all three films in the Planet of the Apes reboot trilogy, but Dawn was my favorite entry in Caesar’s story. The first of Matt Reeves’ Planet of the Apes films, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes took the world and the characters that had been introduced in the first installment and took them to the next level. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is the kind of film that can only happen in the middle of a trilogy, as it relies on audiences already having a connection to those characters and that world.

Rupert Wyatt directed Rise of the Planet of the Apes.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes was a “textbook origin story” in the sense that perfectly introduced Caesar and set up the elements that would be important for his journey. In some ways, Rise of the Planet of the Apes did not need a sequel. I could have accepted that Caesar and his followers going into the woods at the end of the film would eventually lead to the “planet of the apes” that the astronauts encountered in the 1968 film. Still, I was glad that Dawn of the Planet of the Apes happened.

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is not only my favorite film in the Caesar trilogy but my favorite Planet of the Apes movie in general. The original movie is one of the most important works of science fiction of all time and is much more than just its iconic Liberty Statue twists. Its sequels included fun time travel and sci-fi concepts, but there was not much else to them. Burton’s Planet of the Apes remake got a lot of things wrong and just didn’t work, leaving Rise to save the franchise in 2011.

How Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes Changed The Franchise

Dawn treated Caesar as a very complex character.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes was a very bold reboot that completely reimagined the franchise. Instead of suits, makeup, and prosthetics, the apes were brought to life through visual effects and motion capture. Additionally, rather than continuing the series from where it had stopped or leaning into the time travel aspect of it all, Rise told a brand-new origin story centered on a somewhat original character. Still, as important as Rise of the Planet of the Apes was, I believe Dawn is the film that showed what this saga could be.

The line between right and wrong was much blurry in Dawn, which introduced layered characters and gave Caesar a lot of moral dilemmas to solve.

Whereas Rise was an action-packed movie with a very defined structure – Caesar goes through the hero’s journey and saves the day at the end – Dawn of the Planet of the Apes was a very complex story. The line between right and wrong was much blurry in Dawn, which introduced layered characters and gave Caesar a lot of moral dilemmas to solve. Rise of the Planet of the Apes goes from plot A to plot B quite fast, whereas Dawn slowly builds up the tension that will eventually lead to war.

Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes’ Sequels Were Both Incredible

War and Kingdom continued to elevate the franchise.

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes may be my favorite movie in the franchise, but I also loved its sequels. War for the Planet of the Apes, which was also helmed by Matt Reeves, concluded Caesar’s trilogy with an intense, gut-wrenching film that felt unlike anything the series had done before. War was not the Planet of the Apes movie I was expecting based on its title, but it was a most fitting conclusion to Caesar’s story. It showed the horrors of war and explored Caesar’s character in a beautiful way leading up to his death.

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes was the beginning of a new chapter in the series, and while it referenced Caesar’s story in many ways, it introduced a brand-new set of characters. I liked the decision to set Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes centuries after War, as it allowed the new film to explore the impact of Caesar’s journey in the long term. The world of Kingdom was much closer to the one from the original films, yet it still felt like a direct result of what Caesar had built.

Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Ape’s Sequel Could Be The New Trilogy’s Version Of Dawn

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes deserves a trilogy.

A Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes sequel has yet to be confirmed, but I hope this is the beginning of a new trilogy. A new Planet of the Apes movie set after Kingdom could be the “Dawn” of this second trilogy, expanding on the themes and the characters from the first film. Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes’ ending makes it clear that the story is not over, and that the tensions between apes and humans might only increase now that the latter have restored communications thanks to Mae.

The next Planet of the Apes movie could be one of the best in the franchise if it continues the tradition set up by Dawn. Rise was a great film, but Dawn was somehow even better. Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes has done the groundwork already, which is why I’m so excited about where the franchise goes next. Regardless of what the next film will look like, I believe Dawn of the Planet of the Apes’ impact in the series will remain for years to come.