Planet of the Apes

1968 "Somewhere in the Universe, there must be something better than man!"
8| 1h52m| G| en| More Info
Released: 07 February 1968 Released
Producted By: 20th Century Fox
Country: United States of America
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
Official Website: https://www.20thcenturystudios.com/movies/planet-of-the-apes-1968
Synopsis

Astronaut Taylor crash lands on a distant planet ruled by apes who use a primitive race of humans for experimentation and sport. Soon Taylor finds himself among the hunted, his life in the hands of a benevolent chimpanzee scientist.

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Reviews

Stometer Save your money for something good and enjoyable
GazerRise Fantastic!
RipDelight This is a tender, generous movie that likes its characters and presents them as real people, full of flaws and strengths.
Fatma Suarez The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful
jayrh33 A 9 for technical achievement alone! A 50 year old movie and the plot and particularly the make-up effects still hold up today.Watched today 05/08/2018 on a 50" UHD 4K Digital LED TV. Even close up, the make-up effects hold-up and would hold up to anything current .
tankace Finally I reached the ground zero of one of the most historic and iconic science fiction series of all time and now examining it, is a great experience and a true journey trough time as this film will become 50 years old in 2018.Also what is also astonishing is that the effects and makes still hold up. As for the story it holds up so well ,because it is so simple, a group of astronauts crash lands in to a strange place were humans are mute act like animal and apes rule. There and during the film we see critics of religion, prejudice, reaction of the established order to keep itself in power and one of the greatest plot twist in film history.That's all I have to write about this film, for let's be real many critics in both the press and Youtube have gave much more analytic and in depth looks for this film and I have been partially inspired by them and use some of their notices.Overall this film must be in everyone list of films to see before you die.
Idiot-Deluxe Planet of the Apes is the first and easily the best film of what would unfortunately become a mediocre franchise. But when it comes to the first film, what we are treated to is a strikingly distinctive classic of science fiction, as well as a marvel of creative and intelligent film-making; one that's filled with many wondrous sights and sounds - but by no means is Planet of the Apes a perfection production and it's not without it's flaws. By now most are familiar with the movies plot, which revolves around it's striking, sometimes brutal depiction of a primitive world, that's inhabited by intelligent apes that's dictated by their own strict, often belligerent brand of simian rule. Simply put, the movies basic premise is certainly one that would turn anyone's perception of reality completely on it's head.Starring Charlton Heston in one of his best and most important roles as the main character/space traveler Captain George Taylor (really a name more fitting for a truck driver or a plumber, then an Astronaut), whose in command of a crew of four (counting himself) and of their mission....... well let's just say things don't go as planned and that there are many surprises ahead - a whole movies worth. Planet of the Apes is in many ways a visually stunning film (for it's era), one that's brimming with beautiful location photography of many exotic locales (which is especially true in the beginning and end of the film), which fills your screen with many splendid wonders of the natural world. But even more importantly in creating this fantasy was it's extravagant and ground-breaking use of animalistic make-up and latex prosthetics, which at that point had never before been attempted on such a vast scale. Throughout the film you'll see dozens upon dozens of people, painstakingly fitted out in the image of upright walking "apes" with cloths, these remarkable transformations were achieved through the brilliant wizardry of the make-up department of 21st Century Fox Studio.Another notable contribution to the greatness of this film which cannot go unmentioned, is the phenomenally effective music of Jerry Goldsmith; who for this feature created a thrilling masterpiece of abstract film scoring. To my ears it's a surreal and transportive experience, one that thrusts you into an exotic sound world, filled with unsettling tension and foreboding atmospherics, that are constantly ebbing and flowing in perfect harmony with the movies glorious visuals. Many of the scores more unusual sounds (and there are many) were brought to life by a wide array of obscure instruments, from far-off foreign lands from around the world, such as Africa and India. Nearly every significant moment of the film is underpinned by Goldsmith's masterful music, which rings forth in a broad spectrum of mesmerizing tones and textures. In a highly prolific career that spanned nearly half a century, the music of Planet of the Apes is likely maestro Goldsmith's best and most creative effort to date, so much so that it's my opinion his music outshines everything else and is the best and most memorable aspect of the film. His music is just that good.On the negative side of things this movie does have it's short-comings and I do have a few complaints, which if you're at all familiar with the movie, is certainly not unfounded. Such as the poorly realized Ape City, which is far from impressive and is underwhelming in it's scope and scale, much more time, money and effort should have gone into it's construction; and at the very least it's size and grandeur could have been bolstered by the use of models and miniature sets (and on a very minor side-note, if you haven't noticed, every single wooden door seen on the sets look fake). Then there's the unwavering self-conceit and irritating "higher-than-thou" personality of Dr. Zaius (Mr. Positivity himself), his haughty proclamations of superiority get mighty tiresome and repetitive - you simply can't act that superior and not expect to wreak of conceit. Then there's the films action element/screen violence to speak of and judge and with the exception of "The Hunt" none of the films action-sequences are particularly impressive or hold-up to repeated viewings; and even though they are unique, many movies before and certainly after have much better action scenes. Another negative is that during the very last shot of the movie (the long-shot on the beach), if you haven't noticed, the films resolution nose-dives and as a result the image quality simply looks terrible, the degradation is hard not to notice, as it's anything but subtle.A brief word on the string of inferior sequels that followed this film, starting with 1970's "Beneath the Planet of the Apes" which as far as sequels go is actually pretty decent, but definitely not as good as it's predecessor. However beyond that first sequel all other installments of the franchise were done on progressively smaller budgets and sadly, but not surprisingly, get more and more pathetic with each and every movie. As far as the first batch of Planet of the Apes films goes (there currently is a revival of the franchise with the release of two new films) only the first film is essential viewing. And if you're a completest somewhere in the middle of all that, is the one-off that Tim Burton ill-advisedly made back in the early 2000's - which is not worth mentioning any further.
theotadros Charlton Heston excels in the initial installment of the later to be franchise of "the Planet of the Apes", providing a riveting experience for the general public and critics alike. The film sets itself out as an instant classic, with an unnerving twist that makes you feel unsettled in your seat; and that's from a 2017 point of view, in the perspective of someone in 1968 you would be left feeling petrified with the fear of the bomb was not an irrational one. The film entails the story of Taylor, the main protagonist who has the horrible experience of seeing is crew get killed one by one, even before they've set foot off the ship. He shortly finds out on the island that Apes are the dominant species on the planet that they have crash landed on and it is the humans that are illiterate and dumb. Taylor finds himself to be an anomaly amongst the other mentally subnormal humans and it is not long after he is apprehended by apes, that they find this out too. It is then that he shows his ability to comprehend speech and write, before later revealing his ability to speak in the infamous line "Get your stinkin' paws off me you damn dirty ape". During all this time, Taylor has befriended an "ape doctor" who was the first to recognise his intelligence and it is her and her husband whom help Taylor to escape so that he may be free to roam the planet, it is not long though before he is warned of what lies in the forbidden territory with the ambiguous line from Dr Zaius - "The Forbidden Zone was once a paradise. Your breed made a desert of it, ages ago.", this is the first reference of two in the film to the bomb and the cold war; the second being Taylor discovery of a destroyed Statue of Liberty.