Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes: Do you need to watch the previous films?

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is the latest in a universe of rich cinematic history. So, what do you need to watch before Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes to enjoy it to its full potential?

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes hits theaters on May 10, and it’s apparently filled with references to its predecessors. Andy Serkis who embodied Caeser in the most recent trilogy has said he expects it to “blow people’s minds”.

The marketing is going full tilt with the team even sending an army of apes on horseback to Venice Beach. If that wasn’t enough to excite you for the new movie, its trailers definitely will.

If you already have an appetite for the movie but you’re not up to date on the Planet of the Apes timeline, you might be wondering if Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes will make any sense. We’ve got all the details on whether you need to watch the previous movies beforehand.

Do you have to watch every Planet of the Apes movie to understand Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes?

No, Director Wes Ball has gone on record saying that seeing the previous trilogy of films is not ‘required reading’ Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes. Nor are any of that trilogy’s predecessors.

In an interview with Screen Rant, Ball went over his decision to ensure that Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes would not be “like season three of a TV series”. He added: “You do not have to see the previous movies to jump into this. It is designed so you will have enough to enjoy it for what it is.”

Ball did qualify that, while foreknowledge of the franchise isn’t a necessity, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes viewers would have an enhanced experience if they have engaged with the previous trilogy of Rise, Dawn, and War. There’s even merit in brushing up on the 1968 original, apparently. “You’ll be greatly rewarded if you have some familiarity with those movies when you go into this one,” Ball said.

Again, they’re not required to understand the plot or engage with the characters, but certain references are there for those who look.

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes: A new timeline

This new movie jumps ahead in time by 300 years, so it introduces new characters and a very different world for them to inhabit. As such, it’s not exactly a direct continuation of the previous three movies, because director Wes Ball respected those films too much.

20th Century Studios

According to Ball, making Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes accessible was a big part of the decision to alter the setting so much. While many fans of the modern Apes trilogy would delight in a direct continuation of the story, Kingdom’s Director had too much reverence for it.

“I was not interested in doing a part four. The human brain isn’t wired for four. It goes beginning, middle, end. Three is a perfect little number,” Ball explained in a separate interview with YouTuber Ape Nation. For that reason, he wanted to construct a new trilogy himself.

“We really needed to separate ourselves and be our own distinct little chapter but at the same time, I didn’t want to lose all this great universe and world-building,” he continued. “I had this epiphany and I was like ‘Oh, you cut way, way into the future’.”

That said, the tale and legacy of Caesar very much informs this new film. The idea is that an audience unfamiliar with Caesar’s story will be in the exact same place as the new characters, which is its own type of immersion.

If you want to know more about Planet of the Apes specifically, why not learn about an alternate version of the movie that we’ll see later this year. We’re sure Kingdom will go down as one of the best movies of the year, but there’s still big hits to come like Deadpool 3 and Joker 2.