Any Planet of the Apes fans?

[Mr. Scott]

Howdy!

I am a big fan of "The Planet of the Apes" movies. There were five movies in all, made between 1968 and 1973.

The first one with Charlton Heston was a very unique and fantastic film. In my opinion, the best of the series. Besides the first film, I enjoyed the first two sequels, the last two were less than enjoyable.

Beneath the Planet of the Apes was my favorite of the sequels and was freaky and scary as a kid. Escape the second sequel was when Cornelius and Zira take Taylor's ship back through time to 20th Century Earth. I liked this movie also, a reversal of the first film, where the apes go to the human world when in the first film, the opposite happened.

The last two movies to me were not so great and the budget for these films were much lower. Conquest, the third sequel is just a bunch of monkies running around a concrete city with the last film, Battle, not very good.

The 2001 movie stank. I refuse to watch anything Tim Burton makes. The 2001 film was not the same story, it was another story altogether. I wish that they would make a new Apes film using the same story and format of the original film. It was an interesting story nonetheless and it should be redone.

 

[Can]

I am a fan of just the original one made in 1968....the one with Charlton Heston. In themes and plot messages it is the closest one to original novel written by Pierre Boulle

 

[Kirkman1987]

Yes, the original is one of the best sci-fi films ever, and I will watch Heston in anything.

The sequels are a mixed bag. Beneath is a weak rehash of the first film until the final act, which is awesome and as good as anything in the first film. Escape is pretty good, although the modern setting doesn't do much for me. I love how dark conquest is, and think the movie has an awesome look.

Battle is terrible, as is the Burton film.

 

[OmahaStar]

There are also two tv series, one live action and one animated, both are available on dvd.

 

[Greg Cox]

And, of course, coming soon is RISE OF THE APES, which is apparently a new take on CONQUEST . . . .

Could be interesting.

 

[Gojira]

I am certainly a fan of the first movie and it is a true sci-fi classic. There are times I do not like sequels and this is one of them. I only own the original on DVD and it stands alone. I have seen the others and they really do not have the quality of the first.

 

[23skidoo]

Here I go again as the lone wolf in the wilderness -- I happened to like the Burton film. It made some mistakes, yes, but they took things in interesting new directions. The ending? Funnily enough when I saw it I immediately thought that this is exactly the type of ending we might have seen on Rod Serling's old Twilight Zone (remember Serling co-wrote the first movie). It wasn't a classic, but I don't feel it stank up the room. At least Burton was smart enough to realize what made the original films work was having real people in make-up as the apes, rather than CGI-ing them all which is what the prequel makers seem to want to do.

As for the original series, I recommend the Behind the POTA documentary for folks wanting to see how, despite having a huge hit series, the studio inexplicably cut the budget with very film, to the point where only a few key actors actually had full make-up in the final films, and the rest more or less had to wear POTA Halloween masks!

The original is still the best. Once again it follows the same sort of formula as a Twilight Zone story, but in a good way. It's a shame they didn't have the technology to replicate Boulle's more modern ape civilization, but I think they did a good job with what they had.

Beneath is probably my least favorite because it's basically a rehash of the first movie, spending much of it with James Franciscus going through the same motions as Heston did a few years earlier. And the absence of Roddy Macdowall (who IIRC couldn't do the movie because of another film project) is keenly felt. More Linda Harrison as Nova is never a bad thing, though -- I really wish they'd actually made that Wonder Woman TV series starring her that was talked about in the 60s.

The original may be the best, but Escape is my favorite and the one I enjoy rewatching. Not sure why. Yeah, the series took a turn for the silly (and the death of Sal Mineo's "redshirt" ape is unintentionally hilarious), but there's some serious intent behind the silly, and Eric Braeden makes for the series' best villain (even though he's actually closer to a Jack Bauer anti-hero than a true bad guy).

The last two films I think was where the series fell apart. I'm not sure when the "full circle" idea came to be, but neither Conquest nor Battle really provide satisfactory wrap-ups. The idea that, in a few short years apes would start to resemble the "civilized" apes of the first three movies, rather than thousands of years as implied by the first few movies, pushes suspension of disbelief a bit too far. One aspect I found interesting about Conquest, the darkening of the Caesar character, is diminished by a studio-mandated tacked-on ending (the dialogue about being merciful and working together was NOT in the original edit), and completely contradicted by him becoming a Cornelius type in the final film.

Alex

 

[Mistral]

I'm a child of the 70s and te Apes films were a lot of fun. For all of their flaws, i loved them.

 

[Pauln6]

I found it strange that the modern remake made the humans so civilised - they were clean, relatively smartly dressed, articulate, and some even had time to crimp and highlight their hair. I think it's a shame that Holywood has become so glossy that they couldn't bring themselves to have grubby women (mind you, they did the same in the inferior matrix sequels). The ape make-up and the effort the actors put into the physicality of being apr-like was quite cool though.

The original is the best; it was a shame they bumped off the female astronaut right at the start though; it might have been nicer to have some more varied 'modern' humans interacting with the apes.

 

[Noname Given]

I am a fan of just the original one made in 1968....the one with Charlton Heston. In themes and plot messages it is the closest one to original novel written by Pierre Boulle

While I'm a fan of the first Apes film too; it's obvious you haven't read the Pierre Boulie novel; as the 'Ape' film that follows it the closet in overall theme is Eascape From the Planet of the Apes. The Apes in the novel didn't reallyfear Tylor at all and helped him relaunch to return home (and I won't spoil the ending for those that haven't read it - nor the maner in which Taylor's story in the novel was delivered).

