Planet Of The Apes
As Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, the latest movie in the beloved, long-running scisaga hits Kiwi cinemas, Stuff to Watch counts down the previous instalments (all of which are available on Disney+) – from worst to best.
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 lm-maker’s tweaks to the story, misplaced humour and coterie of character actors led to much breast-beating. Then there was THAT ending – baf ing and bewildering in the extreme.
Battle for the Planet of the Apes (1973)
Featuring a lot of footage from the previous four lms, 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), a gorilla general and the remnants of humanity.
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 space-borne 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 action-orientated to really compel.
Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970)
A lm that’s in uenced everything from Terminator 3 to
I Am Legend and Prime Video’s new Fallout TV series. This intriguing, but decidedly bleak sequel sees James Fransciscus’ Brent come searching for the original’s astronauts, but instead discovers a race of cave-dwelling mutant humans who worship nuclear weapons.
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.
Rise of the Planet 4 of the Apes (2011)
To the surprise of many, British director Rupert Wyatt delivered a prequel/ reboot to rival Batman Begins in its reinvigoration and reinvention of a seemingly moribund series. Showcasing some magni cent motion-capture technology created by our wizards of Wellington W t FX, it details the research of Gen-Sys neuro-geneticist Will Rodman (James Franco). When work on his experimental drug that he hopes could provide a cure of 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.
Dawn of the Planet 3 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,
W t FX’s mo-cop 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 Kingesque potential tragedy to a stirring showdown.
War for 2 the Planet of the Apes (2017)
As this trilogytopping tale opens, Caesar (Andy 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.
Planet of 1 the Apes (1968)
Featuring memorable dialogue, incredible make-up and one of the most jaw-dropping (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- ction movies ever made. Charlton Heston is one of the three astronauts who initially survive a crash-landing on a strange planet much further into the future than they originally
planned.