Impoliteness Strategies Reflected in Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes (2024) Movie

Abstract

Language is a mirror of social life and power relations. In film discourse, verbal interaction not only delivers narrative meaning but also exposes ideological and emotional conflicts among characters. This study investigates the impoliteness strategies reflected in Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes (2024), using Culpeper’s (1996) theory as its main analytical framework. The research applies a qualitative descriptive approach to identify and interpret the forms and functions of impoliteness strategies used by the main characters, particularly Proximus Caesar, Noa, and Mae. The data are taken from the movie script and analyzed contextually to reveal the pragmatic functions of language. The findings indicate that all five types of impoliteness strategies proposed by Culpeper appear in the movie: bald on-record impoliteness, positive impoliteness, negative impoliteness, sarcasm or mock politeness, and withholding politeness. Each strategy performs different communicative roles such as asserting dominance, challenging authority, expressing resistance, and conveying emotional conflict. The study concludes that impoliteness in this film serves not only as an instrument of verbal aggression but also as a symbolic tool for establishing ideological power, resistance, and social identity in a post-apocalyptic society. Furthermore, the findings imply that analyzing impoliteness in fictional narratives offers critical insights into the dynamics of power and resistance, bridging the gap between cinematic discourse and real-world sociopolitical interactions.