Planet of the Apes

Rating:
Summary: statue of liberty buried alive
Review: great film this although i'm not sure that it is a fantastic literary adaption

turning a great twist ending into a chance meeting by charlton heston with the statue of liberty, an extremely unlikely event by the way, is not a great adaption in my opinion.

and if you are going to go down this road, why not have him stumbling across the eiffel tower instead, allowing the film to at least acknowledge pierre boulles work?

i found the idea of the astronauts being french in the book rather more interesting, not to mention a nice change. does marky mark have a french accent in his repertoire?

great film though and memorable outfits too. contrary to popular opinion, i loved those tan leather suits, for some reason it's those that i remember most from when i watched the film originally years ago as a kid.

in no other movie will you see apes ride horses so well

Rating:
Summary: Most Intelligent Movie I Have Seen In A While.
Review: I loved this movie. It is about four astronouts who crash on to a mysterious planet. All of them die in the first 20 minutes except for Charlie Heston who is captured by the natives. People-like apes. The ending is great and this is a must have. I give it *scraches a five onto a prison cell wall* FIVE STARS!

Rating:
Summary: The best sort of 'Monkey Business' EVER!
Review: Having been positively OBSESSED with 'Planet of the Apes' as a child (I was convinced I'd grow up to marry Cornelius) I was interested to see how enchanted I'd be with it as a movie-jaded 35 year old. Let me tell you, I am 'newly' obsessed with this fabulous film! As a child, I didn't 'get' the hidden agenda behind the movie's simeon exterior, but the questions it poses on so MANY very 'human' issues are so beautifully handled that one truly comes away breathless!

(The sound of the gorilla soldier's horses off-screen is still one of the scariest sound-effects in motion picture history, and the final scene (yes, THAT scene!) still sends shivers down the spine!)

Next year's remake may promise better special effects, yet the enormous impact of this timeless original could never be equaled!

Rating:
Summary: Sci-Fi masterpiece
Review: if you are a fan of Charlton Heston, buy this movie, If you are a fan of talking monkeys, buy this movie. But most of all if you like twists turns, action, and drama, buy this movie. It was co written with Rod Serling of Twighlite zone fame so you know it has lots of suprises. you will not be dissapointed

Rating:
Summary: An Eye Opening Spectacle
Review: Planet of the Apes, the film that is now renowned as one of the best (I think it's the best, personally) sci-fi films of all time, but it took a little while to finally get to the big screen. The final result is nothing short of a masterpiece. The world weary astronaut Taylor and three other astronauts (the woman dies, and it's pretty freaky.) crash land on some unknown planet and find it is inhabited by intelligiant apes and the humans are mute animals. The animal/human roles are completely reversed. Taylor is brought to kinda of a labratory for animals. He was shot in the neck so he can't talk, ensuring his safety, for a little while. Here Nova (Linda Harrison) is introduced. Nova is thrown into Taylor's cell and it is announced that "Dr Zira (Kim Hunter) wants those two humans to mate." It is here that human privacy is invaded and makes the watcher feel self-conscious about anything and everything they have ever done. It's disgusting in a way, but witht he animal roles switched, it's perfectly logical. Taylor soon escapes. During his run, he hides in the museum and there sees one of his fellow astronauts stuffed and on display, yet another chilling reality check in this film. He is caught and exclaims, "Get your paws off me you damn dirty ape!" During about the time when this scene was shot during the origianl filming, Charlton Heston got the flu, from running around in the skimpy attire he had to wear, by the way. After this, he is put on trial in front of the apes. 3 arangatangs (I didn't spell that right) are his judges. Here, we see the three going into denial as it becomes so obvious that Taylor is not a missing link or a fluke but is a normal human being. While doing this, we see the "hear, speak, see no evil" being performed. It's here that the forbidden zone comes into play. Dr. Zaius (Maurice Evans, Edward J. Robinson was originally slated for the role.), Cornelius (Roddy McDowell), Dr. Zira, Taylor, and Nova all go there. Here they find a fall out shelter. False teeth, eyeglasses, and a human doll that talks are among the things they find. Taylor is let go with Nova and with just less that 5 minutes in the film, one of the most shocking endings in film history comes into play. Taylor comes upon the half buried statue of liberty, "You finally did it, you blew it up! Damn you! Damn you all to hell! " he exclaims in a powerful, shocking, and well damning scene.

