Conquest of the Planet of the Apes
Dir: J. Lee Thompson
1972
****
Conquest of the Planet of the Apes, the forth film in the series, had a tough act to follow. It was however, only a matter of time before they tackled the how and why issue of why there is a Planet of the Apes in the first place. The science is flawed to some degree as the leader of the Ape uprising (Ceaser, played brilliantly by Roddy McDowell who also played his own Father Cornelius in the previous films) is the offspring of two Apes that traveled back in time from the future but, the events probably could have happened anyway, one way or another. It's a great story and is handled really well with plenty of great characters and striking visuals. It is a B-movie of sorts but it's an intelligent one with a great look about it. I like to think of it as the first (and only) Apesploitation film. The costumes may not be as good and the budget is obviously smaller but there is something unique and quite exciting about it compared to the other films in the franchise.