Rating: 
Summary: Nice, but not great
Review: This brief TV series is fairly entertaining, with a solid cast, especially Roddy McDowell. However, by the 5th or 6th episode the plot was becoming repetitive: human astronauts are chased by apes, captured and roughed up, helped to escape by their chimp friend Galen, and at the end of a show, an ape or human learns a moral lesson. Nevertheless, better writers probably wouldn't have saved the series because every single episode got terrible ratings. It apparently wasn't the right time for an "Apes" TV show. Getting back to the DVD collection: I would say the first 4 episodes are the best in the series. After that the stories get a little stale.
Rating: 
Summary: New Found Friends
Review: Let me first put my credentials on the table. I am a fan of the universe created by the Planet Of The Apes the original movie. On the strength of that one movie I have fallen in love with the aura that is Planet Of The Apes. I loved the look of the housing, the set-up of the society, and the wonderous soundtrack. However, that's almost where it ended because I never cared for ANY of the sequels or the revision (though "Escape" had its merits). It pained me to be so in love with a piece of work without being able to embrace more of the body. Enter curiousity. When I first saw a few reviews of the TV series pop-up here at Amazon I waited to see more and more... as more and more 4 and 5 stars arose I became sure it would be a worthy buy (though naturally concerned I would be disappointed). Planet Of The Apes The TV Series: I went into this boxset with the understanding that the visuals would not be up to par with the first movie, that never bothered me because I am a fan of the original Star Trek series, needless to say, 'nuff said. However, these visuals actually range from being good to quite great in a 70's TV sort of way. The crumbled city in The Legacy looks remarkable, even the masks look good when not in extreme close-ups. Understand, I had never watched the series while it was on TV (I was in 1st grade), so I am judging this purely on this new experience, and I am amazed. Cast: Virdon, Burke, and Galen are instantly likable. I felt after watching the first episode that the chemistry was perfect. From Virdons every mans hero stance and knowledge to Burkes absolutely dead-pan sarcasm to Galens insatiable curiousity, each character has a pupose. Mark Lenard is also good in this though not actually in each episode as much as I had assumed he would be. That is alright though, because the main cast is MORE than adequate. Transfer & Sound: The transfer to dvd while it is generally "good" certainly is far from perfect. A lot of the time as a scene starts there is "noise" (not sure how to explain it) flickering on the screen and the sound is a dissappointing mono(Star Trek in '67 was remastered in 5.1 DS). However, I cannot be happier with the score. It is INCREDIBLE! So absolutely fitting with the original movie, the score is instantly recognizable and helps to create the "mood" of the series every bit as much as the Star Trek score did for that series. The dvd case: I had read on here that a few people had problems with the rather bloated case that houses the four discs. I am not one of them. The artwork is great and the case fits perfectly next to my POTA and POTA Behind The Scenes. Conclusion: I am only halfway through this wonderous boxset and yet I was compelled to write my review. I didn't want to RUSH through the 14 episodes to write my review and yet I just couldn't wait. Somehow, I feel as though I have been watching this series for a lifetime, it just seems so grounded. As though the cast had been making this series for 10 years and these episodes were merely pulled from the middle of the series. Virdon, Burke, and Galen were not only worth my time, they were worth every penny (and then some).
Rating: 
Summary: A very good series that could have become great...
Review: ... or could have become a cliche. Unfortunately (or fortunately) we'll never know for sure. The release of this set is the only positive result I can see to come out of that terrible remake... Let us never speak of it again. The episodes all look very good. The colors are sharp and vivid to a much greater degree than one might expect from a television series of that age. The sound is nice. It might have been nice to have a stereo mix as well, but since this being released on DVD at all is such a blessing, that is really a nitpick. My only complaint about this gift from Fox - Let's face it, for those of us who have been following classic Apes for close to thirty years and more, this is truly a gift. Sure, the "Evolution" box did remarkably well, giving them an incentive, along with being able to release it in conjunction with the DVD release of that other movie, but somewhere in their library was something that they held onto that would have made as much money as this anyway, so it's fair to consider its release a gift of sorts. - is the packaging. This box is flimsy and doesn't like to be opened right. It looks awkward. And most significantly, it looks lousy anyway you try to set it next to the "Evolution" box. Whose bright idea was that? That box is functionally bad, aesthetically bad in general terms, and it works poorly for loyal collectors and consumers who want only to be able to properly display this television series alongside the accompanying films. Considering the fact that this case seems almost unique, it seems unlikely that it was cheaper for them than simply buying or producing a larger quantity of the kinds of cases they've used for similarly sized collections. The series itself, as many of you should know, varies from episode to episode in quality. Some are quite good, especially for the time, while others fall easily into familiar formulas and people - and apes - giving simplistic and overly obvious speeches. The leads are all charismatic, from the "humans" James Naughton and Ron Harper to the "apes" such as the fellow fugitive Roddy McDowall (from the film series) along with the Booth Coleman as the intelligent but suspicious Dr. Zaius and Mark Lenard (Sarek from the "Star Trek" series and films) as the violent and paranoid General Urko. I think it's worth checking out on any number of levels from entertainment to its historical interest. But I think it definitely deserves a prominent place in the home of every classic Apes fan... just not next to the films for some reason.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful!
