The Planet of the Apes (1968)

[Impact]

Review, Discuss and Have Fun!

[Impact]

Would you believe it that I believe today is the first time I've ever seen the whole film? Yep for someone who has watched tons of classic cinema...Anyway, this was really good, though a bit slow at times. Heston was good, not his best film of course.Even when I knew the ending it was still done well. (Hints during the film though!) I got this for Christmas as the 40th anniversary blu ray pack.A-

[Kvikk Lunsj]

Love this film a true classic.9.5/10I might pick up the Blu ray.

[Impact]

Its a great Blu Ray if you get the 40th anniversary. There is a huge book on the lore of Planet of the Apes. (And a rather funny intro by the Lawgiver on the movies like this is real)

[lab276]

It's a pretty spectacular film. However the action scenes are weak, they're far too long and quite dull. It's pretty brave too, so blatantly criticising religion and faith, especially for the 60's.A-

[Rudolf]

I like the movie and I am a Charlton Heston fan. I remember the talk about the Ape-masks costing $1m, a lot of money at that time.

[IndustriousAngel]

In my teens this was on TV quite often and it was one of my favourite films. While the theme wasn't all that original even in '68, the plot and execution are good and the costumes spectacular.

[A Marvel Fanboy]

A

[pinocchio]

It was a huge hit in the USA back then, didn't make as much money as Easy Rider, but it was close.

[Lordmandeep]

This movie has some really iconic great scenes...A-

[baumer]

Does contain spoilers!

 

I remember years ago having an argument at work with my boss who vehemently argued that 1968's Planet of the Apes is head and shoulders above Tim Burton's version. I had just come back from seeing Burton's and was quite impressed. And even though I had never seen this one, I argued the other way. I am not sure why I did this, perhaps it was just to play Devil's Advocate, maybe it was just cause I'm an ass at times or maybe I really thought that this version couldn't be better than the new one. After all, Burton's post apocalyptic futuristic ape world was inhabited by apes that were intelligent enough to form societies and create laws but they were too stupid to realize that the world they live in is big enough for both humans and animals. It went to great lengths ( or so I thought) to show man's, and conversely apes ignorance when it comes to the welfare of anything that is considered lower in intellect. In short, I felt that Burton's Planet of the Apes touched on many issues that are important to me. I couldn't really see how a film made 30 some years ago could top that. Boy was I wrong!

 

I rated 2001's POTA an 8.5 based mostly on it's theories and because of the action in the film (and because I have a soft spot for Michael Clarke Duncan). If that is true, and I do feel that way, then 1968's POTA is easily worth a ten and that is what I am giving it. Very few films make you feel something. Let me re-phrase that. A good film will entertain you, an even better one can enlighten you. But only a very few precious films can keep you entertained and fill your head with a plethora of thought provoking ideas and "what-ifs" at the very same time. Planet of the Apes is one of those films. JFK, and all of it's pseudo-theories about the assassination of the president left me feeling exhausted and afraid of the world we live in. Films like The Matrix (you're a disease, Mr. Anderson") and T-2 ("it's in your nature to destroy yourselves") and Instinct ("these are the takers") gave me similar premonitions. You can add Planet of the Apes to that select breed of films that gave me a similar feeling.

 

This is a film that takes its time to tackle such weighty issues as evolution, human rights, animal rights, racism, religious ambiguity, military strong arms and many other issues. The screenplay was skillfully adapted by Rod Serling of Twilight Zone fame from a book by Pierre Boulle. And although I have not read the book, I have read that the film is different in quite a few ways. For instance, the book and subsequently Burton's version, has the apes very technologically advanced. But because of technological inferiority in 1968 the film took the apes and had them living in a primitively built city/village.

 

They had buildings made of rock but not concrete. The had guns but not automatic weapons. And although Burton's version hasn't introduced them to guns, the apes are much stronger, much higher up on the evolutionary scale. But in this POTA, there seems to be a missing link. Certain apes have theories that apes really evolved from man and yet the humans in this world cannot speak. They seem to understand some things, but they cannot comprehend what is being said to them all of the time, kind of like the way our animals are today. This opens up a plethora possibilities. Are these humans mutants, are they a cross between man and ape? Have they been scientifically altered by some medical Nazi-like experiment and over time, generations have adapted to these experiments? There are many weighty issues open for discussion. Other reviewers bring up the possibility of a nuclear war and one of Taylor's observations was that there may have been a nuclear shower or meteor storm that devastated humans, just like the dinosaurs before them. And doesn't that make Heston's speech at the beginning of Armageddon ( it happened once it'll happen again.. it's just a matter of time) all the more chilling?

 

Contains major spoilers in the next few paragraphs. Please, do not read if you plan on seeing the film soon for the first time!!!! You have been warned!

 

2001's version of POTA was quite impressive because of technology first and the story second. While it did think about things such as animal rights and such, it did not hold it as important as this version does. This is a film that you could watch over and over again and still have it give you that sinking feeling in your stomach every time. The ending alone is enough to open up discussion for months to come. And I have a theory. So bear with me.

