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Special Features
- *Cast Page
- *Planet of the Apes (68) Trailer
- *Planet of the Apes (01) Trailer
- *Beneath the Planet of the Apes Trailer
- *Escape from the Planet of the Apes Trailer
- *Conquest of the Planet of the Apes Trailer
- *Battle for the Planet of the Apes Trailer
- *Planet of the Apes Cross Promotional Trailer
- *Fox Interactive Presents: Behind the Scenes of the Planet of the Apes Game
- ROM Content - Self Contained Planet of the Apes Web Site
Editorial Reviews
Roddy McDowall and Claude Akins star in the fifth and last chapter of the legendary Apes saga. Set in 2670 A.D., an idyllic society of man and ape is threatened by both a militant gorilla (Akins) and a tribe of still-intelligent mutant humans. Finally, simmering tensions dividing the primates erupt in an apocalyptic climax. When the smoke clears, the carnage is everywhere, but there is hope for a new beginning for man and ape. Co-starring John Huston, Paul Williams, and Lew Ayres.
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
24 of 24 people found the following review helpful
By Dave Cordes
Format:DVD
Rarely does the restoration of deleted scenes added back into a film work to its benefit. The Extended Edition of Battle for the Planet of the Apes (available previously only as a Japanese laserdisc) is one of those rare exceptions. The fifth and final chapter in the Apes theatrical series is generally regarded as its weakest link. It had the lowest budget of all of the films in the series and it painfully shows and looks more like it's a made-for-TV movie. In fact, it feels almost like a pilot for the Planet of the Apes Television Series.
The film begins in the year 2670 and is bookended with John Houston as the revered ape Lawgiver reading from the sacred scrolls like a bedtime storyteller, "In the beginning, God created beast and man so that they could live in harmony and share dominion over this world..." From here the story is told in flashback and the viewer is left scratching their heads by the befuddling logic. Events not clearly explained are left to the viewer to make assumptions or draw conclusions about the contradictory order of events. It must be assumed that a nuclear war had devasted the Earth immediately after the ape uprising in Conquest and somehow only a decade afterward the ape society had unbelievably evolved their verbal powers of speech and intelligence. These facts are inconsistent with Cornelius' explanation of the apes' evolution in Escape in which he explains that the plague that destroyed all cats and dogs occurred some 200 years later than it did in Conquest and that Aldo was the first ape to utter human speech when he said the word "No" which was spoken by Lisa in Conquest, and that Aldo led the revolt against the humans which was led by Caesar. We can only conclude that the incongruent events in Conquest and Battle are the events of an alternate timeline forged by the creation of the temporal paradox from Cornelius and Zira's arrival in Escape. The apes also adorn costumes similar to the fashions of the ape society from the first film which had evolved over several thousand years but again this is only a decade after their revolt against the humans (one explanation could be that since this story is told as a flashback to ape and human children we are seeing it as depicted by their imaginations as a point of reference). Caesar has a son named Cornelius which might initially confuse the uninitiated viewer into mistaking this to be the young Cornelius from the first film which lived several thousand years into the future until it is made obviously clear late in the film that it is not the same Cornelius (I actually spent a better part of the film pondering how Caesar could paradoxically be both the son and the father of Cornelius). Also, MacDonald in this film is not the same MacDonald who was the Governor's Adjutant in Conquest but rather his brother which is confusing since Caesar appeared to have found a human sympathizer and ally in the MacDonald from Conquest and the only reasonable explanation for the deliberate change of character is that MacDonald is played by a different actor this time, but if you aren't paying close attention, you are likely to miss that inference. Ape City is located in a very lush and hospitable forest area within miles of the inhospitable desert wasteland of the annihilated Forbidden City. Automobiles such as jeeps and school buses still work somehow and were not rendered inopperable by the EMP of the atomic detonation. Radioactive half-life apparently only affects the surviving humans living within the irradiated remains of the Forbidden City (again, this takes place a mere decade after the war) and the apes can somehow sustain bombardments of high levels of radioactive fallout for a few hours while they search its archives for a videotape of Cornelius and Zira which also amazingly happened to not be vaporized or magnetically degaussed by the atomic blast. The mutated humans all wear skull caps for the purpose of (take your pick): A.) protecting their craniums from high radiation levels B.) to hide the fact that their hair has completely fallen out due to radioactive fallout C.) to enhance telepathic reception of their now-suddenly mutated telekinetic minds or D.) All of the above.
