Ultimate countdown of Planet of the Apes movies so far
As Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, the latest in the beloved, long-running sci-fi saga, hits Kiwi cinemas, James Croot counts down the previous instalments (all of which are available on Disney+) – from worst to best.
9. Planet of the Apes (2001)
Tim Burton’s “reimagining” of the 1968 original that started it all saw fans “go ape’’ at its liberties.
While the makeup and prosthetics were impressive, the film-maker’s tweaks to the story, misplaced humour and coterie of character actors (as well as a rather limited leading man in the form of Mark Wahlberg) led to much breastbeating. Then there was THAT ending – baffling and bewildering in the extreme.
“Wahlberg can’t obscure his incredulity at the words he’s made to speak or the sheer silliness of the whole thing,” wrote L.A. Weekly’s Manohla Dargis.
8. Battle for the Planet of the Apes (1973)
Featuring a lot of footage from the previous four films, this is the only entry in the original quartet that really struggles to entertain.
As the title suggests, it’s essentially an extended showdown between a peace-seeking Caesar (Roddy McDowall), an aggressive gorilla general and the remnants of humanity.
“Battle looks like the last gap of a dying series, a movie made simply to wring the dollars out of any remaining ape fans,” wrote Chicago Sun-Times’ Roger Ebert.
7. Conquest of the Planet of the Apes (1972)
Set in a 1991 where some simians are kept as pets, or work as domestic servants, in big cities (a pandemic caused by a spaceborne disease wiped out all dogs and cats eight years earlier). McDowall’s Caesar leads a rebellion against humanity and its increasing enslavement of his kind.
Allegorically interesting (given the turbulent American times in which it was released), but perhaps a little too actionoriented to really compel.
“If you are ready to thrill to the fall of civilisation, then there are worse ways to spend an afternoon. Just don’t expect much humour,” wrote BBC.com’s Tom Coates.
6. Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970, Rent from iTunes)
A film that’s influenced everything from Terminator 3 to I Am Legend and Prime Video’s new Fallout TV series.
This intriguing, but decidedly bleak sequel sees James Franciscus’ Brent searching for the original’s astronauts. Instead he discovers a race of cavedwelling mutant humans who worship nuclear weapons.
“This first sequel … isn’t bad, but already shows the way the original conception was to degenerate into routine comic strip adventure,” wrote Time Out’s Tom Milne.
5. Escape from the Planet of the Apes (1971)
Played as much for laughs as a warning for our species as to how our own hubris, squabbling and lust for power could lead to disaster, this sees McDowall’s Cornelius (father of Conquest’s Caesar) and Kim Hunter’s Zira travel back to early 1970s America. Works best when it mirrors scenes from the original.
“It is efficiently directed by Don Taylor
Reviewer Kevin Thomas on 1968’s Planet of the Apes
and sanely scripted by Paul Dehn,” wrote The Guardian’s Michael McNay.
4. Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011)
British director Rupert Wyatt delivered a prequel/reboot to rival Batman Begins in its reinvigoration and reinvention of a seemingly moribund series.
Showcasing some magnificent motioncapture technology created by our wizards of Wellington, Wētā FX, it details the research of Gen-Sys neurogeneticist Will Rodman (James Franco).
When work on his experimental drug to cure Alzheimer’s is shut down, he’s left literally holding the baby. As he grows, an increasingly self-aware Caesar (Andy Serkis) begins to question not only his place in the world, but how his fellow apes are treated.
Skilfully avoiding the talky politics, ethics and social conventions of the previous films, Rise builds to a stunning conclusion that rivals Terminator 3’s final act and leaves you with that rare franchise feeling of hanging out for the next instalment.
3. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014)
This vital and vibrant sequel, set 10 years after the deadly Simian Flu caused the collapse of human civilisation, charts the science and art of motion-capture and the highs and lows of ape society.
Yes, Wētā FX’s mo-cap magic is breathtaking, but it would be nothing if not allied to some smart, suspenseful storytelling, which takes us from a Quest for Fire-esque opening, through Lion King-esque potential tragedy to a stirring showdown.
It’s hard not to be swept along by the thought-provoking premise and sheer entertainment value of watching gorillas as guerrillas.
2. War for the Planet of the Apes (2017)
“Provocative as it is entertaining, it is a true screen odyssey.’’
As this trilogy-topping tale opens, Caesar (Serkis) and his genetically enhanced shrewdness of apes are on the run, trying to evade capture by those humans not wiped out by Simian Flu.
Still paying for the rash actions of his once loyal lieutenant Koba, Caesar’s hopes of peace with his less hairy “distant relatives’’ now seem forlorn.
Read all the allegories and allusions you want into it, at its heart, War is innovative, intelligent and indelible cinema.
Michael Giacchino’s (Lost) score is haunting, the set-pieces thrilling, the spectacle jaw-dropping and the performances powerfully persuasive.
1. Planet of the Apes (1968)
Featuring memorable dialogue, incredible makeup and one of the most jawdropping (and now parodied) endings in cinematic history, Franklin J. Schaffner’s “loose” adaptation of Pierre Boulle’s 1963 novel is arguably also one of the best science-fiction movies ever made.
Charlton Heston is one of the three astronauts who initially survive a crashlanding on a strange planet much further into the future than they originally planned.
“A triumph of artistry and imagination, it is at once a timely parable and a grand adventure on an epic scale. Provocative as it is entertaining, it is a true screen odyssey,” wrote Los Angeles Times’ Kevin Thomas.