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Planet of the Apes -Series (1968 - 1973) I decided to review these movies together because they represent an continuing arching story. The concept of a story that comes full circle is one that is not often explored in franchises for obvious reasons, so it's one of the factors that makes this series special. It's possible that at the time of the last movie, another movie may have been considered, because there is a huge gap between the last movie and the first movie, and a lot of unanswered questions. But the last film pretty much killed any hope of the series continuing. Here are the five movies that were made: Planet of the Apes (1968).  It is the year 2500AD. A spaceship from earth has gotten rather tired after all the years, and decides to find a convenient plane to crash into. And on the planet, the surviving astronauts run into the planet... of apes! no wait, I go that wrong, first they run into a bunch of humans who are so mentally deficient that they appear to have escaped from the Special Olympics. Then the apes show up, and start wrecking havoc on the humans, putting them into cages or just killing them off. To understand this movie better, keep in mind that the U.S. had just gone through the civil rights movement, and was in the process of coming to grips with racism becoming unacceptable in society for perhaps the first time, which is what this movie is exploring. In this world, the white hero characters are cast into the bonds of slavery, and explore first hand what that sort of world would be like. We also get a some explanation into how people can be held back not so much by what they are, but by social pressures that conspire to keep them in their caste in life. After many struggles, the last living survivor ends up fleeing from the apes to find his destiny, and the climax of the film. That survivor is Charlton Heston, and he does what he has always been best at, screaming at the camera full of righteous anger. The real stars are Roddy McDowall and Kim Hunter, who do a fairly good job as the lead ape characters in mimicking ape mannerisms and imagining what an ape would sound like if it could talk. It's clear there was a limited budget, though, as most of the other apes are really just guys in gorilla suits. The general cinematography and music makes up for the lack of budget, and gives this film a somewhat foreign feel to it, which is fitting as the movie is supposed to be on another planet, and yet it was clearly filmed in the Grand Canyon somewhere. Forbidden Planet, this is not. It seems most of the budget was spent on make-up, and to that end, it really shows up well, even by today's standards. This series is known for it's M. Night Shamylan-like endings, and this movie has the most famous one. It's so famous that is does itself discredit, because everyone knows what it is. If you don't know, then I won't spoil it, but I will be surprised if you didn't see it coming. And if you do know..it's worth watching this movie anyway. Good points: The concept is interesting, and the overall story that will develop is great. Bad points: Other than make-up, the budget is limited, and looks more like a western than SF movie. Final Tally:   Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970).  This is a slightly bizarre movie. They pull an "Alien 3". One of the main characters that was fleshed out in the previous literally vanishes before doing anything, and is essentially removed from the story (don't worry, he'll be back.) Then we are introduced to a new cast of three guys. Except one of them dies right away for some reason. The other guy happens to be black, which you begin to say "Hey, I get it, the first movies was talking about racism, and stuff, so it makes sense to have this black guy here.", but then he dies soon later and is labeled as "Negro" in the credits! There are a bunch of rehashed ape high jinks to remind us of who are the good and bad apes are, and some interesting simian politics, whereupon Bret (the guy who should be labeled as "Cracker" in the credits) runs away with Nova, and hides in an underground cavern. However...it's not a cavern! (dun dun dun). Underground there is a race of guys who probably evolved from the last humans that existed after the fallout, and now they act and resemble like something out of an episode of original Star Trek. Now for a minor spoilers, they are actually... a race of psionics who can force you to do nasty things against your will like spanking the monkey.. They also have developed a religion based on worshipping an atomic bomb for reasons that are classified high beyond the viewer's level. Finally we come to a climax where the Ape army crashes into the worshipper's underground lair, and there is a giant battle. And then it comes - One of the most glorious endings in cinema history! When I saw this ending, I literally yelled "Oh poo poo!!!" at my TV, which luckily was not offended at my use of bad language. It's a great ending, not necessarily a surprise, but the type of ending that would be hard to get away with now. Good points: The movie keeps going at a generous clip, and the fantastic ending. Bad points: Story is meandering and sloppy. A lot of recycled stuff here. First ten minutes are pretty much crap. Final Tally: (extra star was added for the ending alone) Escape from the Planet of the Apes (1971).  