Customer Reviews

Battle for the Planet of the Apes [VHS]

5 star:		(75)
4 star:		(28)
3 star:		(16)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(9)

 

 

This set is wonderful! All 5 films plus a bonus documentary hosted by the late great Roddy McDowall, Behind The Planet Of The Apes is a 126 minute making of which shows the origins and the ideas that lead to the filming of the saga which began in 1967, thru the rest of the films 'til 1973 as well as the two television series (live action and animated) and the rereleasing of the films and marketing. But you have to buy this set soon because after the first 100,000 are sold, the next sets will not, I repeat, will not include the Behind The Planet Of The Apes documentary, which, to me, is the best special feature you get with these movies. The lowdown on the films is this: Planet Of The Apes is a classic. Trust me, if you don't like this one you won't like the rest. The ending is historic. Beneath The Planet Of The Apes is a good second effort. I just wish Charlton Heston would've starred in the entire picture instead of the beginning and ending. (note: the trailer for this film is different from the one given on the VHS version (you can still see parts of that one on the documentary)). Escape From The Planet Of The Apes is a very original installment which takes place in the past circa 1973. This one is lighter and more fun up until the end. Conquest Of The Planet Of The Apes is the most underated of all the Apes films. This is the only ape film that recieved a PG rating for violence and deservedly so, but what makes this one unique is Roddy McDowell's understated performance as Ceaser, the ape who would lead his brothers and sisters to victory over the humans who have enslaved them. This is the darkest of the set and, to me, deserves better recognition. Battle For The Planet Of The Apes is a decent 5th installment. This film was made primarily for the kiddies, so, bearing that in mind you should know what to expect and even so, this film is still quite entertaining. None of these films were a boxoffice failure. They all made money. So go ape and grab this set, which includes the trailers for all 5 films, a photo gallery for the first 2 films and of course, the documentary, Behind The Planet Of The Apes. Don't dawdle, grab this set soon. You don't want to give up the documentary. It's a perfect companion to the rest of the films that gives you some great insight and will be highly collectable in the near future.

A brilliant series that is captured perfectly on DVD.

However, there is one flaw: there are two scenes that appeared in the original 'director's cut' of Battle for the Planet of the Apes that were left off the DVD:

1. before the mutants leave to attack ape city, Governor Kolp shows Mendez and Alma the doomsday bomb, and instructs them to launch it at Ape City if he should not return.

2. at the end of the film, Mendez and Alma decide to not launch the bomb. instead, they worship it - with Mendez as the leader.

These two scenes nicely round out the entire series, but were only shown in the TV version. Why Fox didn't include them in the film, or at least as special features, is beyond me.

It's unforgivable. That's why the series is only getting 3 stars.

A brilliant commentary on society, racism and even the Theory of Relativity. While none of the films are as fast-paced and fascinating as the original, all provide pleasure. Who would have thought Maurice Evans, Samantha's father on "Bewitched" would make such a perfect Dr. Zaius. And take note of Charleton Heston, a magnificent actor-turned shill for the NRA, showing his bare butt in the court scene. :)

Part 2, Beneath, seems like the end, but it's really the beginning. Get it? You will. Overall, it's a bit schlocky, but fun.

Part 3, Escape, comes close to the best story. Roddy McDowall and Kim Hunter are fun to watch as they return to the early 70s in Heston's original ship.

Part 4, Conquest , is a gritty and brutal episode mirroring the race and anti-war protests of the 1960s. Don Murray overacts to the gills. There was a much different ending that was cut from the film before it was released.

Only part 5, Battle, is somewhat of a turkey with poor production values and cheesy acting. Director John Huston plays "The Lawgiver." Roddy is good. So is veteran Lew Ayres.

The winner in the box set is the AMC documentary on the making of these films. Otherwise, the lack of exras would be a problem. The transfers are sadly not anamorphic, but they still rate about a 3 out of 5.

Tim Burton will make a terrific-looking version of Planet, but no way will it have the multiple layers of the original. Most of his films don't seem too coherent.

Like Dune and Lord of the Rings, this series is nearly a pop culture masterpiece.

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.

When I was a kid, "Planet of the Apes" merchandise flooded the stores. Action figures, puzzles, guns, masks; we had it all. Unfortunately, we had to rely on the scheduling whims of network executives in order to watch the actual films that spawned this kitschy bonanza. The Age of Cable, VHS and DVD has dawned, and now we have the movies to enjoy whenever we want to time travel to a world where apes dominate. It's a decidedly downbeat and pessimistic world, but one that continues to fascinate.

And this DVD set contains the entire 5-film series, so you can watch the devolution from highly-original concept into low-budget mediocrity. Fortunately, though, the "Planet of the Apes" franchise was almost always entertaining, even as inspiration ran low. Let's look at the films in order, shall we? Set controls for the year 3978... or 3955, depending on the movie.

