Rating: 
Summary: One of the best fantasy series of all time!
Review: Waiting for this box set was excruciating, but finally getting it made up for all that. The THX transfers of all five films and the superb documentary are INSANELY perfect. No pixilation, no poor colors, just razor sharp images and great sound! The animated menus are fantastic too, especially on the first film, where an image of Cornelius morphes into Zira, Zaius, etc. The sound on the menus is great, esp if you have a sub woofer (you'll see!). Nuff said. I don't need to tell you the films' plots. But get this set and go APE!
Rating: 
Summary: A decent transfer to DVD
Review: The curious thing about this series is that the quality of the movies (i.e. image, cinematography, art direction)as the series progresses gets steadily worse -- this is clearly a result of the diminishing budget as pointed out in the behind the scenes documentary. The ideas, conflict and philosophy however, grow more and more interesting and profound as the series progresses. To put it another way: The physical quality of the movies (visuals) is inversely related to the philisophical quality (social commentaries, issues). Some of the sets in the later episodes are quite bad -- sometimes they look like sets from the 60's Batman series...and the acting isn't much better, however the concepts are nonetheless intriguing enough that it hold's ones interest.As far as the DVD release of the transfer is concerned, its clarity and vibrancy is the finest as I have ever seen this film. As far as "extras" are concerned the LIMITED EDITION bonus disc is nice to have. The individual discs don't have any extras, so if you want behind the scenes footage and anecdotes, you'll have to get the boxed set of 5 discs plus the bonus disc. As a bonus it is fairly substantial in that it is a full length documentary.
Rating:
Summary: Manna from Heaven in the over done world of CGI
Review: I have been waiting for this boxed set on the edge of my seat for what seems forever. I wanted to see the apes. I wanted to see something where Charlston Heston runs around nude for a while. I wanted to see the surreal makeup and awesome dialogue from an adult perspective. It was the best :). And now I am sad. There are no more Ape movies and Charlston Heston is not so good naked anymore :(. What else is there? I am sick of CGI. Is this so necessary? Arnold will not take off his clothes any more :(. Someone needs to tell him this is necessary. Why do new movies stink? What happened? Was it so impossible to make a GOOD series of movies like the Planet of the Apes Cycle? They did not have CGI. They had cheesy spaceships and an interesting twisty thoughtful plot. I think that this is why DVD was invented - so we would not be lonely for good entertainment anymore, and we could watch Ape movies in peace, and play with the buttons on the remote, whenever we wanted to. This boxed set will make you happy :). It's good, and you can watch it with your friends who are too young to know that Dr. Zay-us (spelling?) was not such a bad monkey after all. They can go, "Oh! That's where the Statue of Liberty thing comes from!" and you can nod sagely and play with the buttons and show it from a bunch of different angles. And they can ask you who Charlton Heston (that young determined manly man who says "get your paws off me you d*mn dirty apes!") is, and you can tell them all about it from "Soylent Green is PEOPLE" all the way to now. Treat yourself to a bit of nostalgia that is NOT boring. Show the younger generation there were cool things before MTV too!
Rating:
Summary: Ape Shall Never Kill Ape
Review: If you're a fan, even just a mild one, do NOT miss this box set. The transfers are perfect. Letterboxed, crisp images, and THX sound: what more could you ask for? Includes all the trailers and an excellent documentary hosted by the late Roddy McDowall that was produced in part by American Movie Classics. Unless you've seen these on the big screen, this is the best way to see these flicks. Yeah, yeah, the effects are dated and the budgets on the later ones are laughable, but the stories are always compelling and give you some food for thought. And the nostalgia factor is off the chart! You can't go wrong with this one, and at less than 15 bucks per disc, this is a good (but not excellent) bargain.
Rating:
Summary: A RARE BOX SET
Review: It's all in one box. You can not get any better than that. All five movies are here and brought back to life with a fine transfer, excellent sound and in widescreen as well. As you may have heard and have read only the first 100,000 box set editions will include the AMC original: BEHIND THE PLANET OF THE APES, a two hour retrospective produce by and for AMC when they hosted the showing of the remastered APES films. The special is more than worth the price of the box set alone. Well produced, documented and hosted by the late Roddy McDowall (FRIGH NIGHT), it's gives everything you ever wanted to know about the APES movies and more. As for the films themselves... they still hold up. As far as bells and whistles and extra's - each individual DVD has little to play with. Previews of all five films are present on each DVD and that is about it. It may not seem like much, but the AMC special is worth it. I recommend the box set, a very worth addition to any DVD collection. Do not let this one pass you by.
Rating:
Summary: Falling Toward APEotheosis
Review: Finally, after many years on TV, and quit a nice run on VHS, the series comes to DVD, although not without some drawbacks: *The DVD remasters are *superb* picture quality, but it is beyond me why Fox chose to remaster only "Planet Of The Apes" in 5.1 Dolby; the remainder are 2.0, except for "Escape" which is in *mono*. I get around this by using the "5 channel stereo" effect on my receiver. *The 5.1 sound on the original "Planet..." is *not* true 5.1; rather, an enhanced 2.0...kind of like listening to Beatles music in "simulated stereo". *The booklet for "Planet..." contains the cues for "Beneath...". Why this is the case...I have *NO* idea. However, the "timeline" information in the booklet is pretty cool. So...why 5 stars? Because these films are, imho, *brilliant* SF, when observed together as an arc. Yes, there are some shortcomings in the series (most notably "Beneath..." and "Battle..."), but overall, this is *classic* SF. Take a few hours on a rainy day and watch ALL of these flicks...and you'll see what I mean. In fact, do as I did, and try starting from "Escape..." and run through the cycle so that you end with "Beneath...". It puts a whole new perspective on things. Also, as I previously mentioned, the transfer to DVD is absolutely *superb* as far as picture is concerned. Just look at "Planet..." during the scene when Taylor and his crew are at the edge of The Forbidden Zone, searching of water, and you'll notice some human (ape?) figures in the cliffs above them, running along side them up in the cliffs.. I *never* noticed that before! It was eye opening! Also, the crash sequence in "Planet..." is better than ever. Now, SF fans...is *that* the *coolest* spaceship, or what! Gets my vote! If you grew up watching the movies in the movies (like I did), or on TV, then buy the whole shebang. If you dislike any of the sequels and don't want to spend the cash, just buy the original...WELL worth it at *any* price. In fact, it's the classic nature of the original film that completely outweighs any flaws in the sequels which drives my 5 star rating. I'd recommend "buy" this title overall.
