Escape from the Planet of the Apes
Dir: Don Taylor
1971
*****
To really appreciate the brilliant Escape from the Planet of the Apes (and it is brilliant), you have to ignore the science somewhat. The science of the first two films of the franchise is actually sound, it is only the dubious time travel element and the Terminator style illogicality that tarnish the third installment but it is not at the expense of the overall enjoyment or message of the film. Turning the story of the original films on its head, Escape from the Planet of the Apes is from the perspective of an Ape in Planet of the humans, if you will. The wonderful Kim Hunter is reunited with the brilliant Roddy McDowall as Zira and Cornelius (the most interesting characters of the franchise) respectively as they travel back in time (ignore) to an Earth before the simian uprising. Certain issues of the era are explored most successfully, making it quite a contemporary film at the time, especially considering it was a second sequel with talking Apes in it. Nuclear weapons and Nuclear War was a topic of the previous film but it wasn't explored particularly intelligently, here it has much more relevance and is easier to see, especially as in 1971 the Cold War was very much alive. Animal testing, paranoid governments and Civil rights issues where all subjects of the day and all are explored brilliantly with this simple premise. To do so and keep the central theme of the franchise going is impressive, although the film is so good it can pretty much stand alone in its own right. The conclusion is devastating, as was the ending of the first film but here it seems far more poignant, far more serious, less sensationalist but far more powerful. A hugely underrated film.