Ah, here it is: one of the cornerstones of science fiction films, the behemoth of the 'shipwrecked survivors explore an alien world' movies. PLANET OF THE APES. One of those films (the other is SUPERMAN) that, somewhat criminally, I hadn't got around to watching in my long years of being a cinema fan. Well, that's now corrected, and I'm glad, because PLANET OF THE APES is a great movie that fully deserves its hype.
In many ways it looks and feels like an extended episode of TV's STAR TREK, which is inevitable, as it was made in the same era and with the same 'look' in front of the camera. However, it has a far more in depth script than one of those episodes, and as much as I hate to say it, Charlton Heston is by far a more convincing actor than William Shatner! Heston takes the likable hero role here and runs away with it, delivering a grizzled, sinewy turn as a man who finds himself out of his depth when he's stranded on a world run by apes.
Of course, plenty of political intrigue and machinations follow, along with the tried-and-tested escape-and-get-captured formula that sustain many an easy-viewing Sunday afternoon flick. Particularly of note is the stunning photography, which really brings those isolated locales to life in the first half hour, and the excellent ape costumes which give life and character to each of the simian species. Along the way, the script has time for a little romance, plenty of humour, some nicely quotable lines, and even a couple of twists, not least the famous ending which, although long since spoiled by now, still packs a punch in the same way as the one in THE SIXTH SENSE.
PLANET OF THE APES is hugely influential and a lot of fun from beginning to end. It deserves its status as a sci-fi classic thanks to the inherent sense of fun and discovery along the way, factors which have made a success of every sci-fi creation: whether they be the works of Edgar Rice Burroughs or the early films of George Lucas.
In many ways it looks and feels like an extended episode of TV's STAR TREK, which is inevitable, as it was made in the same era and with the same 'look' in front of the camera. However, it has a far more in depth script than one of those episodes, and as much as I hate to say it, Charlton Heston is by far a more convincing actor than William Shatner! Heston takes the likable hero role here and runs away with it, delivering a grizzled, sinewy turn as a man who finds himself out of his depth when he's stranded on a world run by apes.
Of course, plenty of political intrigue and machinations follow, along with the tried-and-tested escape-and-get-captured formula that sustain many an easy-viewing Sunday afternoon flick. Particularly of note is the stunning photography, which really brings those isolated locales to life in the first half hour, and the excellent ape costumes which give life and character to each of the simian species. Along the way, the script has time for a little romance, plenty of humour, some nicely quotable lines, and even a couple of twists, not least the famous ending which, although long since spoiled by now, still packs a punch in the same way as the one in THE SIXTH SENSE.
PLANET OF THE APES is hugely influential and a lot of fun from beginning to end. It deserves its status as a sci-fi classic thanks to the inherent sense of fun and discovery along the way, factors which have made a success of every sci-fi creation: whether they be the works of Edgar Rice Burroughs or the early films of George Lucas.