The newly restored scenes with the human mutants and the Alpha-Omega bomb at least help to make some sense of the rather weak narrative and gaps of logic and provide some continuity to the rest of the series. In the first scene, Governor Kolp unveils the Alpha-Omega bomb and instructs his assistant Alma to use it to annihilate Ape City should he not return from battle which is exactly what happens in the final scene where we see Mendez and Alma playing a game of checkers when Sargeant York returns and declares the defeat of their army and waves his arms in the air signalling an explosion just before he collapses. Alma says "Then I know what I must do." Mendez says "But wait for Kolp's signal," Alma's response is "I have just received it." Mendez, implores her not to carry out Kolp's original instructions making the arguement that its destructive power should be protected and even venerated and that they should become its guardians because it was one of their ancestors that made them what they are. This scene is significant because it shows the mutants beginning to hone their developing telepathic powers and it establishes the fundamental doctrine of their quasi-religious sect that will worship the Alpha-Omega bomb in future generations. It almost feels more like a direct prequel to Beneath now. Why this subplot was excised is almost as baffling as the film's logic but one reason perhaps is the fact that the film ended with a more optimistic outlook suggesting that the timeline of events were changed when Caesar united the apes and the humans and that the crisis of Beneath may have been averted but it is left open for the audience to decide from the ambiguous tear of the weeping statue of Caesar suggesting that perhaps the fateful events of the future cannot be avoided after all.
Battle is definitely the worst of the five apes films but compared to most low-budget sci-fi shlock I've seen, it's really not as bad as it's made out to be, but judged against the superior standard set precedent by the first film it is a quite a disappointment. In addition to the restored scenes, there are few highlights that make the film worth at least a viewing if you have enjoyed watching the other films in this series at all. Of particular interest are the sets of the melted down post-apocalyptic Forbidden City that are just visually interesting to look at, even if the obvious matte paintings were composited into the background. It gives the film a future-coda feel in a way that evokes images of James Cameron's The Terminator but pre-dates it over a decade. If nothing else, Battle (and the rest of the Apes saga) was at least influential in inspiring other science fiction films in the genre and was the template for subsequent franchises and was more than influential to George Lucas and his Star Wars mega-merchandising empire that would follow only a few years later and the Planet of the Apes series would forever be buried under its apocalypse and reside in the realm of Saturday afternoon and late-night television broadcasts.
The film begins in the year 2670 and is bookended with John Houston as the revered ape Lawgiver reading from the sacred scrolls like a bedtime storyteller, "In the beginning, God created beast and man so that they could live in harmony and share dominion over this world..." From here the story is told in flashback and the viewer is left scratching their heads by the befuddling logic. Events not clearly explained are left to the viewer to make assumptions or draw conclusions about the contradictory order of events. It must be assumed that a nuclear war had devasted the Earth immediately after the ape uprising in Conquest and somehow only a decade afterward the ape society had unbelievably evolved their verbal powers of speech and intelligence. These facts are inconsistent with Cornelius' explanation of the apes' evolution in Escape in which he explains that the plague that destroyed all cats and dogs occurred some 200 years later than it did in Conquest and that Aldo was the first ape to utter human speech when he said the word "No" which was spoken by Lisa in Conquest, and that Aldo led the revolt against the humans which was led by Caesar. We can only conclude that the incongruent events in Conquest and Battle are the events of an alternate timeline forged by the creation of the temporal paradox from Cornelius and Zira's arrival in Escape. The apes also adorn costumes similar to the fashions of the ape society from the first film which had evolved over several thousand years but again this is only a decade after their revolt against the humans (one explanation could be that since this story is told as a flashback to ape and human children we are seeing it as depicted by their imaginations as a point of reference). Caesar has a son named Cornelius which might initially confuse the uninitiated viewer into mistaking this to be the young Cornelius from the first film which lived several thousand years into the future until it is made obviously clear late in the film that it is not the same Cornelius (I actually spent a better part of the