 

[arch101]

The 1968 film is an absolute classic. I have it and the novel, and prefer the Rod Serling-rewritten film's story better. The 4 sequels are OK. I agree with the above poster about actors VS. CGI for the apes. Maurice Evans, McDowell and Hunter all gave excellent performances in the 68 film. I only wish the makeup had been as good as it was in the '01 film so they could have emoted more.
As for the '01 film, I have no use for it except as kindling. Absolutely awful. Another victim of the Estella Warren curse. (ever see a hit with her in it? notice she's gone already?)

 

[Kail]

I liked the first film, and the third, the one set in modern time. I liked the TV show very much, even though it was drastically different than the films.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

The original is the best; it was a shame they bumped off the female astronaut right at the start though; it might have been nicer to have some more varied 'modern' humans interacting with the apes.

There was a novel - I can't remember if it was a novelization of the 2001 film, or a sequel - which reveals what happened to her:

Spoiler: POTA

She is basically eaten alive by the apes which are breaking loose from their cages on the crashed space station.

Now call me crazy, but I could have done wtihout that....

 

[Joel_Kirk]

Ah, an ape thread. Good.

I can ask a question, which is:

In the final 'Battle for the....' the stone of Caesar cries, looking over the children of humans and apes. Roddy McDowall(sp?) said in the commentary that the stone was crying because events that led up to the original movie will happen again. (I, personally, didn't think so).

I thought that humans and apes eventually would live in peace...according to Caesar's dream.

Another question that comes up: Is the ending left up to the viewer's imagination?

EDIT: I guess my first question was: Do events eventually happen as they do in the first film?

 

[Navigator_NCC2120]

I am a fan of the original 1968 film and the first 2 sequels, I grew up with them. I didn't care for the tv series. I hated the Tim Burton 2001 version.

I remember reading somewhere that during the 1980s or 1990s while the new apes film was still being developed, Taylor still crashed in the year 3978, but that the film starts 20 years later in the year 3998 with him, Nova, their children, along with the apes and humans co-existing due to a change in the timeline by Ceasar. I don't recall what the confilict was in the new apes film, possibly the mutant New Yorkers attacking the ape/human community. I would have preferred this to the Tim Burton apes film, if for no other reason than to see Charlton Heston and Linda Harrison as Col. George Taylor and Nova again.


Navigator NCC-2120 USS Entente
/\

 

[Gary Mitchell]

The original is the best; it was a shame they bumped off the female astronaut right at the start though; it might have been nicer to have some more varied 'modern' humans interacting with the apes.

There was a novel - I can't remember if it was a novelization of the 2001 film, or a sequel - which reveals what happened to her:

Spoiler: POTA

She is basically eaten alive by the apes which are breaking loose from their cages on the crashed space station.

Now call me crazy, but I could have done wtihout that....

Pauln6 was talking about the original POTA. The female astronaut died in hibernation because of a malfunction.

 

[Admiral Buzzkill]

I liked the series at the time, but the only one that's really brilliant is the original. Other than that, my favorites are the third and fourth ones - "Beneath" and "Conquest" are just bad.

 

[Can]

I am a fan of just the original one made in 1968....the one with Charlton Heston. In themes and plot messages it is the closest one to original novel written by Pierre Boulle

While I'm a fan of the first Apes film too; it's obvious you haven't read the Pierre Boulie novel; as the 'Ape' film that follows it the closet in overall theme is Eascape From the Planet of the Apes. The Apes in the novel didn't reallyfear Tylor at all and helped him relaunch to return home (and I won't spoil the ending for those that haven't read it - nor the maner in which Taylor's story in the novel was delivered).

Spoiler: themes regarding Planet of the Apes

I said it is similar to novel in themes not events and sequence written in novel...In novel Ulyssee Moreu ( a French astronout ) was the primary character. His capture and death his companions ( Proffesor and other guy ) by gorilla hunting party were similar after their shuttle was destroyed by primitive humans. And yes in novel ape civilization was much more advanced and some progressive apes helped him to return orbiting spaceship waiting him at the end. Otherwise he would be prosecuted by other apes. In the finale Moreu returns Earth just to find out that apes civilization was in charge there and he had been on Earth all along ! ( just like the finale of Tim Burton's movie )"]I said it is similar to novel in themes not events and sequence written in novel...In novel Ulyssee Moreu ( a French astronout ) was the primary character. His capture and death his companions ( Proffesor and other guy ) by gorilla hunting party were similar after their shuttle was destroyed by primitive humans. And yes in novel ape civilization was much more advanced and some progressive apes helped him to return orbiting spaceship waiting him at the end. Otherwise he would be prosecuted by other apes. In the finale Moreu returns Earth just to find out that apes civilization was in charge there and he had been on Earth all along ! ( just like the finale of Tim Burton's movie )

In themes like questioning humanity , its acts , motives etc original Planet of Apes was much more similar to novel

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

Pauln6 was talking about the original POTA. The female astronaut died in hibernation because of a malfunction.

Oh. Right. Sorry, my bad.

 

[RJDiogenes]

Wow, stretchy Thread.

The original Planet Of The Apes is a real Science Fiction classic; and a rare example of real SF in movies or TV. The sequels are enjoyable if you like the original. The TV series was a real nice adventure series (and it had Roddy McDowall). The mid-70s comic by Doug Moench and Mike Ploog is second only to the original movie in quality.

The remake, I had forgotten within about fifteen minutes of seeing it. The upcoming remake, I have little optimism for.

What I'd really like to see is somebody with knowledge of and respect for the original make a new movie set in the original continuity.