Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes – 4K UHD Blu-ray Review
Commissions Earned
Film Title: Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes (2024)
Release Date: 2024
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 145 minutes
Region Coding: Region Free
Distributor: 20th Century Studios / Disney
Audio Format: Dolby Atmos
High Dynamic Range: HDR10, Dolby Vision
Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1
Version Reviewed: 4K UHD Blu-ray
Release Date: 8/27/24
Director: Wes Ball
Cast: Owen Teague, Freya Allan, Kevin Durand, Peter Macon, William H. Macy, Eka Darville, Travis Jeffery, Lydia Peckham, Neil Sandilands, Ras-Samuel, Sara Wiseman
Jump to Sections:
Movie | Video | Audio | Bonus | Closing | Screenshots
Full 4K Tech Specs found at the bottom
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The Movie
“Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes” was a 2024 film directed by Wes Ball, best known for also directing the films “The Maze Runner” (2014), “The Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials” (2015), and “The Maze Runner: The Death Cure” (2018).
The screenplay was written by Josh Friedman, best known for co-writing the screenplays to the films “War of the Worlds” (2005) and “The Black Dahlia” (2006). Friedman also co-wrote the story on the films “Terminator: Dark Fate” (2019) and “Avatar: The Way of Water” (2022). The story here is based on characters created by Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver with the films “Rise of the Planet of the Apes” (2011), “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes” (2014), and “War of the Planet of the Apes” (2017).
The story here centers around a young ape named “Noa” (Owen Teague), as well as his two best friends, his family, and the people of his village. Noa sadly through the course of this story goes through a devastating event very early on which leads to him chasing after another ape who has taken away from him someone he loved dearly. Along his journey, Noe will meet some interesting characters such as “Raka” (Peter Macon) and the mysterious “Nova” (Freya Allan).
Young Noa will continue until he kills the ape calling himself “Proximus Caesar” (Kevin Durand), seeking revenge for the murder of one of his loved ones. This is not only a story about revenge but also the story about one ape and his attempt to overthrow a rival ape faction trying to destroy history and also the name of the famous ape named “Caesar” that we came to known from the first three modern “Planet of the Apes” films. Proximus Caesar is a fraud and poses a threat to the world ruled by apes and still inhabited by humans as the lower life forms.
Movie Rating: 4.5 (out of 5)
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Video Quality
“Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes” on 4K UHD Blu-ray is presented in the 2.39:1 aspect ratio with Dolby Vision and HDR10 forms of high dynamic range. This movie was shot digitally on Arri Alexa LF, Arri Alexa Mini LF, and Blackmagic URSA Mini Pro cameras. The movie then received a 4K digital intermediate master.
Next, let me get technical, for a bit, regarding the 4K UHD Blu-ray Disc itself here. This release uses a BD-66 (66 gigabytes) disc, 56.0 gigabytes total, and 54.9 gigabytes itself for the film. Based on my observations via my 4K UHD Blu-ray player, this seems to run anywhere from peaks at around 59.6 Mbps, to roughly around 42.6 Mbps and then dips down as low as 24.8 Mbps. According to info on the PC side, this seems to have an overall video bitrate of 42.1 Mb/s average.
Those are some pretty low bitrates (mentioned above) for a 4K release. I’m unsure why and slightly disappointed that Disney opted for only a BD-66 disc here. It seems, to me, that a BD-100 disc would have made more sense to have used, where it would have had more chance to run a much higher bitrate.
Visually, in 4K resolution, this looks extremely impressive and shows off the absolute visual masterpiece that this film is with its excellent motion capture and CG effects. All the detail here looks great, be it the real-life backdrops, the human characters, or the CG on the apes. The colors are gorgeous here with the HDR added in, and it comes with a lot of “pop” at times. The black level here is solid, and the flesh tones (on human characters) appear accurate. The incredible cinematography this film has is nearly done complete justice here via the 4K presentation.
This film looks great in 4K with HDR, as I said. However, it feels like, from a technical side, it could have looked slightly better if they had opted for a larger disc. Regardless, it still earns a very impressive and respectable 4.75 rating for video quality. This film is by far the most visually impressive, so far, of the modern “Planet of the Apes” films.
Video Quality Rating: 4.75 (out of 5)
click to view a 4K Screenshot
Audio Quality
“Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes” arrives on 4K UHD Blu-ray with a Dolby Atmos sound mix. Unlike the digital version, this will not require any amplification as it is the correct volume. I will admit to being very happy for that to be the case. However, this mix isn’t quite as intense as the first three films that it’s serving as a sequel to. Regardless, this sound mix can still come across as pretty intense, as early as just a few minutes into the film, for example. It also comes with a satisfying amount of LFE here, represented via subwoofer, as soon as you get the opening title sequence and definately first memorably at around 17 minutes in.
At around 3 minutes in, during a scene involving an eagle, you start to notice the very nice amount of height and rear channels usage. The height channel usage is very fitting. It can be a pretty immersive listening experience, with the sound effects coming across very powerfully via primarily the front left & right channel speakers, with occasional usage of the height and rear channel speakers. The dialogue is delivered very distinctly from the center channel speaker, never requiring any volume adjustment.
One thing I love about this Dolby Atmos, here on physical media, is the way that the original music (composed by John Paesano) and the sound effects make just a brilliant use of the height channel speakers. This can be one very impressive audio presentation. It certainly has its share of moments that will get your attention all of the sudden or perhaps leave you on the edge of your seat so-to-speak. Overall, this presentation is worthy of an exceptional 4.75 rating for audio quality.