This is the movie that explores the most fascinating aspect of this series. It's here where we get to realize that all of the stories are interlinked, and that the entire story will fit together to form a vicious cycle that will repeat itself without end. The most commonly discussed theme in all films is brought to the front - is destiny fate or created by our own hand? It's starts rather innocently with two apes having escaped from the Planet of the Apes, and ending up on Earth. It's fairly established that the apes, while technically advanced, could not have evolved far enough to have repaired one of the humans' crafts (not sure if it is Brett's or Taylor's). But, whatever...the next third of the movie explores how the humans will deal with these extraterrestrial visitors who have come to earth through some sort of time hole back to the present day. At first the apes conceal the fact that they can talk, but eventually it gets out that they are sentient, and have some knowledge of a plot that will eventually cause the downfall of humans. Without spoiling the movies, I can't go into the details of why they know the this will happen, but humans come to the decision that these aliens will cause it to occur, and decide to go on a hunting spree. Ape escape hi-jinx ensue. Eventually it's revealed that one of the apes is pregnant, so they need to kill the baby, as well. The ape is born, but at the end of the movie, the mother, father, and child are killed in cold blood. Except... You guessed it, it's time for the trick ending. I wonder what it would be. Good points: This is movie that establishes the never-ending story. Fantastic concept. Bad points: Some plot holes, and Holy lack of budget, Batman! These movies are making bank, let's spend some of it! Final Tally: Conquest of the Planet of the Apes (1972).  These movies are all about paradoxes, so you just have to live with them to enjoy the movies. This is arguably the second best movie in the series, and it too starts off with a paradox. First of all, after the events of the last movie, all humans are quite aware that their eventual involvement with the apes will some day spell their doom. Or at least, they used to know that, but by the start of this movie, it's 1991, and all of this has been forgotten, because people start inviting apes into their house like there is no tomorrow (well, there isn't, but that's besides the point). Also, for some reason that is not explained, apes have grown to be the size of humans. I thought it was genetics, but these apes are all captured from the wild, which explains why so many of these species probably find themselves on the endangered species list today. The concept of slavery is getting a bit haggard now, and in this movie, the apes are referred to as such. If only there was a black man to understand the parallel being discussed here. Wait, here comes one now - it's Mr. McDonald! He's here to let the movie have it's say about the treatment of slaves, and to become the savior and confident to the apes who will soon throw down their shackles and give it to "the man". The apes are getting a bit irascible, and all they need is someone to lead them, an ape with intelligence. As it turns out, there is an extraterrestrial ape hiding amongst them, and he has perceived the time for an uprising has come at hand. In this movie, again limited budget makes it's appearance. Other than the apes, there are really limited sets, and a lot of recycled items from the first movie. The writing is quite good, though, and Roddy McDowall has got this role down perfectly by this point. The whole budget wad is shot at the end of the movie with the human / ape conflict at an end. The trick ending of this movie is....there is no trick ending! Bet you didn't see that one coming! It's a bit anti-climatic with a speech from the extraterrestrial Ape Caesar that goes on a bit long, but overall this is a movie that is more satisfying then it probably has a right to be. Good points: Some good writing and acting saves this movie, in spite of itself. Pacing is pretty good. Bad points: Again with the limited budget. Is this a movie or a TV episode? Final Tally: Battle of the Planet of the Apes (1973).  Here it is! the last one! All questions will be answered here! What is the true relationship between what happened in the past, and what will happen in the future. Why did Taylor leave the Earth, and what was the true nature of his mission? How did things get so bad that nuclear war broke out? How did everyone survive such a war? Why are all the humans on the planet of the apes so stupid? What is the final link in the story that makes the story cycle complete? How did Cornelius come back from the dead after dying in this movie?? Oh gently caress it, let's just make a mad max movie, and forget answering any of your questions. That's exactly what happened. Instead of answering any questions at all, we get a substandard story of humans that have been living underground discovering that the Apes outside are living the sweet life, and deciding to kill them instead of even trying to reason with them, even though they know they are intelligent. This entire movie is a complete waste; there are scenes like the detonation of the A-bomb that just go nowhere without explanation. The only except is the ending, which is a bit unexpected, and helps straighten out a lot of the screwed up continuity of the series. The last shot of the film shows human children and apes together in harmony under a statue of Caesar. I'm not sure what this means. The end of the human race is still a long time off, so it's not clear if this ending suggests that the timeline has been changed, as the original founder was an Orangutan, not a Chimpanzee, or if it just means that a lot of bad stuff will happen between this movie and the first movie that will never be filmed. This is probably hinted at by the tear that comes from the statue's eye, predicting that the future could not be changed, after all. Like so many other aspects of this franchise, there are a lot more questions than answers. In the end, it wasn't Brutus that did Caesar in, it was terrible production and horrible writing. Good points: Interesting last scene? Bad points: Everything. Absolutely terrible in every way possible. More plot holes than a graveyard after the zombie apocalypse. Even the poster is terrible. Final Tally:
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Nov 25, 2009 08:27
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| # ? Apr 26, 2024 12:30 |
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