Product Details

• Actors: Roddy McDowall, Claude Akins, James Franciscus, Kim Hunter, Charlton Heston
• Directors: Don Taylor, Franklin J. Schaffner, J. Lee Thompson, Ted Post
• Writers: John William Corrington, Joyce Hooper Corrington, Michael Wilson, Mort Abrahams
• Format: Box set, Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, Letterboxed, Limited Edition, THX, Widescreen, NTSC
• Language: French (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono), French (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround), English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono), English (Dolby Digital 5.1)
• Subtitles: English, Spanish
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
• Number of discs: 6
• Rating: G (General Audience)
• Studio: 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
• DVD Release Date: August 21, 2001
• Run Time: 604 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (130 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B00004TS0K
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #50,756 in Movies & TV (See Bestsellers in Movies & TV)

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  Movies & TV > Action & Adventure > Series & Sequels > Planet of the Apes

• For more information about "Planet of the Apes - The Evolution" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

The five films in the Planet of the Apes series are enjoyable as pure entertainment and yet substantial enough to inspire academic studies like Planet of the Apes as American Myth: Race, Politics, and Popular Culture.

Loosely adapted from the novel by French author Pierre Boulle, Planet of the Apes was released at the height of racial and political unrest in America, adding resonance to its story of a NASA astronaut (Charlton Heston) stranded on a planet where superior apes dominate inferior human slaves. The film's final image--in which a horrified Heston realizes the fate of humankind--remains one of the most indelible in all of science fiction cinema.

Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970) continues the original's distant future scenario, pitting militant apes against mutant humans dwelling in the subterranean ruins of New York City. Its phenomenal success spawned Escape from the Planet of the Apes (1971), in which simian scientists Cornelius and Zira (Roddy McDowall and Kim Hunter, reprising their roles from Planet) travel backward in time, setting the stage for the ape supremacy of the first two films. McDowall returned in Conquest of the Planet of the Apes (1972) as Caesar, the son of Cornelius, leading an ape revolution that bridges the historical gap of the previous films. Battle for the Planet of the Apes (1973) ended the five-film cycle with McDowall again playing the chimpanzee leader Caesar, defeating gorillas and human mutants to establish the hierarchy introduced in the original film.

The Apes films present a classic what-if scenario that hasn't lost a bit of its potency. As if to prove its cultural endurance, the cycle returned to its origins with director Tim Burton's remake of Planet of the Apes--one of the most eagerly awaited films of 2001. --Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

98 of 100 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Grab The Planet Of The Apes Evolution Soon!, August 18, 2000

By	Mr. "alan5973" (USA) - See all my reviews

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.

31 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Missing scenes in 'Battle' are unforgivable..., April 28, 2001

By	Sgs - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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.

32 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the most popular series of all time, August 21, 2000

By	PatrickO "Patrick" (New York, NY United States) - See all my reviews

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.