 

If what he sees at the end of the film on the beach is really the whole thing sitting there, and not just the head ( meaning that the rest of it is buried some 200 feet in the sand, then this presents a whole slew of possibilites. Dr Zaius has discovered the cave where he believes there is sufficient enough evidence that there were intelligent human occupants before apes. The basis of his evidence is that on different levels of the earth, buried in the sand and clay there are artifacts to support his claim. One one level he found reading glasses and deeper still, he finds false teeth and in another level, even deeper he found a babies doll that talks. Proof that evolution granted man the ability to talk. But when Taylor is left to "find his destiny" what he finds is the thing that may be buried so deep in the earth from thousands of years of stagnancy. What if what he is seeing is really all in tact, just buried some 200 feet under the earth? If they could dig that far down, what would they find? Would they find dishes or the remains of houses? Would they find subway tunnels, sewage pipes, bones of sewer rats, bones of CHUD like people? The possibilities are endless. This could turn the ape world upside down and it would create a division in those that are ardent followers of the ape religion and those that believe in evolution.

 

Doesn't this kind of sound similar to situations here in our time?End of spoilers

 

POTA is the one of the best Science Fiction films I have ever seen and this would easily crack my top 100 films ever made. And that is after 2 viewings. I want to go back and watch this film a few more times so I can really understand it. It is a rare film that entertains and poses some very interesting and provocative questions. And as I said earlier, there are very few films that can do something like that. Films like American Pie or Raiders of the Lost Ark and The Godfather are great because they entertain and make you laugh or cheer. POTA is in a class with other films like T-2 and Aliens. These are films that also entertain but they force you to examine who we are and where we have come from and where we could possibly go. Is it possible that man will one day become so unbearable that some divine intervention will occur so that we are not the inferior species? A film like this makes you think and wonder? What if......?

 

ROTPOTA is a perfect set up as well. It really takes of the story of this and incorporates it into the film. You'll enjoy it more if you are familiar with this one.  10 out 0f 10-- This is one of the best films I have ever seen and it is one that I am going to get my kids to watch someday. Burton's is fun and thought-provoking. This one is simply mind blowing and intellectually stimulating. This is a must see for any generation.

[luna]

tackles themes of freedom, authority, religion, animal rights and other things concerning man and government with an almost admirable lack of subtlety. has similar acting, dialogue and set design issues as star wars but supremely more enjoyable and interesting.

 

B+

Edited September 7, 2013 by lisa

[baumer]

tackles themes of freedom, authority, religion, animal rights and other things concerning man and government with an almost admirable lack of subtlety. has similar acting, dialogue and set design issues as star wars but supremely more enjoyable and interesting.

 

B

 

What movies do you give A's to?

[Goffe]

I remember not being impressed the first (and only) time I saw. I still think that the third one is the best Apes

 

Escape from the Planet of the Apes 8.5/10 B+

Rise of the Planet of the Apes 7.5/10 B

Planet of the Apes 6.5/10 B-

Planet of the Apes (2001) 5/10 C+

Beneath the Planet of the Apes 4/10 C-

[RobinHood26]

One of my favorites! Ever since I was a kid I have loved this movie. Its a classic. So many memorable moments,

This is on my top 100 list. 

 

A

[Lordmandeep]

The Statue of Liberty Scene is the best..

[luna]

What movies do you give A's to?

 

in the last month or so?

 

A

 

rashomon

fanny and alexander

solaris

i'm still here

ran

nashville

bridge on the river kwai

dogtooth

apocalypse now

 

A-

 

the seventh seal

frankenstein

dog day afternoon

sunset blvd.

adaptation

repulsion

the conversation

moulin rouge!

taxi driver

Edited September 7, 2013 by lisa

[darkelf]

Some of the stuff is dated but it had my attention and was intriguing up until the end and even though I knew the twist there was so much more in there that it didn't matter.

 

9/10

[Jake Gittes]

Actually just saw it for the first time a few days ago. I admit when the apes first started talking I had an urge to laugh for a few minutes (also due to complete lack of subtlety in the dialogue), but the more it went on, the more I felt invested in it. Everyone is so committed that they sell it, especially Kim Hunter as Zira. The make-up really is astonishing, and I thought the movie was surprisingly well-paced - it took its time when it needed to (like in the early scenes with the astronauts walking across the desert), but it's never dull. 

 

And yeah, even knowing about the ending, I had chills. It's one hell of a powerful moment. Someday I would also like to see another G (or even PG)-rated movie that ends with the words "Goddamn you all to hell!" or something similarly bleak. 

[dxmatrixdt]

Just watched this for the first time.  I ordered it on demand, then noticed the next 3 are on IFC-HD and recorded them ... so I am Apes rich this week!   I thought Nolan was inspired by and borrowed a little from the first 30 minutes with Interstellar.  Baumer gives a great review for this.  I can see that this inspired alot in Hollywood going into the 70s.