THE FOLLOWING REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS OF THE DISCUSSED FILM. READERS DISCRETION IS ADVISED.
In cinema, many worlds can come to life and that includes a Planet of the Apes.
PLOT
Based on Pierre Boulle's titular novel, the 1968 film begins in 1972 and follows a group of astronauts take part of a space expedition in which they travel light years away from their home solar system. 2006 years after departure, they crash land on an uncharted planet. The three men, Taylor, Landon (Robert Gunner) & Dodge (Jeff Burton) barely aged in hibernation due to resting in their cryo pods. However, their female teammate Stewart (Dianne Stanley) died due to her pod breaking before crash landing causing her to age rapidly. As the remaining team travels through a desert, they find unordinary scarecrows and get their clothes stolen & shredded by a primitive group of mute humans. Things would only take the most unexpected turn when all get captured by intelligent apes, particularly gorilla guards. In the process, Taylor would be shot in the throat in which he lost his voice, Dodge would be killed and Landon would go missing. When taken to Ape City, chimpanzee psychologist Zira and surgeon Galen (Wright KIng) are able to save the male human. When held in captivity, he would be placed with a mute female he would nickname Nova. Taylor notices how the apes' society live in a form of theocracy while some despise humans as a whole. He proves his intelligence to Zira and her fiance Cornelius by making a paper plane. Their orangutan superior Dr. Zaius demands him to be castrated but the human makes a break for it as he refuses that to happen. Upon getting captured again, he regains his voice which alarms everyone. In a hearing that'll decide his fate, Taylor tries to plead his case but can barely get a word out because humans don't have rights in ape society. When Landon is found lobotomized, Taylor would be livid upon realization and be restrained once again. Zaius then threatens to do the same if he doesn't tell the truth to his liking on where he comes from, but the astronaut sticks to his truth. Later on, Zira's nephew Lucius (Lou Wagner) would free him and Nova from captivity and take them with his aunt & uncle to the Forbidden Zone, a taboo region outside Ape City that has been ruled out of bounds for centuries. There, they gather human artifacts as proof of an earlier non-simian civilization. When Zaius arrives and sees their case through, he admits he's known of past human civilization. Still wanting to look for answers, he continues looking through the Forbidden Zone and takes Nova with her. Before departing, Zaius warns him he won't like what he's looking for. By the time both humans leave however, Zaius chooses to destroy the evidence and charge the chimps with heresy. The film would end in a shocking cliffhanger where Taylor realizes he crash landed on Earth this whole time as he discovers the remnants of the Statue of Liberty confirming to be the result of an apocalyptic war.
THOUGHTS
I didn't read the book in advance but I was sure this adaptation was gonna be worthwhile and boy was it ever. Director Franklin J Schaffner and cowriters Rod Serling & Michael Wilson pushed such boundaries with the most intriguing sci fi setting to date, one so captivating we got a whole franchise afterwards. The production design of Ape City is quite the spectacle and Jerry Goldsmith's score was arguably eery because you couldn't guarantee the outcome of such an environment. Before motion capture technology ever became possible, the makeup that was done to bring the intelligent apes to life was insane. They're just the right look when you're thinking what should they look like should they have our lives. Speaking of which, I was impressed with the idea that the three different species of shown apes had different roles in society instead of shared: Orangutans were the government overseers, while the gorillas were the military/laborers and the chimps were mostly doctors & scientists. Seeing the roles reversed between apes and humans made this film so mesmerizing to this day because it gives a big reflection on how monstrous racism is in our own society and how religion has people based their actions on their beliefs. It's the saddest realization to say aloud because of how it is over 50 years after the release of this film because this problem hasn't gone away and at this point, it wouldn't surprise me if everyone's prejudice could lead to the final shot of Lady Liberty. And with such compelling characters, it reminds us who the right and wrong will always be pointed at. Maurice Evans makes quite an impact as Dr. Zaius due to how destructive he is with each decision. He is aware of what humans had before evolution came to apes' liking and because of it, he'd rather put the bast behind rather than open a can of worms his generation won't fathom. While that sounds honorable, he makes it come off like he's doing it for himself which of course doesn't look good on his end. Kim Hunter & Roddy McDowell were an incredible pair as Zira & Cornelius respectively as they both played their characters to be passionate with their beliefs but don't overthink in comparison to Zaius. Cornelius may be anxious from time to time, but it's Zira who is more outspoken in what she chooses to learn and refuses to be restrained like humans. Speaking of which, it's ironic at least one had common sense compared to the generation he left behind. Charlton Heston gives a performance as amazing as his past roles because as Taylor, he is a cynical guy who wanted something better than what he had before departure. Sadly, he learns the hard way the future wasn't gonna improve like he would wish. Despite the disappointment and feeling isolated in his new predicament, he doesn't stop defending himself from having a life to fight for. He even takes a liking to Nova, well played by the beautiful Linda Harrison, because he admires the curiosity she displays. If only she had a voice to tell him sooner what happened which would save him from such disappointment. This movie will continue standing the test of time, but there are still some plot elements that don't age well upon re-watching. Like let's be honest, there is no way smoking would be allowed in a spaceship no matter how advanced it could be. That ages so badly because it's still prohibited in modern times due to the limited oxygen onboard. It gets even worse to notice Taylor would still have a pack of them on him after crash landing. If they really wanted a scene for Taylor to smoke, it would've been hilarious if he shared a stogie with the ape guard before escaping for the last time. There is no way cigarettes are just as useful as food, water & medicine. You might as well add some coffee patches while you're at it. I think it's crazy how neither astronaut had the time checking which planet they're on before having to abandon ship. It's one way for us to keep us under the loop it's Earth, but they could've said the tapes were not updated for them to know where they are. And how the hell could the three ration emergency food meant for three days? That's guaranteed to be a challenge because no one's guaranteed to eat the same amount. For someone who hates continuity errors, you know how weird it was to notice Dodge be at least 7 feet apart from the others when leaving the canyon only to have a half mile lead in the next. It even gets weirder when he and Landon get fruit and don't share with Taylor. Like which tree did they get it from? It's so weird of a moment because there's no doubt Taylor had to have been hungry when other humans took their stuff. Alsom how is a wooden crutch good enough of a weapon if the ape guards are just gonna push humans back to the cage? I'm surprised they don't have tasers like in Kingdom. You could've just stuck with the lacrosse rather than change it up It was even smart for Taylor to use the sand to spell, but why not tap onto the cage to get needed attention to prove he's smart. That was more annoying than Nova not having any reason to mess with his message before Zaius destroyed said evidence. And how the hell do apes not know what paper planes are? Making an aircraft may be impossible for them, but it's not like they don't have an imagination. I also feel like Taylor should've hid in the human museum much longer to avoid the ape guards because it's not like he couldn't try. I'm even surprised the ape guards don't try a sneak attack after Zaius tells them to withdraw due to Taylor holding him at gunpoint. Would've been a more intense scenario if you ask me. If you can ignore said flaws, you'll still appreciate this movie as much as I have. In short, Planet of the Apes is one of the best sci fi films ever made for creating the most captivating dystopia that makes you question modern reality & society as a whole. If you want a thought provoking tale, this film will do it for you.
Comments