Audio Quality Rating: 4.75 (out of 5)
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Bonus Materials
A Digital Copy of the film in 4K resolution is included (via paper insert) which is compatible with Movies Anywhere. That means you can use it across online video services such as Fandango at Home (formerly VUDU), AppleTV, Amazon Fire TV, Roku, Chromecast, and even on smart TVs from television makers such as LG & VIZIO. The film is presented digitally in 4K with Dolby Vision and HDR10 forms of high dynamic range and Dolby Atmos sound across services like AppleTV (iTunes), Fandango at Home, and Movies Anywhere.
A Blu-ray Disc is included here which features all of the bonus materials. This disc does NOT contain an HD version of the film, only extras. These breakthrough bonus materials consist of the following.
- “Inside The Lense: The Raw Cut” (2 hours, 24 minus, 47 seconds – HD) is a horizontal split-screen comparison between the motion capture performance footage and the finished version of the film. The feature is presented in DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 lossless surround sound from the finalized version of the film. This also features an optional audio commentary by Wes Ball (director), Dan Zimmerman (visual effects supervisor) & Erin Winquist (editor). That audio commentary track is a must-hear for true fans of the film. You’ll learn from this audio commentary the filmmakers actually licensed some 8K footage from the art film “Samsara” (2011) to use during one of the opening scenes. They then added in their CG over the aforementioned film’s footage.
Screenshots from “The Raw Cut”
Also, included on the same Blu-ray Disc you have the following extras.
- “Inside the Forbidden Zone: Making Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes“ (23 minutes, 25 seconds – HD) includes lots of behind-the-scenes footage as well as interviews with Wes Ball (director), Owen Teague (“Noa”), Freya Allan (“Nova”/”Mae”), Andy Serkis (special consultant), William H. Macy (“Trevathan”), Neil Sandilands (“Koro”), Daniel T. Dorrance (production designer), Jason T. Reed (producer), Joe Hartwick (producer), Lydia Peckham (“Soona”), Ras-Samuel (“Lightning”), Glenn Suter (stunt coordinator), Kevin Durand (“Proximus Caesar”), Alain Gauthier (movement coach), Peter Macon (“Raka”), Travis Jeffery (“Anaya”), Erik Winquist (visual effects supervisor), Jennifer Lamphee (hair and make-up designer), Marco Sinigaglia (assistant stunt cordinator/stunt action videographer), Grahame Ware, Jr. (horse master), and Rodney Burke (special effects supervisor).
- Deleted/Extended Scenes (32 minutes, 15 seconds – HD) with optional audio commentary by director Wes Ball. These scenes all feature Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound.
Overall, the bonus materials here are a definitive game changer in terms of extras for a film shot in the motion capture method. Sure, some films in the past have offered glimpses of the film through picture-in-picture in the early days of HD-DVD and Blu-ray, but nothing has been ever put together quite like this where it’s all on a separate disc to be enjoyed on its own. Then you have a typical making of featurette and some deleted/extended scenes that feature an optional audio commentary from the film’s director.
Bonus Materials Rating: 5 (out of 5)
click to view a 4K Screenshot
Closing Thoughts
“Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes” proved to be one of the most visually impressive films in the franchise to date, using motion capture technology and CG effects. The film has a good story and features some great performances. It proves to be a rather enjoyable film. It’s certainly worth noting that this film is “Certified Fresh”on Rotten Tomatoes. In terms of success, this film ended up grossing 397 million dollars worldwide and had a reported budget of 160 million dollars, according to Box Office Mojo. So, that’s over double the budget that the film ended up grossing. Not bad.
In terms of video quality, this looks rather impressive and holds a very solid black level. It also boasts some realistic colors as seen via the beautiful backgrounds and visual effects, with much more accurate representation via the addition of Dolby Vision and HDR10 forms of HDR. You can make out very fine details on the fur of the apes like the strains of their hair. So it also can be filled with its share of detail and not only during close-ups, but also some great wide open shots and such.
In terms of audio quality, this delivers one very impressive Dolby Atmos mix that makes excellent use of the height channel speakers, rear channel speakers, in one immersive sound presentation. There’s a great amount of bass and the subwoofer will get its chance to shake the room on more than several occasions throughout the film.
The bonus materials here are groundbreaking for just the Blu-ray Disc and its blend of the motion capture side-by-side with the finished film presentation. Then, you have all the traditional extras, around a half hour or so in length (or more). Plus, there’s a digital copy of the film included.
“Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes” on 4K UHD Blu-ray is one of the more impressive releases. This 4K disc includes both a very satisfying visual and audio presentation, as well as features some downright incredible bonus materials. Overall, it comes as Recommended with Breakthrough Extras.
In terms of 4K UHD Blu-ray release, this gets:
4.75 (out of 5) for video quality
4.75 (out of 5) for audio quality
5 (out of 5) for bonus materials
Overall Verdict:
Recommended with Breakthrough Extras
Available As:
2024 4K UHD Blu-ray Release
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2024 4K UHD Blu-ray SteelBook Release
Available at: Amazon | Walmart
2024 Blu-ray Release
Available at: Amazon | Walmart
Commissions Earned
4K UHD Blu-ray Screenshots:
4K UHD Blu-ray Technical Specifications:
Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1
Exact Runtime(s): 2:24:46
Audio Format(s): English Dolby Atmos (with a Dolby TrueHD 7.1 core), Dolby Digital 5.1, Dolby Digital Plus 7.1
Languages: English, French, Spanish, Polish, Japanese
Subtitles: English, French, Spanish, Polish, Japanese, Czech
HDR: HDR10
Disc Size: BD-66
Disc Use: 56.0GB total / 54.9GB for the film
Video Bitrate: 42.1 Mb/s