Planet of the Apes (1968)
Directed by Franklin J. Schaffner
Oh boy, here’s the big one. In a month like Ape-ril I could only go so long without mentioning one of the most well known and influential science fiction films to come out of the 1960s, Planet of the Apes. There have been sequels, remakes, sequels to the remakes, but I want to, just for one review, try to go back in time and put myself in a headspace where everyone doesn’t already know the twist ending and watch this like it’s the first I’ve ever heard of it. And no, I will not be giving spoilers in this review, so if you’ve managed to avoid references to the ending of this movie, please feel free to keep reading, your innocence will remain intact.
Plot of The Apes
Planet of the Apes begins by following a crew of astronauts embarking on a 700 year long space journey to a far off planet. Unfortunately for them, technical malfunctions force a crash landing on an unknown desolate planet. Realizing that they are off course and were in cryostasis for 2000 years instead of 700, the surviving astronauts shuffle away to find food and shelter. Instead of that, they come face to face with the inhabitants of the planet, one group being mute human scavengers and the other group much more shockingly being a society of sentient, technologically proficient ape-men. The lead astronaut, Taylor, is captured and quickly becomes a fascinating specimen to an ape scientist.
More Plot of The Apes
What’s nuts is that this isn’t even the full plot of the film, this is barely the premise of Planet of the Apes. The actual plot revolves around several of the ape scientists and their attempts to use science and archaeology to rediscover the forgotten past of ape-kind, but they are opposed in their attempts by the mysterious Dr. Zaius, minister of science and defender of the faith. Most of the film features this conflict playing out, as the scientists’ attempts are rebuffed by Zaius, while Taylor is mostly just a pawn in their struggles.
Stacks on Stacks Of Satire.
There’s a lot more going on in the story, but I just wanted to make as much clear as I could before I started getting into my feelings on the film because the plot is a but intricate. Besides from what is generally known about the movie in pop culture, i.e. that the movie is about Charlton Heston on a planet ruled by sentient ape-people, I had no idea what the plot of the movie would be, and I certainly had no idea how satirical the story would turn out to be. The entire main storyline about the struggles between scientific authorities and religious authorities disagreeing on fundamental aspects of life was rather unexpected, I thought that Taylor’s attempts to gain freedom would be the main plot but there’s almost equal screen time with him and with these ape politics.
Political Intrigue And That Wily Dr. Zaius
That isn’t a criticism though, as I found the political intrigue fascinating and well integrated with Taylor’s goal to escape, find his friends and figure out where he is. Everyone is trying to use each other for their own ends and all the characters play off each other well, it was especially interesting to be around Dr. Zaius, as he always seems to know more than he lets on, giving the audience just enough information to pique your curiosity. The intrigue gives Planet of the Apes a unique sense of hopelessness, Taylor’s situation is so dire and seemingly inescapable that any chance of him returning to a normal life, or normal by his standards, is just a pipe dream. Every plan, every act of rebellion on Taylor’s part just drips with desperation and frustration at a world that regards him as categorically inferior.
Impeccable Filmmaking.
Not just the conceptual aspects of Planet of the Apes that are good though, on a filmmaking level everything is equally impressive. The cinematography and acting were quite nice, but the real star of the film is the visual design, both in terms of sets and also the costuming. The ape costumes all look quite impressive for when the film was made, and what’s almost as impressive as their craftsmanship is how many ape-people there are here, how many of these costumes they had to get completely right. Coupled with the simple but effective bleak and barren visual design, Planet of the Apes looks like a real lived in world which enhances all the satirical elements that show up.
Minor Nitpick But Overall Excellent
Even though I think Planet of the Apes deserves its status as a classic of science fiction, there are a few issues I have with it. Although I enjoyed the story, the pacing occasionally felt a bit wonky, faltering a bit at the beginning of the 3rd act. This isn’t a huge problem but I felt the need to say it just to get across my complete feelings on the film. Otherwise I seriously enjoyed Planet of the Apes, maybe enough to watch the other 5 or so sequels, and I would recommend it to anyone with an interest in science fiction or mystery/thriller/horror films. Great cast, great visuals, great score. But now might be the time to watch the mildly less well regarded remake from 2001.
Recent Comments