film pondering how Caesar could paradoxically be both the son and the father of Cornelius). Also, MacDonald in this film is not the same MacDonald who was the Governor's Adjutant in Conquest but rather his brother which is confusing since Caesar appeared to have found a human sympathizer and ally in the MacDonald from Conquest and the only reasonable explanation for the deliberate change of character is that MacDonald is played by a different actor this time, but if you aren't paying close attention, you are likely to miss that inference. Ape City is located in a very lush and hospitable forest area within miles of the inhospitable desert wasteland of the annihilated Forbidden City. Automobiles such as jeeps and school buses still work somehow and were not rendered inopperable by the EMP of the atomic detonation. Radioactive half-life apparently only affects the surviving humans living within the irradiated remains of the Forbidden City (again, this takes place a mere decade after the war) and the apes can somehow sustain bombardments of high levels of radioactive fallout for a few hours while they search its archives for a videotape of Cornelius and Zira which also amazingly happened to not be vaporized or magnetically degaussed by the atomic blast. The mutated humans all wear skull caps for the purpose of (take your pick): A.) protecting their craniums from high radiation levels B.) to hide the fact that their hair has completely fallen out due to radioactive fallout C.) to enhance telepathic reception of their now-suddenly mutated telekinetic minds or D.) All of the above.
The newly restored scenes with the human mutants and the Alpha-Omega bomb at least help to make some sense of the rather weak narrative and gaps of logic and provide some continuity to the rest of the series. In the first scene, Governor Kolp unveils the Alpha-Omega bomb and instructs his assistant Alma to use it to annihilate Ape City should he not return from battle which is exactly what happens in the final scene where we see Mendez and Alma playing a game of checkers when Sargeant York returns and declares the defeat of their army and waves his arms in the air signalling an explosion just before he collapses. Alma says "Then I know what I must do." Mendez says "But wait for Kolp's signal," Alma's response is "I have just received it." Mendez, implores her not to carry out Kolp's original instructions making the arguement that its destructive power should be protected and even venerated and that they should become its guardians because it was one of their ancestors that made them what they are. This scene is significant because it shows the mutants beginning to hone their developing telepathic powers and it establishes the fundamental doctrine of their quasi-religious sect that will worship the Alpha-Omega bomb in future generations. It almost feels more like a direct prequel to Beneath now. Why this subplot was excised is almost as baffling as the film's logic but one reason perhaps is the fact that the film ended with a more optimistic outlook suggesting that the timeline of events were changed when Caesar united the apes and the humans and that the crisis of Beneath may have been averted but it is left open for the audience to decide from the ambiguous tear of the weeping statue of Caesar suggesting that perhaps the fateful events of the future cannot be avoided after all.
Battle is definitely the worst of the five apes films but compared to most low-budget sci-fi shlock I've seen, it's really not as bad as it's made out to be, but judged against the superior standard set precedent by the first film it is a quite a disappointment. In addition to the restored scenes, there are few highlights that make the film worth at least a viewing if you have enjoyed watching the other films in this series at all. Of particular interest are the sets of the melted down post-apocalyptic Forbidden City that are just visually interesting to look at, even if the obvious matte paintings were composited into the background. It gives the film a future-coda feel in a way that evokes images of James Cameron's The Terminator but pre-dates it over a decade. If nothing else, Battle (and the rest of the Apes saga) was at least influential in inspiring other science fiction films in the genre and was the template for subsequent franchises and was more than influential to George Lucas and his Star Wars mega-merchandising empire that would follow only a few years later and the Planet of the Apes series would forever be buried under its apocalypse and reside in the realm of Saturday afternoon and late-night television broadcasts.
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
By Captain Nemo
Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase
After not seeing this version of the film for so long, the restored scenes really stand out and are a plus to the movie as a whole.
The following previously missing scenes have been restored:
1. After Virgil explains to Caeser that Abe (the teacher) told Aldo "No!" at class, McDonald elaborates further that Abe should have known better.