Rating:
Summary: Planet of the Apes - DVD Collection is fantastic!
Review: As a thirty-something guy I grew up in the 70s and of course we all loved the Planet of the Apes movies when they showed on TV, obviously the first film is far and away the best of the series there is still much worthwhile viewing in the other installments. The social commentary is as valid today as it was when the series began in 1968 (hard to believe it was that long ago). The real gem of the new DVD box set is the behind the scenes disc, I recently caught part of this on one of the Satellite channels, Bravo or A&E.... I really enjoyed what I saw of it and am now glad I have a copy of it for my own. I got the set and brought it home, my girlfriend wasnt too thrilled when I showed it to her and she only seemed to have a passing interest in it and just wanted to see "the monkey people". During the beginning she was panning the movie but more because of the usual overacting by Charlton Heston but once the Apes appeared in the "man hunt" sequence she really started to enjoy the movie and by the end of it she was asking when we can watch the next installment so even to somebody who never saw the films it turned into a very enjoyable viewing. I hope this set is successful and the Cartoon and TV series are also released on the DVD format, hopefully with a few more extra features...... Two big thumbs up from my house!
Rating: 
Summary: The classic case of diminishing sequels
Review: I grew up seeing these films in theatres, so my reasons for obtaining this set are purely nostalgic, with the exception of the first film and the wonderful supplement "making of" disc, which is a first-rate documentary. The first film is a true sci-fi classic, featuring the greatest ending to any sci-fi film in history. However, the writers, desperate to continue this series at any cost, concocted a storyline that insults the intelligence of anyone with half a brain. One of the most crucial questions about this saga is; how did the apes become intelligent? The answer lies in the third film, in which we are expected to believe a primitive ape society somehow managed to salvage and repair a spaceship that was damaged beyond any plausible plot device to make it spaceworthy. And yet, that is what happens, as Cornelius and Zira somehow pilot this thing and manage to reverse the time warp from the first film and go back to the 20th century. That piece of fantasy, however, is outdone by the mindnumbing plot device of the fifth film, in which only 20 or so years after gaining independence, all apes can now speak and reason, which should be impossible, since the only two who should be able to do so are Caesar and his son. The only films in the series worth watching are the first two. Oh yes, one other question that never gets answered: How do humans go from highly evolved beings to cavemen in the first film?
Rating: 
Summary: What's the matter with these people?
Review: {rant on} Why release in LETTERBOX instead of WIDESCREEN ANAMORPHIC? This is a great series, filmed in widescreen. It is unconscionable that anyone would opt for this restrictive format. The issue is that with the LETTERBOX format, people with 16:9 TVs still see the black borders at the top and bottom of the screen and THEIR picture will be horribly distorted, while people with 4:3 aspect ratio TVs will see a nicely formed perspective correct image. If this series were released as a Widescreen ANAMORPHIC, both TVs would see the film correctly - since the DVD player will create the borders for you. Those with 4:3 would see the black borders at the top and bottom, and those with 16:9 would see a full screen (if filmed at 1.77:1 or 1.85:1) or a very small black border if filmed at 2.35:1. Nobody should be releasing movies in Widescreen Letterbox anymore, period. There's no excuse. They must release DVDs in WIDESCREEN ANAMORPHIC! The world is not made of 4:3 aspect ratio televisions alone anymore! What other reason to buy a widescreen television, hmmmm? Do not buy this DVD! Widescreen Letterbox.... Paahhhh! {rant off}
Rating:
Summary: One of the most popular series of all time
Review: A brilliant commentary on society, racism and even the Theory of Relativity. While none of the films are as fast-paced and fascinating as the original, all provide pleasure. Who would have thought Maurice Evans, Samantha's father on "Bewitched" would make such a perfect Dr. Zaius. And take note of Charleton Heston, a magnificent actor-turned shill for the NRA, showing his bare butt in the court scene. :) Part 2, Beneath, seems like the end, but it's really the beginning. Get it? You will. Overall, it's a bit schlocky, but fun. Part 3, Escape, comes close to the best story. Roddy McDowall and Kim Hunter are fun to watch as they return to the early 70s in Heston's original ship. Part 4, Conquest , is a gritty and brutal episode mirroring the race and anti-war protests of the 1960s. Don Murray overacts to the gills. There was a much different ending that was cut from the film before it was released. Only part 5, Battle, is somewhat of a turkey with poor production values and cheesy acting. Director John Huston plays "The Lawgiver." Roddy is good. So is veteran Lew Ayres. The winner in the box set is the AMC documentary on the making of these films. Otherwise, the lack of exras would be a problem. The transfers are sadly not anamorphic, but they still rate about a 3 out of 5. Tim Burton will make a terrific-looking version of Planet, but no way will it have the multiple layers of the original. Most of his films don't seem too coherent. Like Dune and Lord of the Rings, this series is nearly a pop culture masterpiece.
| 
