Planet of the Apes (1968)

Absolutely Fantastic

Funny, strange, confrontational and subversive, this is one of the most interesting experiences you'll have at the cinema this year.

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

Blistering performances.

Charlton Heston is my favorite actor-mainly for his roles in Biblical epics like The Ten Commandments, Ben-Hur, and The Greatest Story Ever Told.(All 3 released before this.) He's great in this too, despite it being a sci-epic rather than a religious one.It does not hold up to his Bible epics which is the main reason it gets a 9 and not a 10. One scene seemed slow to me as well. The plot follows a man who discovers a planet ruled by apes, and how he inhabits with them. A Fun Fact that I found out about this-and is important to note-is that it is the 2nd and last G rated movie to contain nudity.(Heston's rear is shown infrequently.) The other come out 2 years prior-it was The Bible:In The Beginning, which has Adam and Eve's scenes.(I have that movie too and a review on here for that on IMDB-so go on and check that out!Anyways, back to this. This 1968 G Rated movie also has some language-including lines like:"Get your stinking paws off me, you dam*ed dirty ape!" and"DAM* YOU! GD YOU ALL TO H*LL!"So don't let the G rating fool you-parents. Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is a more family friendly 1968 G rated movie!However, as a stand alone film, Planet of the Apes is a very good sci-fi movie that's worth seeing.

Planet of the Apes is a classic science fiction film. The plot involves a crew of astronauts who crash into a planet dominated by a civilized, talking population of ape-men. In this world, humans cannot speak and are treated like animals while the apes live like humans. The astronauts must survive in a world dominated by xenophobia and totalitarianism. The concept of switching roles is explored when the humans are kept in cages and afforded no rights by animals. On one hand, it shows that the less-intelligent species will always be subjugated, therefore showing a duality with the human world and the ape world. On the other hand, the movie casts a positive light on the humans and their struggles, validating their cause of having rights, despite not being the dominating species. This conflict is shown to be inevitable and natural, but that fighting against it is also justified and expected.Despite a few corny lines of dialogue and a few bits of bad acting, Planet of the Apes is still a great movie. The story will keep you engaged while the overall themes provide thought-provoking and intrigued enjoyment. The film is highly recommended for any fan of the science fiction genre.

This is a sci fi cult classic for a reason. When watching it I was full into the story and couldn't believe that this amazing movie is already 50 years old.Of course it had elements of it's time. For the most part the big overacting of Charlton Heston. Starting with the dramatic scene in the beginning where he comments on the mission and including his ridiculous laugh a bit later when they were exploring the planet they landed on. But this didn't really bother me and seemed to have ended after a while (or maybe I got used to it). From some of the old movies that I saw this seemed to be a normal acting way back in the days.But other than that the movie is perfect. The costumes and settings are so well done. It is not surprising that they got the Oscar for the costumes. They really looked like apes and when I went through the profiles of the actors in it I couldn't believe that it was them. Was a shocker for me that Zira was played by Kim Hunter, Stella from Streetcar Named Desire. The setting was also done really well giving a great atmosphere to the movie. It gives a few philosophical questions to think about when it comes to society. They were very well incorporated into the story. I first felt frustrated how Dr. Zaius can ignore George Taylor's ability to speak but as the movie progressed and especially at the end I could understand his motives.The ending was epic. Even though I didn't see the movie before I already knew how it ends (hard to avoid that spoiler for all my life and having watched the newly made prequels). Yet it was still an amazing scene that gave me goosebumps and lots of thoughts.

Whenever I watch the original "Planet of the Apes" movie (and I've done so at least 5 times), I am struck by how it truly personifies the genre of science fiction.For a basic plot summary, the movie focuses on a group of American space explorers led by Taylor (Charlton Heston) who have been floating around the galaxy for thousands of years. When they crash land on a strange planet, however, they find out that the evolutionary system is backwards...with apes evolving from men!The hallmark of this movie is that it can be so serious within its ridiculous parameters. I mean, I think that even most die-hard "Apes" fans will admit that the presentation of the different types of simians in this film is utterly hilarious (from the walks all the way down to the facial expressions). If you are a person with no imagination, you would be rolling in the aisles, so to speak.As such, the fact that this movie contains such pertinent political/social satiric themes with such a crazy "Apes" backdrop is truly the epitome of science fiction. Some people like their film drama in real-life, some like the Old West, and others like fantasy or cartoon worlds (along with countless other genres). If you prefer your drama to be of the thinking variety and with shades of science built in, than this is the movie for you.I also won't ruin the ending for the one guy living under a rock who hasn't already heard (!), but suffice it to say that the ending provides the perfect explanation on such a social-satire type of film.Thus, I consider "Planet of the Apes" to be one of my favorite films of all-time. It takes some imagination to enjoy, for sure, but if you can open your mind to a little craziness you'll be prone to understanding the film's simple, yet bitingly accurate, social themes.