2. After Caeser, Virgil, and McDonald enter the forbidden city a mutant is seen sitting near Kolp and messing with some wires, presumably the alpha omega missile wiring.
3. Prior to the viewing of the archives and while traveling down the corridor McDonald fusses at Caeser and Virgil for being so slow. Caeser and Virgil claim that they can smell the radioactive humans and mention that they are not like the other humans.
4. After Virgil shoots the moving camara he apoligizes to Caeser and claims that everyone now knows they are there.
5. After Kolp tells the captain that they are going after the apes "now" he then tells Alma that, no matter what, surrender is not an option and they gather around the alpha omega missile. They open the missile silo hatch while Mendez looks on.
6. Extended scene of the convoy of mutants going towards ape city with some of the mutants walking out of rank and falling on the ground, presumably dying.
7. After Kolp and the captain view the ape barricade, Virgil sneeks down from his house - then the movie cuts back to Kolp who reminds someone via radio about his message to Alma in case things go wrong.
8. Extra war footage of the apes fighting the mutants with the barracade on fire.
9 A scene near Kolp's bus where a gorilla blows up a mutant with a grenade. Afterwards, Aldo dances on top of the bus in victory.
10. A final scene of the mutants with Mendez and Alma playing checkers. Another mutant shows up and informs that they have lost the war, then falls over dead. Alma goes over and prepares to launch the missile, but Mendez talks her out of it. This is an important scene which directly ties in this movie with "Beneath the Planet of The Apes" for continuity purposes.
I agree with one of the reviewers that the reason this movie had some of it's material previously edited was to make the ending more uplifting. However, if you had already seen this movie on television in the 70's (all scenes included) then you knew what the tear from Caeser's statue at the end of the movie ultimately signified. I have always thought "Battle of the Planet of The Apes" as a dark and mysterious movie and with the edited scenes included this makes it much more so. The soundtrack, a masterpiece by Leonard Rosenman, is extremely gloomy and eerie. The technique to creating this dark music is called atonality, meaning there are no scales but the musical notes are related to each other using the 12-tone system.
For some of you who are confused with the timeline of this movie, the year shown at the beginning of the movie (2670 AD) is the time of the Lawgiver's speech - NOT the time of Caeser's reign (which was much earlier). The Lawgiver is reading out of the sacred scrolls of history mentioned by Dr. Zaius in the first two films.
Enjoy!
The following previously missing scenes have been restored:
1. After Virgil explains to Caeser that Abe (the teacher) told Aldo "No!" at class, McDonald elaborates further that Abe should have known better.
2. After Caeser, Virgil, and McDonald enter the forbidden city a mutant is seen sitting near Kolp and messing with some wires, presumably the alpha omega missile wiring.
3. Prior to the viewing of the archives and while traveling down the corridor McDonald fusses at Caeser and Virgil for being so slow. Caeser and Virgil claim that they can smell the radioactive humans and mention that they are not like the other humans.
4. After Virgil shoots the moving camara he apoligizes to Caeser and claims that everyone now knows they are there.
5. After Kolp tells the captain that they are going after the apes "now" he then tells Alma that, no matter what, surrender is not an option and they gather around the alpha omega missile. They open the missile silo hatch while Mendez looks on.
6. Extended scene of the convoy of mutants going towards ape city with some of the mutants walking out of rank and falling on the ground, presumably dying.
7. After Kolp and the captain view the ape barricade, Virgil sneeks down from his house - then the movie cuts back to Kolp who reminds someone via radio about his message to Alma in case things go wrong.
8. Extra war footage of the apes fighting the mutants with the barracade on fire.
9 A scene near Kolp's bus where a gorilla blows up a mutant with a grenade. Afterwards, Aldo dances on top of the bus in victory.
10. A final scene of the mutants with Mendez and Alma playing checkers. Another mutant shows up and informs that they have lost the war, then falls over dead. Alma goes over and prepares to launch the missile, but Mendez talks her out of it. This is an important scene which directly ties in this movie with "Beneath the Planet of The Apes" for continuity purposes.
