The Planet of the Apes Movies: Post-Apocalypse and Dystopia in One Thrilling Package
As of the date of this article, there have been nine Planet of the Apes movies since the franchise started in 1968. An adaptation of a Pierre Boulle 1963 novel of the same name, the film was followed by four sequels: Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970), Escape from the Planet of the Apes (1971), Conquest of the Planet of the Apes (1972) and Battle for the Planet of the Apes (1973). A remake of the original came out in 2001. Ten years later, a reboot marked the beginning of a new storyline with three more films: Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011), Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014), and War for the Planet of the Apes (2017).
The franchise as a whole offers a near flawless pack of sci-fi flicks with elements of space travel, nuclear disaster, a post-apocalyptic world, and dystopian societies.
An undisputed benchmark for greatness in the original series, Planet of the Apes jumps quickly to the main issue where a group of three astronauts: Taylor, Landon, and Dodge are stranded on a mysterious planet. They find in the strange world that apes are the dominant species, whereas humans act almost prehistoric. A brief encounter with military apes leads to Taylor getting captured. Dodge is killed, and Landon is knocked unconscious. Taylor shocks the apes when he demonstrates the ability to speak. The apes decide that Taylor is a threat and is sentenced to be neutralized. His fellow astronaut, Landon, ends up getting lobotomized. While on the run from the charging apes to a place known as “The Forbidden Zone,” Taylor and a female human captive named Nova come across a damaged Statue of Liberty. The mysterious planet is actually the Earth of the distant future.
Taylor’s storyline continues in the first sequel, although he only appears briefly throughout the film. Now in the Forbidden Zone, he falls into a cliff and leaves Nova alone. Meanwhile, the present-day Earth sends a new team to investigate the disappearance of Taylor and the crew. The ship also crashes into the planet, more specifically the Forbidden Zone. The only survivor is Brent, who sees Nova wearing Taylor’s dog tags. A massive revelation in the sequel is the existence of the underground-dwelling mutant humans, descendants of survivors of the previous nuclear apocalypse. Taylor has been captured by the mutants. The apes invade the Forbidden Zone, and Taylor gets his hands on an atomic bomb. All hells break loose.
Escape from the Planet of the Apes (1971)
The archeologist Dr. Cornelius and the animal psychologist Dr. Zira have the time to repair Taylor’s ship before the destruction. While the ending of the previous film indicates that Earth is no more, the second sequel presents the idea that the shock wave from the explosion sends the two chimpanzee scientists through a time warp. They are transported back to 1973. Escape from the Planet of the Apes showcases a role reversal in which technologically-advanced human civilization discovers the talking apes. Following the news of Dr. Zira’s pregnancy, a warm welcome soon turns into hostility. The government becomes increasingly worried about talking apes building a new intelligent society and taking over the world. Dr. Zira and Dr. Cornelius are killed, but their newborn survives.
Events in Conquest of the Planet of the Apes are set in the 1990s. A pandemic of an extraterrestrial origin has wiped out all cats and dogs. People begin to take in apes initially as pets and then as slaves. It is consistent with the story/testimony given by Dr. Cornelius and Dr. Zira in the previous film. Their son is now an adult chimpanzee named Caesar. Seeing all the mistreatments toward apes by humans, Caesar cannot help but speak up. Instead of winning a human audience, the ape is taken into slavery as well. The revolution of the apes is on the rise, delivering some of the most violent scenes in the original series.
Planet Earth has been reduced to a post-apocalyptic wasteland after a nuclear war. Caesar is still alive and trying to build a civilization where apes and the surviving humans can co-exist in peace. Things get difficult because even the ape society is divided into two opposing factions: Caesar wants to stand equal with humans, while a militant gorilla named Aldo believes in the annihilation of the human species. Aldo has a good point because humans are mobilizing for the eradication of apes. A civil war that ends in an uneasy truce between apes and humans concludes the original series. In the final scene, it is hinted that Caesar has been dead for 600 years.
