Escape From the Planet of the Apes (1971)

Monkey See Monkey Do

"Escape From The Planet Of The Apes"
is part of the the classic SciFi
movie series begun with the great
"Planet Of The Apes".

Three "apes" arrive in the pop culture
America of 1973 (?) from a future where
apes are the dominant and intellectually superior
species, able to communicate by spoken
language (English), and humans are as beasts.
Upon their escape, they witness the destruction
of the earth due to a weapon of warfare
created by humans and used by apes.
This film provides a thematic bridge in the
movie series, but also stands on its own.

It is both comic and tragic.
It is notable for trotting out the social
and political concerns as defined by the
pop media of the period in which it was made
in a very heavy-handed way and trivializing
them with humor at the same time.

The great thing about this film is that
it gives one numerous themes to consider.
It is serious and rich with meaning
while at the same time campy and fun
and ultimately tragic.

Among the interesting ideas presented are:
- submission to God's will...
- danger of political zealotry...
- ends justifying the means...
- analogy between "apes" and the negroid race...
- trumping of absolute truth by majority vote...
- modesty in dress vs. exhibitionism...
- pacifism vs. just use of violence...
- use of animals...
- truth telling and omission...
...and on and on

The film a great vehicle for discussion
and a definite candidate for repeated viewing.

Sure, the ape costumes are rather silly,
but so what.
We know they are not real apes anyway.

Last, but certainly not least, is the
great, great, great musical score
by Jerry Goldsmith. Wow!

Good plot, interesting characters,
campy humor, serious themes, great music,
action; what's not to like.
August 21, 2008

Reversal of roles

Now it's the apes who can talk in a human society as three of them fly to the United States from Earth's far future.

An interesting story, it uses the only two likeable characters from Ape City to deal with humanity. Lots of laughs and social barbs but not one of the best of the series. The plot device that gets the apes to the past is pretty weak too. A must-see though, if you've watched the other movies. May 14, 2008

NOT FOR CHILDREN. LIKE SOME PEOPLE THINK

This installment in the POTA series is not as child friendly as some reviewers would have you believe. Despite the lighthearted scenes of Zira speaking for the first time to the unexpected, the presidential inquiry, and the apes tour of the city. This movie has a serious and sometimes grim tone with a sad and tragic ending that may upset some children. I would recommend that you watch this in it's entirety first before you decide if this is suitable for your children. There is no nudity or profanity, so it's safe in that respect. I saw this for the first time when I was roughly 13 years old and the ending traumatized me to no end. I may have been a little extra sensetive then, but to this day I can not forgive Eric Braeden. He played the part of Otto Hasslein too well. April 28, 2008

Planet of the Apes

I wasted good money going to see the remake of Planet of the Apes, so I decided I needed to watch the original movie. I bought the whole collection and stayed up all night 'just like I did when I was a teenager', to watch them all in a row. The special effects are not up to today's standards that's true, but the story line doesnt get lost in today's political correctness like the remake did. I enjoyed them very, very much. February 26, 2008

THE BEST OF THE SEQUELS, BUT DON'T THINK ABOUT IT TOO LONG!

OK, None of the sequels measure up to the original, but this is the best of the sequels. It is done with some humor as it should be, because at this point the whole plot is skating on very thin ice! The movie is funny, tragically sad and interesting, just don't think about it too long afterwards. I am a fan of the series and I'm being generous with my rating. The DVD transfer looks great. If your a fan of the series you want them all! August 1, 2007

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