Planet of the Apes (1968)

Composite Score: 81.63

Starring: Charlton Heston, Roddy McDowell, Kim Hunter, Maurice Evans, James Whitmore, James Daly, and Linda Harrison

Director: Franklin J. Schaffner

Writers: Michael Wilson, Rod Serling, and Pierre Boulle

Genres: Adventure, Sci-Fi, Drama

MPAA Rating: G

Box Office: $32.60 million worldwide

Why should you Watch This Film?

                Planet of the Apes is the first film in the franchise, set 2000 years in the future, following the adventures of George Taylor (Charlton Heston) when his spaceship crashes on a strange planet ruled by sentient apes with humans that don’t speak and are treated as wild animals. It’s a wild premise for a single film, let alone a franchise that has produced three films on this blog’s list of Greatest Films of All Time. This film and its successors experience success through a combination of quality engagement with the nature of humanity, solid visuals, and full commitment to their own bit. This original 1968 film also contains what was at the time one of the best plot twists in cinematic history. With all of the sequels and prequels that have been made since the original, the plot twist has since been spoiled, but for the time it was exceptional.

Why shouldn’t you Watch This Film?

                One of the best things about Planet of the Apes is the plot twist that comes in the last three minutes of the film (MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD), namely that the planet where Taylor and his crew landed is, in fact, Earth, the same planet that they set out from thousands of years in the past. As an addendum to the theme of humanity’s destructive tendencies, the twist still works, and having it spoiled by the existence of four sequels, three prequels, a television show, and a failed 2001 reboot does little to detract from the statement that the film is making. However, watching the film, I get the feeling that a lot of what made people love this original so much was the mind-blowing moment when Taylor and Nova ride up the shore and the silhouette of the Statue of Liberty begins to show from behind – realization would begin to dawn before being brought fully home with the shot of Charlton Heston on his knees in the surf with the sunken Statue behind him. It’s a really good twist that has been somewhat lessened by all of the subsequent Apes films.

                Also, this film’s story frustrates viewers like a mid-season CW show break-up plot. It contains an abundance of dramatic irony stemming from Taylor’s inability to speak due to being shot in the throat after landing on the planet. Any time the audience knows the truth that would help the position of the on-screen characters, frustration can begin to set in, especially when the on-screen characters seem to want to know the truth but can’t, due to lack of quality communication. To some extent, this dramatic irony helps move the film along and keep the audience invested, but when you realize that it is the main plot device operating in the story, it quickly becomes an annoyance.

So wait, why should you Watch This Film?

                Planet of the Apes is undoubtedly a science fiction classic, engaging human truths through wildly fictionalized narrative that is just otherworldly enough to not make anybody too uncomfortable. While some of the statements about “man” or “humans” can come across as a little heavy-handed (literally read from the Ape scriptures at one point), the truth contained in the film remains poignant. The implicit history of the Earth is that humans essentially wiped each other out (through war or plague), setting forward ape development/evolution to become the new dominant planetary society (still speaking English though). Within its themes are also criticisms of humanity’s treatment of “lesser” species and the progress-resistant nature of religion when it interacts with science. Both sub-themes also remain relevant in a modern context and help keep the film engaging as well.

                The costuming/make-up department for Planet of the Apes must be applauded, creating prosthetics for people to wear that allow them to look both like “apes” and like emotional humans at the same time. It’s really well done for a film made in the late-1960s and really helps flesh out the world as both otherworldly and familiar. For some viewers, the ape costumes could induce a little bit of the uncanny valley phenomenon, but I think it works really well, especially on the chimpanzee and orangutan main characters.

                Overall, commitment to making a film about sentient apes ruling a future Earth where humans have become like beasts impresses while you watch Planet of the Apes. Quality exploration of relevant themes and well-crafted makeup and costumes help sell the film as one of the greats and help it overcome its now-spoiled plot twist and at times frustrating plot devices. Slower than many of its successors and later science fiction films, Planet of the Apes nonetheless has a place in the science fiction and Great Films pantheon and should be on fans of either category’s watch lists.