I'm a big fan of the original Planet of the Apes film and have seen it a few times now. I recently picked up the box set which includes the 4 other movies from the 1970's, which I haven't seen. I will now go through those and the rest of the franchise including the 2001 reboot and Rise of the Planet of the Apes. Basically every damned dirty ape film ever made. Giddy up.
(1968) [Trailer]
Director: Franklin J. Schaffner [IMDB]
Synopsis: A team of astronauts crash land on a planet filled with... monkeys? Ok, they would be pissed if they heard me say said... filled with Apes.
This is a classic film and one I enjoy watching. I feel like each time I dig into it, it gets better and better. This time around was no different. For a sci-fi film from the 60's it actually holds up really well, maybe because they don't have to rely on special effects as much because of the setting. The costumes of the apes, while dated, still are effective and the set pieces are amazing... especially the ape city. On top of that, the cinematography and locations they decided to shoot in all look fantastic as well. The score by Jerry Goldsmith is a monster, soooo good, one of my favorites.
The story of Planet of the Apes is unique and twisted. It ultimately is a nightmarish look at where our actions as humans could lead us, although a bit heavy handed, it's still a cool idea. The evolution of the Apes is a parallel to our own, and it's interesting to see how science and religion dictates how the story unfolds. The payoff at the end makes the ride worth while and it's the kind of ending I love in a story. This definitely a must see for any sci-fi fan, or those looking to explore the genre.
(1970) [Trailer]
Director: Ted Post [IMDB]
Synopsis: The lone survivor of a search party for the crew that crash landed on the Planet of the Apes finds a hidden world underneath the planet's surface.
This follow up starts off right where the last film ended. You have a lot of the same characters and even Charlton Heston makes a brief cameo. I feel like it tries too hard to emulate the first film and doesn't quite succeed. It is still a fun watch, and it manages to throw a few twists into the mix that I wasn't expecting. The major curveball is what Brent (the lone survivor who looks an awful lot like Charlton Heston) finds underneath the planet... it's an interesting direction to take the film, but it also dishes out a lot of plot holes. I won't get too into it, as it's spoiler territory, but it makes for a much more exciting second half of the film.
(1971) [Trailer]
Director: Don Taylor [IMDB]
Synopsis: Three Apes escape the Planet of the Apes only to arrive back on Earth in the 70's.
After the ending of Beneath the Planet of the Apes, there weren't many places the franchise could go. The direction they took it in, for me, was a bit of a disappointment. The fish out of water attempt at taking the apes into the real world just didn't work. The idea that the Apes were able to fix a fucking spaceship and fly back in time is pretty absurd, but the way the US government handles the arrival of talking monkeys in spacesuits is retarded... they send them to the Zoo?? I mean they touched down in a rocket, I think security would be a little tighter. The ending of this film is probably the best thing about it, but the pay off isn't worth the investment.
(1972) [Trailer]
Director: J. Lee Thompson [IMDB]
Synopsis: In the 90's apes are kept as slaves to humans and Nirvana is a really popular band.
This film follows the rise of Caesar, who was the baby of Cornelis and Zira, two of the stranded Apes from the last film (and all the other installments for that matter.) Conquest most closely resembles the 2012 remake Rise of the Planet of the Apes... which I'm gonna get too. There are things that I love about this movie, and things that annoy me. The first half is pretty slow and a lot of it doesn't make sense. Ricardo Montalban (Khaaaan!), who's been taking care of Caesar for the last 20 years, all of the sudden wants to head into the big city and throw him into harms way? When they are on the run, Montalban turns himself in? Why not keep running? Also, the humans find out in the last movie that the apes well eventually take over the planet, so what do they do.... take them as pets and slaves?
The ending makes up for a lot of the issues, it turns into a fantastic jail break/revolt flick that keeps you on the edge of your seat... aka my couch. I would recommend if you watch it, go with the unrated cut, it's a much darker ending.
(1973) [Trailer]
Director: J. Lee Thompson [IMDB]
Synopsis: Roughly 15 years after Caesar's revolt, the Earth has been ravaged by nuclear war and Apes and man coexist... like those stupid bumper stickers.
This movie was pretty bad. It's extremely boring and I found getting through the whole thing to be challenging. There is a huge plot hole... all the Apes learned how to talk in 15 years? At the end of Conquest only Caesar could talk (him being a direct descendant of the future apes) and all those other apes were just that... apes. They were still primitive. Makes no sense whatsoever. The ending of this film is a total bummer in my opinion. The Apes movies always end on a dark note, which is awesome, but this one ends with all this peaceful hippy bullshit... lame... ughhh the early 70's, what a dreadful time.
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(2001) [Trailer]
Director: Tim Burton [IMDB]
Synopsis: Same shit as the original... only with Marky Mark.
I was excited the first time I saw this... Tim Burton tackling Planet of the Apes... yes! After seeing it, I remember feeling bummed a little. Now after another go around with it, I love it... just kidding, it's still not that great. You can't help but compare the original to this.... you see everything they got right with that and how it all misfires in 2001. The script is pretty bad and there are a lot of characters in this that don't need to be there. There's this weird love triangle between Mark Walhberg, the slave girl, and the Ape played by Helena Bonham Carter. The ending makes so sense at all, I won't spoil it, but it just feels completely wrong. I'd pass on this and stick to the original if you're gonna spend the time.
(2011) [Trailer]
Director: Rupert Wyatt [IMDB]
Synopsis: James Franco gets the surprise of a life time after injecting a lab ape with super drugs.
Those who have followed this site and my reviews my recall one of the very first posts I ever made... it was my top films of 2011... you can see it right HERE... go ahead... I'll wait. You'll notice Rise is pretty close to the top... and for good reason. I love it. Plain and simple.
This was my third time with it and nothing has changed, it's still superb. The story is solid, the pacing towards the climax works smoothly, and the ending leaves you wanting more... hopefully they won't screw up the next one. If you haven't seen this yet... do so, absolutely my favorite of the series.
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