A remake by Tim Burton brings along modern production techniques and a deviation from the original. The makeup effects look impressive – probably the best in the franchise and can stand up on 4K screen. The opening scene bears some similarities to that of the 1968 film, but now the main protagonist is Captain Leo Davidson. After going through a portal in space, he crash-lands onto a planet dominated by apes. Humans are oppressed. In the aftermath of action sequences with some dramatic deaths, Davidson also makes an escape. Here is the biggest deviation: Davidson defeats the apes and manages to reach the time portal again. He arrives at a future version of Earth, which is also dominated by apes.
Although the pre-established mythology remains, it seems the whole point of the reboot is to construct a new origin for Caesar. In a modern-day Earth, apes are used as subjects in an experimental study for Alzheimer’s cure. Will Rodman is a pharmaceutical chemist testing the drugs on chimps. After the project is cancelled, Rodman takes under his care an infant chimp, Caesar, and continues the research. He administers a new drug to Caesar. The effect is profound; Caesar develops an intelligence of human level and is able to speak, too. He takes the remaining drugs from Rodman’s house and administers them to other apes. They escape to the forest but not before a scenic battle with the police. However, the new drug has a different effect on humans. Instead of improving intelligence, it triggers a virus that starts a global pandemic.
It has been a decade since the ending of the previous film. The apes now have developed a colony in Marin County. Meanwhile, the human population still suffers from the pandemic. A lengthy dialogue sequence without the presence of a single human during the first scenes can be used as an indicator that the planet is dominated by apes. The dynamic changes when they bump into a few human survivors. Another uneasy truce is in order. It is utopia for the apes, but a gloomy dystopia for humans.
There are more human survivors than Caesar thinks. One of them is a ruthless military leader in command of a powerful armed unit that works with rogue apes. Caesar is both Rambo and Moses in War for the Planet of the Apes. He is fighting a battle he cannot win and at the same time making sure the apes can find their way to safety. The only solution is for Caesar to act as a decoy during the battle – sacrificing himself in the process – to give time for the apes to make an escape.
We can’t get enough of the Planet of the Apes series! Which is your favorite? The original series begun in the 1960s, the 2001 version by Tim Burton that never got any sequels, or the latest Ape movies with whole new plotlines?
Let us know. We’d love to hear from you.
Other things you might want to know about.
How should I watch the Planet of the Apes movies?
According to google.com here is the chronological order for the Planet of the Apes movies.
Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
War For the Planet of the Apes
Planet of the Apes (1968)
Beneath the Planet of the Apes
Escape From the Planet of the Apes
Conquest of the Planet of the Apes
Battle For the Planet of the Apes
To read more details about each of these movies go to pocket-lint.com and read the article called “Planet of the Apes movie order: The best way to watch” written by Maggie Tillman.
Here is the Planet of the Apes theatrical release order:
According to pocket-lint.com here is the theatrical release in cinemas and they are free of spoilers.
Planet of the Apes (1968)
Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970)
Escape from the Planet of the Apes (1971)
Conquest of the Planet of the Apes (1972)
Battle for the Planet of the Apes (1973)
Optional: Planet of the Apes (1974 – TV series)
Optional: Planet of the Apes (2001)
Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011)
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014)
War for the Planet of the Apes (2017)
Planet of the Apes movies ranked from worst to best
According to ultimateclassicrock.com here are the Planet of the Apes movies ranked from worst to best.
9. Battle for the Planet of the Apes (1973)
8. Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970)
7. Planet of the Apes (2001)
6. Conquest of the Planet of the Apes (1972)
5. Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011)
4. Escape From the Planet of the Apes (1971)
3. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014)
2. War for the Planet of the Apes (2017)
1. Planet of the Apes (1968)
For more details for each of these movies got to ultimateclassicrock.com and read the article called “Planet of the Apes Movies Ranked Worst to Best” by Michael Gallucci.