Planet of the Apes: The original, which over the years, has picked up some only marginally justified camp baggage. Charlton Heston plays a misanthropic astronaut who, ironically, becomes humanity's sole defender. Maurice Evans persecutes him as orangutan Dr. Zaius (who knows more about ape history than he lets on), and Roddy McDowall (soon to become synonymous with playing chimps on-screen) and Kim Hunter (and Oscar winner for "A Streetcar Named Desire"!) portray Cornelius and Zira, his chimpanzee defenders. With the lovely, fur-bikinied Linda Harrison as Nova, Heston's mute main squeeze. A genuinely thought-provoking and thrilling classic, despite a few heavy-handed attempts at humor. Worthy of special note is Jerry Goldsmith's dynamic, percussive score.

Beneath the Planet of the Apes: The bizarre, somewhat inferior, sequel, which suffers from a lower budget (witness the really poor ape masks on the extras, and a few gorilla soldiers in flimsy outfits). James Franciscus crashes to earth to find Heston, and instead finds Ms. Harrison and the apes. Everyone's back from the first except McDowall (this is the only ape film he missed). As a special bonus, James Gregory ("The Manchurian Candidate") plays a war-hungry gorilla general with gusto. Features some interesting vistas of a bombed-out New York, and a memorable mutant unmasking scene. A veritable camp-fest, and a lot of psychedelic fun.

Escape from the Planet of the Apes: An inversion of the original concept, and quite a bit closer to Pierre Boulle's original novel. McDowall returns, and with Kim Hunter and Sal Mineo ("Rebel Without a Cause"), journeys back to the present day United States, only to run afoul of a sinister government scientist. Vivacious performances by McDowall and Hunter salvage it somewhat.

Conquest of the Planet of the Apes: A more violent entry in the series, but tame by today's standards. McDowall plays his own character's son, a chimp named Caesar who is destined to overthrow humanity. And that's pretty much what he does. Ricardo Montalban performs admirably, but the series was beginning to fray with lower and lower budgets. The final visuals will chill you, though.

Battle for the Planet of the Apes: The final film. McDowall attempts to divine the future, but invites the wrath of disenfranchised humans. A miniscule budget (evidenced mainly in the final, underwhelming battle scenes) devastates this one, although the script's not too bad. Claude Akins makes a fine villainous gorilla, diminutive singer/songwriter Paul Williams has some memorable lines as a wise orangutan, and director John Huston portrays the legendary Lawgiver in the framing sequences. Award yourself a banana if you can spot "Animal House" director John Landis as one of the humans.

The complete DVD set includes a 2-hour documentary, hosted by Roddy McDowall himself. It's fun for the serious "Apes" fan. It features a lot of trivia, and talking head interviews with the major players, including Heston, make up artist John Chambers, and producer Richard Zanuck.

It's hard for me to talk POTA without invoking lots of misty-eyed nostalgia for my misspent youth. The Apes movies were my first taste of sci-fi/fantasy, and have informed more of my likes and dislikes than I care to admit.

Let me just say that the six disc boxed set (all five movies plus a new documentary disc) is worth every penny of admission money. The films sparkle on DVD (non-anamorphic, but you can't have everything), and Fox has gone to lots of trouble to make the menus and special features eye-catching and fun.

Of course, the highlight is the original film, with its fantastic script, sets and make-up. Here's a movie that bears repeated watching; with the exception of some of Heston's musings and sermonizing on life and the state of man (most definitely Rod Serling's contribution to the script), this one is as fresh today as it was in 1969.

BENEATH THE PLANET OF THE APES, the second film in the series, is almost as much fun as the first. Much - but not all - of the social commentary has been jettisoned in favor of action and chase scenes, and the makeup takes a few steps backwards, but this one is still a sentimental favorite. You've just gotta love those radiation-burned mutants, militaristic gorillas, and a series-ending finale that somehow didn't end the series.

ESCAPE, the third feature, feels the most dated, but that's to be expected, given the setting. McDowell and Hunter give their best ape performances here. If you can get past the annoying made-for-TV soundtrack (even though it was a theatrical release), you're well on your way to enjoying this film.

The fourth film, CONQUEST, ties up loose ends and brings the whole series full circle. I can't say it's a great film, but it is essential to the Ape mythos.

Most fans consider BATTLE to be the lightweight of the series, but it still has much to recommend it. Here's a fast-paced action film made with the kids in mind, but hard-core APES fans will find it worth a view.

The documentary disc is a great behind-the-scenes look at all things APE, with special emphasis on pre-production and production of the original film. McDowell's closing question, as he muses on the future of the APES film franchise, has been answered affirmatively: Tim Burton's version of POTA is swinging our way this summer. If it's half as good as the original, it should be very good indeed.