The message in this film is simple: nuclear war is an option we must abolish. The film warns against the horrors of nuclear war, it's that simple. It is this message that so many people over look and thus thing this film is a pointless piece of entertainment held together by a bunch of actors in rubber ape makeup that cost $1 million. If that message is brought into mind, even 30 years after, the film is still powerful. It's dated, yes, with the cold war over a decade, but is still a strong reminder that we have to take responsibility now that nuclear annhilation is just a push button away. This film gives that message subtly, making it a masterpiece, both in the Science Fiction genre and the gritty realist drama.

But, to end my review on a high note, here are a few tidbits you may not have known: a scene was cut from the film with Nova being pregnant. The filmmakers decided the twist would take too much away from the original plot (how would the child turn out? would Taylor and Nova create a whole new intelligiant human race? This ending would give the hint that maybe the human race can have a second chance, but that wouldn't of worked.) In the original screen test, Linda Harrison was tested for Dr Zira. In the book, the apes are very intelligiant, with flying machines, and high tech houses. The budget wouldn't alloy that so their society was made more primative. The houses were contructed with cardboard and a type of foam, copying a type of house found in Europe, where the houses are carved into hillsides. There are four sequels to this film: Beneath-, Escape from-, Conquest of-, and Battle for- The Planet of the Apes.

Rating:
Summary: One of the greatest movies of all time
Review: If the booming music and video image of the Ape holding the rifle on the horse when Charlton Heston first sees the Apes doesn't send chills through your body, then you must have ice water running through your veins. Remember leading up to that part of the scene, all you see is bamboo sticks whacking away at the humans in the corn field, but you can't see whose doing it. Totally frightening. I would recommend the movie just for this one scene, although the entire movie will blow your mind.

Rating:
Summary: You blew it all to Hell!
Review: Go Charlton! This is one of the most intelligent sci-fi films ever made. If you don't know about the ending it will blow your mind.

One of Charltons best films, he plays an astronaut who lands on an alien planet where humans exist as a sub-species in the eyes of their ape masters. As one of the few intelligent humans, he becomes first a subject for study to the apes, and then a threat.

A reflection and satire on so many facets of society and attitudes today I can't list them all here, this is a classic film. Even though Tim Burton is doing the remake, it could never be as good.

Make sure you watch this before you see the remake, or the lame sequels.

Rating:
Summary: A masterpiece
Review: Few films aim to be on as many levels as this one, and even fewer films succeed at that. This one does in spades! It is, simultaneously, brilliant as allegory, satire, science fiction, fantasy, suspense thriller, and action-adventure film. It can be enjoyed as marvelous fun, or pondered as serious, disturbing art.

The film abounds in irony, not only in the many inversions of ape cliches ("human see, human do"; the trio of apes enacting "see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil" at the trial), human institut ions (religion; scientific research on animals) and of course, the famous ending; it also is the ingeniously ironic tale of a misanthrope (Heston's Taylor) forced to defend the actions of the human race (which he hates) in order to save his own life! AND by the time of Taylor's parting from the apes at the archeological site, he holds a higher view of mankind than he did during the film's first half hour, even bragging to Dr Zaius about mankind's superiority to the apes, ONLY to have that view blown away a few minutes later by what he finds at the ending (many quibble that the ending can be foreseen by the fact that the apes speak the same language as Taylor; nonethe- less, it is presented in a way that packs a wallop even after seeing the film repeatedly).

All of this is sublimely presented via a first rate script, direction, make-up (which won a special Oscar), sets, costumes, and music score. And as if all that weren't enough, we're treated to two of the most delightful performances/characters in film history in Kim Hunter's Zira and Roddy McDowall's Cornelius.

All in all, one of my five fave films of all time.

P.S: ever notice that Heston is in EVERY scene of the film?

Rating:
Summary: Shocking Classic
Review: What can I say about this movie that hasn't already been said? Unquestionably, a sci-fi classic, a shocking film that delves deep into human insecurities and questions our motives. The makeup and costumes were fantastic, the acting was so very realistic and deep, and the script? Well, the whole notion of the reversal of ape and human roles is incredible. I still get chills everytime I see the Statue of Liberty scene( I think I am forever warped by it.)This movie isn't just for sci-fi lovers, watch it today!

Rating:
Summary: Fantastic - Chuck Heston's performance is a classic!
Review: Planet of the Apes is a superbly entertaining flick. The mood and atmosphere of the film are at times chilling, the music is perfect, and the film tackles a number of philosophical issues with wit and assurance. Heston's performance is also SO big, so hammy, so over-the-top, yet also so human and sympathetic, that you can't help but identify with him even as you're busting your gut laughing. A classic.