Regarding dystopian apocalyptic future stories, the Planet of the Apes franchise has always been somewhat unique and long-running. Its origins date back to the Charlton Heston-led original in 1968. The franchise spawned four sequels before laying low for a while and then coming back strong for a new series of movies in the early 2010s.

The latest modern batch of films is Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, directed by Wes Ball (known for the Maze Runner Movies). Taking place several generations after the events of the previous trilogy of movies, it is the perfect jumping-on point for those who may still need to get on the simian bandwagon.

Caesar, the lead ape of the preceding trilogy, has long since passed, but his deeds and words have allowed the apes to find a society of their own and flourish. Now, a new ape, Noa (Owen Teague), finds himself forcibly thrust into the unknown as conflicts among apes and clashes between humans and apes threaten his world.

With the frantic chases, eye-catching imagery of ruined overgrown cities, and gripping action set pieces, Kingdom is very much a blockbuster tentpole movie. And yet, Ball can inject more quiet, personal moments that have enough weight to them as to be equally engaging. Astounding CGI helps both the large-scale and the intimate scenes.

Computer graphics has gotten a bad rap lately, with backlash from both viewers and some studios. But make no mistake, a film like this can only be made at this level with computer graphics. The bombastic action sequences are impressive enough, but the nuances of the apes' performance are sublime. The expressiveness of the eyes, the way the mouths move, the overall malleability of the face, you don’t get all that with a mask.

The apes in the film represent some of the best creature work in the industry so far, a fine blend of the motion capture artists and animators' combined efforts.

Mae, played by The Witcher’s Freya Allan plays the lead human in the film. A survivor with a secret, she joins Noa on his journey, as does Raka (Peter Macon), an old sage of an Orangutan who is a follower of the teachings of Caesar.

Like its predecessors, this film doesn’t shy away from social commentary, and thankfully, the filmmakers were able to stick to the adage of “Show, don’t tell.” Aside from ideas of race, politics, and power, the story invites us to consider legacy.

Collectively and individually, what exactly are we leaving behind? Raka tells tales of Caesar and his works with an almost mythic reverence. His teachings that apes must not kill apes and that there is strength in unity are gospel to Raka. A student of the past, the orange-furred primate seeks to preserve the lessons of long ago. As he explains very seriously, “It is important."

The self-proclaimed king, Proxima (Kevin Durand), has designs on artifacts from the days when humans were the dominant inhabitants of the world. He aims to use them to advance apekind and solidify his position as king. But what exactly did humanity leave as lessons to be learned?

Greed? Mistrust?

There's no monkeying around on this one. Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is a solid film that is stand-alone enough so that it is inviting to new audiences but is steeped enough in the lore of the world it presents to bring back veteran viewers.