merelyaninnuendo Planet Of The Apes4 Out Of 5Planet Of The Apes is a sci-fi plot driven feature that depicts a life changing experience of an explorer who has landed on an unknown land and probably among a known species. Despite of having such a wide range on the genre, very few of them gets it right and this is one of them and primary reason to that is the maturity and the ingenious approach towards that concept is what makes it stand alone. It is short on technical aspects like cinematography, production design and editing although is rich in costume design and background score and sound effects. The writing is strong and witty and isn't afraid to visit unexplored places with thought-provoking concept and a sense of urgency that keeps the audience engaged throughout the course of it. The adaptive screenplay by Michael Wilson and Rod Serling is gripping and smart as the various steps in an act just falls in fluently without any hesitation. Franklin J. Schaffner; the director, is in his A game and has pulled off one of the best sci-fi fictional feature that is abruptly evergreen in its self-created mythology. It is short on performance but in actors' defense there isn't much range provided for them to factor in, accordingly. Planet Of The Apes is a worth exploring land on terms of the craft that went into creating such a glorifying and adventurous experience that communicates immensely with the audience.

Bella The Planet Of The Apes (1968) is an Adventure/Sci-Fi movie starring Charlton Heston as George Taylor. Although the main focus of the movie is science fiction, there are some funny moments and some sweet moments as well. The movie begins with Charlton Heston, an American astronaut, talking in the control room and then later, after the main title sequence, the astronauts awake from their beds. The ship begins flooding and they attempt to signal to Earth to inform them that they have landed. They cannot save the ship so they grab life jackets and abandon it. As they exit, you can gather that they have crashed onto a planet with water and dark red sand mountainous islands. They get their life raft and begin to paddle while their spaceship sinks so they realize they will be unable to get home. At first, it is unknown what planet they are on and what kind of species the planet is inhabited by. As they get to land, they test the environment with some of the equipment they salvaged from the crash. They only have enough food and water for 3 days so they will need to explore the planet and find another way to eat. The acing is great and the landscape is stunning. The movie will leave you wondering and questioning what will happen next. The special effects are excellent for its time. While exploring, lightning which looks realistic is simulated to add to their journey. A heavy boulder almost falls on them as it crashes into pieces and forces them to run around it. It all looks magnificent. You won't believe that the movie was made in 1968. The astronauts find life in the form of a plant and they seek out to find more of it. Eventually, they find a waterfall and bathe in it. Something steals their clothes and equipment. Upon investigation, they realize it is a being that looks similar to humans but appears to be mute and less intelligent than homo sapiens. Their humanness is shown as their first thought is to rule over these less intelligent beings.When the apes appear the first time, very intense orchestra music plays. The human- like beings get scared and immediately begin running for their lives. It is apparent why they ran when the apes, mounted on horses, begin shooting at them. Considering the movie is so old, the apes look pretty decent.. at least as decent as they possibly could at that time. We find out later that the apes are able to speak. This Sci-Fi classic will take you on an adventure as it follow's these astronaut's journey on The Planet Of The Apes. The acting, landscapes, and special effects make this film one of the best films of all time.

a_chinn Charlton Heston is part of a crew of astronauts who crash land on a planet where monkeys and apes have evolved into the dominant species and humans are the wild, mute creatures living in the wilderness. Written by Rod Serling, legendary host and creator of "The Twilight Zone," the film is fascinating science fiction that works on the surface as straightforward entertainment but also works on a subtextual level, raising questions about evolution, animal cruelty, and humanity's inclination towards war. My only complaints about the film are that the opening scenes in the desert seem to drag on for quite a while and don't serve to forward the story. Also, the films final scenes are rather slow paced and overly talky. SPOILER ALERT! Now I do love the extended scenes of Heston and Nova's surreal horseback ride along the beach before his surprise discovery ("You Maniacs! You blew it up! Ah, damn you! God damn you all to hell!"), but it's the scenes preceding this in the archaeological dig site that seemed rather slow, though I do quite enjoy Heston's lecturing of Dr. Zaius ("Doctor, would an ape make a human doll that TALKS?" - although my kids have many talking animal toys, so it's a bit of an invalid argument, though no one can argue the point if Charlton Heston is shouting it at you.). Despite occasional pacing issues, Serling and director Franklin J. Schaffner ("Patton" "Papillon") create a world that becomes increasingly rich and fascinating as the film goes on. An imperfect film, but an undeniable classic, as well as a significant pop culture touchstone.

Sarah Carlton Allow me to begin this review by describing a childhood event for you. I was perhaps 10 years old, sitting in an arm chair that was way too big for me. And on the TV screen, was Planet of the Apes. I had not intended to sit down and watch the film in it's entirety, but that was the result all the same. The outcome? 10 year old me was fascinating and intrigued by what she saw. And the film's incredible twist ending, (which I shall not spoil just in case) left a very deep impression upon me and I have never forgotten it since.1968 proved to be an important year for the science fiction genre. In the span of only 12 months, audiences were treated to both 2001: A Space Odyssey and this film. Remarkably, both films feature scenes with realistic ape make-up. Or at the very least, it was realistic for it's time. But let's not compare too much.Younger generations seem to mistaken this film as one of those "campy" sci-fi flicks of the 1960's which have that "so bad it's good" appeal. Rest assured, Planet of the Apes is not one of those films. Rather, it's a deeply thought-provoking and philosophical study on the human race. But what makes this commentary on humanity so different from other sci-fi films is that the film makers chose to explore it through satire. Apes and men are completely reversed. It is the apes who walk around on two legs and capture humans for their amusement and studies while humans are primal and barbaric creatures who cannot speak. Up is down. Backwards is forwards, etc. What the main protagonist, George Taylor describes as "a mad house" is actually quite normal for the ape masses. And it's through such satirical and excellent screen writing that these themes begin to take hold. They are as amusing as they are slightly terrifying.Held under a metaphorical microscope, the aforementioned screenplay is absolutely phenomenal. It's rife with mirthful and stimulating material. I believe it was this quality which had drawn me to the film so easily as a child. It mesmerizes as much as it entertains. However, it also forces us to confront our own wrongdoings. Evoking all sorts of complex questions for us to observe. Is man really so different from animals? Is our first instinct to destroy? Are we actually civil? Or merely pretending to be? You could argue and ponder over such questions all day long, but thankfully the film still provides a good time even without these philosophical musings.As far as performances go, they are also (mostly) excellent. Kim Hunter and Roddy Mcdowall are both able to emote so much through their heavy and intense ape-make up. Every time I watch their scenes, I become more and more impressed. Charleton Heston's best moments emerge when his character is rendered temporarily mute. It has always been my hypothesis that an actor's talent can only be truly tested when he cannot speak, only react. When he does speak, he's simply adequate at best. A very arrogant and ham-fisted performance sometimes gets in the way of what could have been an expertly delivered line of dialogue, but these blunders are far and few between.I consider the original Planet of the Apes to be a definitive sci-fi classic of it's time. And while it is not required to be viewed by anyone who calls themselves a film buff, it is highly recommended that you do. And for good reason.