Apes on DVD? Pricey, but worth it. Now if we can only get the live-action and animated series released as a tie-in to this summer's remake, I'd be one happy chimp indeed.

Ok, I had never seen these films and was skeptical at first, but a friend of mine loved them so I bought the Planet of the Apes Evolution dvd set. After seeing the first one I went ape nuts! I loved the movie! Great cast of characters including Charlton Heston, Roddy McDowall, Kim Hunter, and Shakespearean actor Maurice Evans. I only wish I hadn't known the ending so it would have been a total shock. The sequel, Beneath the Planet of the Apes, wasn't quite as good as the first and had lots of elements that could have been seen on a 60's Star Trek episode, but was still very enjoyable. The third film, Escape from the Planet of the Apes, is my second favorite. This time the main characters aren't the humans that we routed for in the first two, but the apes themselves. Kim Hunter and Roddy McDowall give their best performances ever in this film. There is even comedy relief which is very well done. Then there's Conquest of the Planet of the Apes, my least favorite of the series. This film is good, but the logic behind the apes evolution from just your average zoo animal into upright standing, almost human, creatures in only 20 years is just unimaginable. There are a few good points that tie this one into the others really well however. The final film, Battle for the Planet of the Apes, is pretty good and has a great ending for the entire film series. But there is also the bonus 6th disc. A documentary on the entire Apes saga narated by the late Roddy McDowall with lots of great info. These films spawned a huge franchise of merchandise, tv series, and cartoon series. I now am going crazy buying Planet of the Apes comics, toys, and cd's whenever I find them. And in 2001 a brand new Planet of the Apes movie is coming out, a remake of the original directed by Tim Burton. If it's as good as the original then what Episode 1 did for Star Wars, this new Apes film will do for the Planet of the Apes franchise. We may be seeing lots of Apes in the near future. Hope you enjoy the films as much as I did!

This is a classic set, one of the greatest ever. It is worth the money but they are not doing right by its fans buying this set. What they aren't telling you is that you'll be buying separarely the full 2-Disc Bonus DVD ("Behind The Planet Of The Apes") the set should be 7-discs. Like the same supposed "Limited Edition" set released over a year ago, It's only 6 disc including the abbreviated single disc behind the panet of the apes that has the documentary and NOT a lot of extras like they say.

In short, they should include the 2-Disc set for people spending money on the box set. Instead they screw them by making the 2-disc set additional.

I had the 5 VHS Collection and was amazed at the picture quality that those tapes had, but this takes it one step further. You would not believe the quality of picture and sound from these remastered DVDs. It is absolutely remarkable that movies made more than 30 years ago can look so incredibly clear and sound so great. There are of better quality than some movies just made a couple of years ago. I have always been a big fan of Planet Of The Apes and this brings it to life like never before. Included in this Box Set is the very interesting, in-depth documentary "Behind The Planet Of The Apes" which includes interviews of the actors and the many creative people who were responsible for making one of the all-time classic film series ever made. This is a dream come true! I am glad I got mine, because if I had hesitated, I would have missed out. It is now Out-Of-Print and unavailable anywhere including here, until it happens to be released again into production. If you ever find it - grab it! You won't be sorry.

Franklin J. Schaffner's PLANET OF THE APES remains as powerful and significant as when it was released back in 1968. Derived from Pierre Boulle's fascinating book and written with knowing talent by legendary writer Rod Serling, the premise sees three astronauts crash land on a supposedly future distant world, but when the explorers are captured by apes, the truth slowly dawns on Taylor that this is no alternate planet, rather the world he left, shaken up like a snow globe, delivering a devastating post-apocalyptic civilization where man is treated as the inferior, and the apes reign supreme. From Jerry Goldsmith's chilling music to the amazing creature make up and costumes and Leon Shamroy's fantastic cinematography, the film is a technical marvel. The combination of veterans Roddy McDowall and Maurice Evans add gravitas to the characters. And to end a movie with Chuck Heston damning all humanity was so powerful and stunning, a sequel was inevitable. And while the law of diminishing returns does weigh heavily at times throughout the series, the impact that these films had on Hollywood cannot be denied.

The first sequel, Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970) takes a decidedly malicious turn when the underground mutant survivors take up arms against the militant ape warriors. Maintaining all the elements that made the first film such a hit, BPOTA is the series' best sequel. Escape from the Planet of the Apes (1971) carries on the story, with Roddy McDowall reprising his role as Cornelius, where the apes travel back in time. Conquest of the Planet of the Apes (1972) is entertaining and intellectual, but sometimes tends to repeat on itself, and the by this point the audience enthusiasm had waned, but not before everything go wrapped up in the aggressive Battle for the Planet of the Apes (1973). Technically speaking, all the Apes movies are great, but you can just watch the original as a stand-alone film, and marvel at the collective genius that gave the world a true glimpse of humanity gone awry. A fascinating slice of cerebral science fiction.