For a writer, signing on to “Planet of the Apes” is less an assignment than a calling. After all, it’s the longest-running science-fiction series in film history. So when Rick Jaffa and ...

Spoiler alert! We're discussing important plot points and the ending of “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes” (in theaters now), so swing to another treetop if you haven’t seen it yet.

Strange thing: The recent 2011-17 films in the “Planet of the Apes” franchise, now joined by the chapter opening this week, follow a similar narrative cycle of peril, punishment, survival.

In theaters May 10. Fifty-five years, 10 films and two TV shows later, “Planet of the Apes” is, somehow, still as breathtaking as the first time we met Cornelius and Zira. The fantastic ...