Okay, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes Thoughts (Spoilers Obviously!)

Just saw Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes for the second time and I'm still processing. Honestly, I think it's a solid entry into the franchise. It's definitely not as emotionally impactful as the Caesar trilogy, but that's almost expected, right? It picks up so far down the line. I really liked Noa, even if he was a little naive at times. His journey from just wanting to save his clan to understanding the bigger picture was well done. And Raka! Man, that orangutan was the heart and soul of the movie. He totally gave me Maurice vibes, and I was so sad when he...y'know. The first time I watched it, I was so caught up in the plot that I missed some of the smaller details. Like, did anyone else notice how Proximus Caesar was deliberately misinterpreting Caesar's teachings to fit his own power grab? When they were chanting "Caesar is strength!" while literally enslaving other apes? Super chilling. And the way they portrayed the feral humans was interesting. It's a stark difference from the originals, where humans were just trying to survive after the virus. Now they're like...regressed, but not entirely. The whole thing with Mae and her knowledge, while pretending to be like the others was intriguing and I hope it develops in the next movie, because I didn't fully buy how quickly she was to turn on Noa at the end. I am a little bummed that the action sequences weren't quite as dynamic as I expected. I remember being blown away by the battles in War for the Planet of the Apes. These felt a bit more...contained? Maybe it's just me. But the world-building was fantastic. The overgrown cities, the different ape clans, the hints of human civilization still lingering...it all felt very believable. Overall, I enjoyed it. It's a good setup for a new trilogy, and I'm eager to see where they take it. What did everyone else think? Any favorite (or least favorite) moments? Let's discuss!