Review: This 4 Disk set of Planet of the Apes episodes from the 1974 series is a treasure for anyone who is a fan of the Apes films. Ron Harper and James Naughton play two astronauts who crash land on earth and eventually befriend an ape named Galen played by Roddy McDowell. The three are running away from Gorilla leader Urko who believes that the humans threaten the existence of their society.
The plots are simple, the makeup is certainly not as believable as in the movies (The TV budget was minimal), but if you expect to find a series set as today's standards and budget, you are looking in the wrong place anyway.
The series was entertaining and it's fun to watch today. Unfortunately in its original airing it never found an audience so it was cancelled after only a few months, but if you enjoy the Planet of the Apes movies, you will probably enjoy these wonderful stories...you get 14 episodes in the package. I love it and will continue to enjoy these teleplays for years to come.
Rating:
Summary: 1000 years in the future with 1970's hair cuts
Review: I remembered this show from my childhood, so with the recent resurgence of The Planet of the Apes, I purchased this series for my kids (and myself). It is a little cheesy in some areas, however I'm nostalgic. I really enjoy watching this fantasy/action/adventure with the kids because I know there is nothing to rough or embarrassing. It's a shame there was no "final" episode filmed for this series, it would be nice to know that Alan, Pete and Gaylen were able to live in peace.
Rating:
Summary: More fun than Tim Burton's movie??
Review: Well... yeah! (Sorry Tim!) I'm actually enjoying this far more than I did the recent Planet of the Apes movie by Tim Burton! I knew I would like this, but I didn't suspect I would be enjoying it as much as I am! For a great price you get all 14 episodes from the short lived TV series! Including one episode that did not originally air. About 13 hours of ape-filled fun! (If only they had done this with the original Star Trek TV series DVDs! Thanks for nothing Paramount!) I freely admit that this is the "less-attractive sister" to the original Chuck Heston Planet of the Apes movie. But far more true to the original movie than the recent remake. It even stars Roddy Mcdowell. No Dr. Zaus in the recent remake, but he shows up here on the POTA TV series! It reminds me of the original Star Trek TV series in many ways. It even stars Mark Leonard as General Urko. He also played Spock's father Sarek both on the TV show and in the movies. Another neat thing about this TV series is that they used props that were also used in the movies, so if you look closely you will see something from the films in the background. If like me, you are a fan of the original Planet of the Apes and the original Star Trek series, you will probably enjoy this too! Of course, to quote the original film: "I never met an ape I didn't like."
Rating:
Summary: I used to run home to watch this...
Review: I used to run home to watch this show after school back in the day. I was really curious to see if I would still enjoy it all these years later, and I DID!!! This series really holds up quite well, and the DVD presentation (and price) is perfect. Why would this show get cancelled?
Rating:
Summary: planet of the apes(tv series)
Review: This series on dvd is a classic only 14 episodes made and each one see,s virdon,burke and gallen in many different situations as they try to avoid capture by the apes.There is a warmth and understanding between the trio that you dont often see in a tv series of this kind,its ashame that no proper ending for the series was filmed as it was cut short after 14 episodes.Nevertheless its brillient to see it out on dvd and is a must for any planet of the apes fan collection.
Rating:
Summary: Burke and Virdon are back!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Review: This is the best you can get!It truly deserves a pure 5 star rating!If your an apes fan you cant miss this!Its the Planet of the Apes 1974 series.This is even better than the movie series!Now you can get all 14 episodes on 4 CDs.Yes thats right the series with your favorite charicters Galen(Roddy McDowall),Pete Burke(James Naughton),Alan Virdon(Ron Harper),and more.Containing Disk1:Escape From Tomorrow,The Gladiators,The Trap,The Good Seeds Disk 2:The Legacy,Tomorrows Tide,The Surgeon,The Deception Disk 3:The Horse Race,The Interrogation,The Tyrant,The Cure Disk 4:The Liberator,Up Above The World So High.This series only lasted for 14 episodes and after you watch this you will agree that the series should have lasted longer.This happend because the makers were trying to attract adult viewers to their TV show but they did not succeed.The show was cut short during its first season.Many people think the show was too under rated and it was.This show I think is the best and for the people that lived when the show was on and watched it, I think you should buy this.For the younger people who like Planet of the Apes(like me)who did not see it when it aired,I think you should buy this too.This series has no violence at all(so the moms will be happy)and mainly focuses on good lessons about stuff like don't start war.In fact every episode teaches you a new good lesson(the moms will love it).This set includes "The Liberator" witch was never aired in in the shows original run and for those people who have been waiting for years to see it heer is your chance.My favorite episode in the series is "The Deception" and when you watch it you will agree.The DVD includes a good picture for your TV screen and good sound.Every episode menu hase a scene selection and different launguage section witch has for audio English and French monos and for subtitles English and Spanish.All together this is 644 minutes of pure good entertainment that will never get boring or old.I say get that body up from your computer chair as your reading this and get it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Rating:
Summary: Astonishingly good
Review: I haven't seen most of these since 1974, when they first aired, and I don't think I appreciated just how good they were back then. Roddy McDowall is, of course, excellent -- but so are James Naughton and Ron Harper, and Mark Lenard is outstanding as Urko. There's more social/political commentary than I remembered, and great guest stars including Roscoe Lee Browne and Percy Rodriguez. Martin E. Brooks, who I always thought was lacklustre as the third Rudy Wells on THE SIX MILLION DOLLAR MAN, turns in two truly excellent guest appearances. Highly recommended.
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