I agree with one of the reviewers that the reason this movie had some of it's material previously edited was to make the ending more uplifting. However, if you had already seen this movie on television in the 70's (all scenes included) then you knew what the tear from Caeser's statue at the end of the movie ultimately signified. I have always thought "Battle of the Planet of The Apes" as a dark and mysterious movie and with the edited scenes included this makes it much more so. The soundtrack, a masterpiece by Leonard Rosenman, is extremely gloomy and eerie. The technique to creating this dark music is called atonality, meaning there are no scales but the musical notes are related to each other using the 12-tone system.
For some of you who are confused with the timeline of this movie, the year shown at the beginning of the movie (2670 AD) is the time of the Lawgiver's speech - NOT the time of Caeser's reign (which was much earlier). The Lawgiver is reading out of the sacred scrolls of history mentioned by Dr. Zaius in the first two films.
Enjoy!
11 of 12 people found the following review helpful
By J. Escobar
Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase
This version of Battle for the Planet of the Apes is the uncut version that contains the scenes of the Alpha Omega bomb. These scenes make a clear connection between the mutants in Beneath and the ones in this film. Of course, Mendez is still there in the chopped version, but many might not connect him with the Mendez dynasty alluded to in the second film. These scenes make a huge difference in this film. I'd say they elevate the film from 3 to 4 stars.
The most obvious way to differentiate the two versions is the cover. The cut version has Virgil, an orangutan on it. This version has a picture of a very angry chimp or gorilla. In the cut version, you see Virgil from the chest up, the latter only has a face above the logo and a few film clips below it. While I'd really only recommend this to apes fans, I'd say anyone who's truly devoted to this series must own it.
The most obvious way to differentiate the two versions is the cover. The cut version has Virgil, an orangutan on it. This version has a picture of a very angry chimp or gorilla. In the cut version, you see Virgil from the chest up, the latter only has a face above the logo and a few film clips below it. While I'd really only recommend this to apes fans, I'd say anyone who's truly devoted to this series must own it.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
1.0 out of 5 stars
Mistake
i made mistake ordering this because I really wanted to order another dvd not this one. I got confused looking at this order knowing this wasn't what I really wanted.
Published 9 days ago by Positive
3.0 out of 5 stars
This series has to be liked
Apes are more intelligent than man but they fight also. I guess all that is being said in these series is that man feels he is from apes and so give them their characteristics. Read more
Published 3 months ago by eloise dunlap
3.0 out of 5 stars
ILHM Reviews Battle for the Planet of the Apes
In the years following the ape revolt, the survivors of the great war have settled in the country, where man and ape live in harmony. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Carl Manes
5.0 out of 5 stars
HARD TO FIND
Bought this as a gift. I had to look for quite a while to find this one to help complete collection for a friend. If you are a fan of these type of movies it's great!
Published 10 months ago by HGravley
4.0 out of 5 stars
See The Whole Series in Order by Date Made
Finally, we have come round full circle. Oh, there's undoubtedly room for one more between this one and the original, but it was never made. Read more
Published 12 months ago by Barbara Frederick
5.0 out of 5 stars
The War to Settle the Score
"Battle for the Planet of the Apes" is the fifth and final film in the original Planet of the Apes series. It was released in 1973 and was produced by Arthur P. Read more
Published 15 months ago by The Seeker
1.0 out of 5 stars
Worst planet of the apes movie!
okay ill rephrase, other than the remakes this is the worst planet of the apes movie. It doesnt keep my attention. Its boring, the characters are dull. Read more
Published 18 months ago by toby
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good intentions but rather slow action
That is the last episode of the film series. That's the end of the saga and the beginning of the myth. Read more
Published on August 31, 2010 by Jacques COULARDEAU
1.0 out of 5 stars
Minor squabble for the planet of the apes.
In this corner we have some clips from the TV series and in the other corner of a moderately sized field we have some more clips. Read more
Published on April 20, 2010 by Shaithis
2.0 out of 5 stars
Buy the boxed set
This is the fourth in the series of POTA films. Although Roddy McDowell retains a starring role and there is a minor role for John Huston overall it really is pretty poor. Read more
Published on January 27, 2009 by S J Buck
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