The Original Planet of the Apes (85%)

***THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS***THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS***
***THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS***THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS***

Somewhere in the Universe, there must be something better than man!

I was around 13 years old when I first saw Planet of the Apes. I loved it then. It was action packed and it had talking apes; it was clever and mysterious and it had a whopper of an ending. Since then I have seen it more times than I can count. But every viewing (up until half an hour ago) was from an old faded print, one that was full of scratches and dust and that was cropped to a 1.33:1 full screen television ratio.

So for the first time in 20 years I have watched Planet of the Apes in all it's uninterrupted widescreen glory. My past viewings were missing about 40% of the picture and other than once were continually interrupted every ten to fifteen minutes with commercials. And what a pleasure it was to watch this movie, on DVD and on a hi-def screen. My memories too, have served me well. Planet of the Apes is as good as I remember it, if not better.

Three astronauts crash land on a barren planet after being in hypersleep for 2000 years. Just as they discover life, their plans are disrupted by talking apes on horseback with guns and nets and whips and sticks. They capture the leader, Taylor, played by Charlton Heston. He soon discovers that this planet he is on is the complete reverse of his earth. It is run by apes, who walk and talk and act as humans on his planet do. The humans are mute and are treated like the apes of Earth: caged and studied.

The script, based on a French novel from 1963, is pitch perfect. It not only has great dialogue, memorable and classic lines and a perfectly structured story but it moves at a breakneck pace and includes poignant and social commentary on our society that is still just as relevant today as it was back in 1968. It touches on issues of slavery, of experimenting on animals, on government and dictatorship and on what is better for the greater good, the truth or lies.

Social commentary aside, Planet of the Apes is one hell of a fun, impeccably shot science fiction yarn that not only will enthral you like it did me but has one shocking and somewhat depressing ending that has lived in infamy and is still one of the greatest endings ever in any movie. Taylor saves his hide and proves the apes wrong. He rides off into the sunset with the girl and all is well, only he stumbles upon something that is at once shocking and at the same time brilliant.

Co-written by Rod Serling of The Twilight Zone, the screenplay is full of pure Serling moments such as the ending mentioned above. It is tightly written, tightly plotted and tightly edited making every scene count and work to its advantage. The amount of classic lines that come out of this movie are amazing. Get your stinking paws off me, you damned dirty ape!!! There is not a wasted scene in this movie and if you've never seen it before you will be amazed at the famous lines of dialogue that happen throughout the film.

The only weak part of this picture, and it really is the only weak link, is the acting. Everything else is just stellar. The direction is perfect. The effects (although dated) are perfect for it's time. The costumes are great, while the ape masks still look good. These masks emote and speak and move and breathe. The direction is excellent, the cinematography is gorgeous and the music, by a young Jerry Goldsmith is memorable and classic. All this works together to overcome that weak link that is the acting.

Charlton Heston is a rather wooden actor (from what I have seen). He's fun to watch, very expressionate and highly watchable. But he is slightly wooden. But Heston as Taylor is fine here, it is more so the actors that surround him. The humans don't speak and they act fine, but many of the side ape characters that do have lines sound wooden and unrealistic. Not all, but too many not to notice it. On the other hand, all the lead apes (Roddy McDowell, Kim Hunter, Maurice Evans) are fantastic and bring their ape characters to life. They give great performances hidden by prosthetics and masks. So good are their performances that the apes they play become almost real. You can see the emotion in their faces, in their eyes. You can see them smile and grimace. You can see when they are happy, when they are sad and when they are scared.

Planet of the Apes is a film I can watch over and over again and in fact I have. I must of seen it at least ten times now and still every time is as enjoyable as the last. This is a movie that is fun for the whole family: mom, dad, children. It's a classic, it's immortal and it's legacy lives on even to this day. I highly recommend this film and even though you have read this I must say that the less you know about the story the better. Planet of the Apes is truly remarkable filmmaking and is truly a great way to spend two hours.


Film Rating: 85%

Breakdown (How Planet of the Apes scored 85%):

Production Design: 9 out of 10
Cinematography: 8 out of 10
Re-playability: 9 out of 10
Originality: 10 out of 10
Costumes:  8 out of 10
Directing: 8 out of 10
Editing: 8 out of 10
Acting: 7 out of 10
Music: 9 out of 10

Script: 9 out of 10