Escape from the Planet of the Apes (1971)

Roddy McDowall and Kim Hunter reprise their roles from the original Planet of the Apes in this third chapter of the Apes saga. Two intelligent simians from the future, Cornelius (McDowall) and Zire (Hunter) travel to present-day Earth. They become instant sensations, wined and dined and treated like celebrities - until a high-level plot forces them to run for their lives!

 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 2, 2007

 Cornelius and Xera barely save this from a 1-star review.
To begin with, the budget on this film is SO LOW it looks like an episode of Barnaby Jones. But that's not the real problem. Much more is the totally unimaginative direction, the nonsensical sci-fi psychobabble, and a neverending procession of cardboard characters. Given its preposterously unbelievable premise, Escape squaeks by with some of the obvious Ape/Human caomparisons, but tht's about it. More or less you watch a bunch of guys in suits for two hours talking over bubblegum metaphysical garbage.

Beneath Planet of the Apes was not exceptionally good either, but at least you were still on the "Planet" and delved further into its mythos. I give that film credit for being so wacky -- but this one is just awful. November 11, 2006

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