50 Years of the Apes

They blew up the planet, with the intent of making no more sequels, and Fox executives just laughed. If Hollywood wants to milk a franchise, they’ll find a way.

Seriously?  I particularly enjoyed Conquest of the Planet of the Apes (1972).  The only one I didn't like was the last one, Battle for the Planet of the Apes (1973).  

Beneath is a piece of shit, I love the hell out of Escape, Conquest has grown on me over the years, and I have a soft spot for Battle even though it's not very good. The less said about Burton's film the better. As for reboots, I like Rise, am indifferent to Dawn, and love War.

'50 Years of the Apes' is my favourite thread title of all time.

I bid you adieu.

Planet of the Apes (1968)

Holds up brilliantly as a layered allegory for discrimination and unjust hierarchies. Most analysis usually focuses on the ways in which the film functions as a metaphor for anti-Black racism in America, the film bluntly inverting the structure so a white man is the oppressed. That's all there of course, but on this viewing I was especially struck by Dr. Zaius's efforts to cover-up history and twist the facts to support his own ideological goals, a salient narrative in an age of fake news and distortion of historical record. Even ignoring the film's social critique - difficult to do given they are front and center to the point that it's barely subtext - Planet of the Apes is just a great science-fiction story. The legacy of the franchise hues towards action, but this first movie is really a Twilight Zone-esque horror tale of a man dropped in an absurdly dystopian scenario from which there's no escape. Any worries I had that the film might feel quaint were unfounded. Frankly it's much more disturbing than I remembered.

A+

Escape from the Planet of the Apes (1971)




Want to start out by saying that Jerry Goldsmith knew exactly what movie he was making. LOL. Anyhoo, this is great. No. Seriously. SnoBorderZero will no doubt come here and bitch that Escape lacked a cinematic vision, one of which the original had plenty of. That’s a fair point. But Cornelius and Zira are such wonderful characters, supported by a strong script, that I don’t care. I was engaged for 90 minutes and that’s what matters.

While Charlton Heston was busy blowing up the Earth, Cornelius and Zira were busy repairing his ship. The shock wave sends them from 3978 New York to 1973 Los Angeles. Their arrival (and knowledge of the Earth’s future) spooks the U.S. government and things don’t end well for our two favorite apes.

Perhaps it is more daring to portray humans as the oppressed in the original. Making humans the bad guys in these types of movies can be seen as cliché. But all the characters are well defined, well portrayed and there’s enough variation to overcome all this. Escape may not be an artistic achievement. It doesn’t break new ground. But it’s well-made, fun to watch, and as stated above, that’s what matters.

They're good. The last one is kind of shakey but has its moments. The fourth film, Conquest, kinda rules.

Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970)

The first hour of Beneath the Planet of the Apes is basically just a second-rate retread of the first movie, complete with a lame Charlton Heston lookalike and re-introduction to the Ape society which is a lot more boring since we know where everything's going. There's some interesting ideas here, including fleshing out the hierarchal aspects of the Ape world and visuals which are clearly meant to evoke the protests of the 1960s, but creative inspiration is limited. But then in it's last third, the movie goes bonkers. We're introduced to a cult of telepathic human mutations who've been living in hiding under the surface and worship an atomic bomb. Then the movie climaxes on an epic battle which gets shockingly violent before ending on just about the bleakest conclusion possible. It's absurd for a Planet of the Apes sequel (introducing intelligent humans does undercut the dystopic power of humanity being reduced to primal animals) but on the other hand...those last 30 minutes are kind of awesome. I have no idea what the next movie is going to do (this ending does not invite further sequels) but I am intrigued to see what they'll try.

B-


Escape from the Planet of the Apes (1971)

Three movies into the original Planet of the Apes series...is this franchise secretly awesome? I don't think either of the two Apes sequels have seen thus far are great movies, but I admire how unapologetically weird the filmmakers are willing to get. Escape from the Planet of the Apes inverts the series by going back to the human world. The film opens with Cornelius and Zira, along with another ape named Milo arriving on Earth back in 1971. Turns out during the climax of Beneath the Planet of the Apes, the trio attempted to escape the chaos when the nuclear explosion sent their spaceship hurtling back in time. Massive credit in the world for actually following on the last film's ending and not just retconning it. What follows is a large stretch of fish out of water comedy which is genuinely pretty charming, in part because of how likable Roddy McDowall and Kim Hunter are as Cornelius and Zira. But as the story unfolds, some government agents become consumed with fear of an Ape planet, especially when it's revealed that Zira is pregnant. From here, the movie becomes a thriller with Cornelius and Zira on the run that becomes increasingly desperate, culminating in yet another shockingly dark ending.

I'm kind of stunned by how into these Apes sequels I've been. I don't want to overstate their triumphs as they are clearly inferior to the original (a genuine classic), but they've been creative and interesting. More than just cheap moneygrabs, there seems to be a real desire to expand the story and explore new ideas. This one seems particularly concerned with how humanity would react to a destined apocalyptic future, and I also love how the barbarism of human culture allows Cornelius and Zira to recognize the barbarism of their own culture (and vice versa for the human characters). I was also, more simply, emotionally invested in the characters and I find myself once again intrigued to see where the story goes from here.

B