20th Century Studios’ new sci-fi adventure Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes continues the beloved Planet of the Apes franchise. But does this latest installment contain content appropriate for kids and families? This Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes parents guide will break down the movie’s mature content to help you decide if it’s suitable viewing for your children.
Violence/Scary Images (PG-13)
As a post-apocalyptic sci-fi action film, Kingdom understandably contains a good amount of intense violence and frightening/disturbing images. Expect to see warfare between apes and humans involving weapons and battle violence, though the bloodshed is relatively light for a PG-13 rating. There are also some scary and suspenseful sequences involving threatening ape characters that could unsettle younger kids. The film avoids being gratuitously gory but the tone and action does get quite intense at times.
Language (PG-13)
Kingdom has a moderate amount of language typical for a PG-13 movie. There is some milder profanity used like sh**, damn, and a couple uses of more harsh words like an uncensored f-bomb or b****. Nothing too excessive but the language could be a bit much for very young children.
Adult Themes
While not especially overt, there are some mature thematic elements in Kingdom that may go over the heads of kids. The film touches on ideas of war, survival, wrestling with moral dilemmas, and questioning authority figures. Some of this more adult-leaning subtext could confuse or bore young audiences not able to fully grasp the deeper layers.
Sexuality or Substance Issues
On the positive side for families, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is refreshingly devoid of any sexuality content or substance use concerns. There are no nudity, sex scenes, or even mild innuendo or crude humor whatsoever. Nor is there any depicted drinking, smoking, or drugs shown.
Overall, with its plentiful action violence, mild profanity, and thematic intensity, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes lands squarely at a PG-13 level of content – in line with many other major blockbusters. Most parents will likely find the mature content okay for pre-teens and up, assuming they can handle the sci-fi intensity and battle sequences.
However, the movie may prove a bit too violent, scary, or thematically heavy for preschool-aged kids and very young children. As with most PG-13 action fare, parental guidance is recommended when deciding if Kingdom is appropriate for your particular family and kids’ maturity levels. Sensitive or easily frightened youngsters may want to skip this intergalactic ape adventure.
