War for the Planet of the Apes

Dir: Matt Reeves

2017

***

At this point in the remake/reboot Planet of the Apes franchise I’m afraid I have little enthusiasm. That said, I found War for the Planet of the Apes to be a great popcorn film and I was entertained throughout. I couldn’t remember what had happened in the previous film Dawn of the Planet of the Apes and can only really remember what had happened in Rise of the Planet of the Apes. Essentially, it didn’t feel like it mattered too much as these films were really only remakes of the last two original films; Conquest of the Planet of the Apes and Battle of the Planet of the Apes, both of which I remember well even though it has been many years since I first saw them. None of the film needed to be remade and lessons should have been learned from Tim Burton’s rather woeful remake of the original. I think the real problem I have with the new three films is that why should I care? It is the twist ending of the original film that really started the need to know more about the Planet of the Apes and Beneath the Planet of the Apes should have killed off the franchise there and then. I absolutely love Escape from the Planet of the Apes though and there is also a lot to be said for Conquest and Battle that followed a few years later. If Rise, Dawn and War were to fill in the gaps then fair enough, but as these are remakes, we are essentially in a new Ape universe where none of the cool stuff we liked about the original have happened, so again, why should I care? They don’t really bring anything new to the idea and after three films, there still hasn’t been anything as near as interesting as the last thirty seconds of the original. However, I digress, War for the Planet of the Apes is easy viewing, much of the story has been formed already in the first two films, so at least the story can progress without much delay. What I really liked about this chapter is that it is almost entirely Ape led. The humans come into it later, but essentially this is the first 100% Planet of the Ape film from the Ape’s perspective – not counting Escape from the Planet of he Apes which is a different sort of film from the rest. Returning director Matt Reeves and writer Mark Bomback have said that for the third film of the reboots (the ninth Planet of the Ape film in the franchise) they watched thousands of movies, ranging from westerns to war films, and even a bit of space sci-fi. You can certainly see the western and war film influence and it makes for a much more interesting film. Most of the film sees Andy Serkis’s Caesar on horseback, wandering the land with his posse looking for answers – which is classic western. The finale is a combination of captive and battle themed war films, with many classics being obvious influences. It incorporates many elements seen in previous Planet of the Ape films but essentially this is a war western with monkeys instead of cowboys or solders and I have absolutely no problem with that. It is what it is. The special effects are what they are, I’m no less impressed than I was the first time we saw them but they are now nothing new. What I did like was the references to the earlier Ape films. The little mute girl they find is called Nova, just like the mute slave girl from the first film played by Linda Harrison. This isn’t the same character as there would be around a thousand years between them but it was a nice touch. The giant ‘X’s that the humans use to tie up the Apes are the same as seen in the original film and I also liked the way the rebelling group of humans were called Alpha and Omega, like the bomb that was worshiped underground in Beneath the Planet of the Apes. I expected references to the original but I would have thought Beneath the Planet of the Apes was the one film of the franchise that would have been swept way under the carpet. Steve Zahn’s Bad Ape character opens up many possibilities within the franchise but I hope the story continues with Caesar as the central point and that it doesn’t open up the idea, expanding the Planet of the Ape ‘universe’. Three sequels and four reboots is quite enough and more than the original deserved, as good as it was. This particular story-line needs to keep everything in focus and shouldn’t stray too far from where it is. If it does however, it should go all out and be a musical or should take place in space (or both). Apart from the impact of the original film’s twist, what the franchise really lacks is the warmth that Cornelius (Roddy McDowall) and Zira (Kim Hunter) brought to it in the originals. They are the characters that made me fall in love with Planet of the Apes and what they had is what is missing. It’s a great action film with monkeys, probably my favorite of the reboots so far, but that’s about it.

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
Dir: Matt Reeves
2014
***
If Rise of the Planet of the Apes was a remake of Conquest of the Planet of the Apes, then Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is a remake of Battle of the Planet of the Apes. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is a much better film than Battle of the Planet of the Apes but only just. If you're going to remake a film then it should be much better, apart from a bigger budget and better special effects, Dawn is a lot like Battle in that there is an awful lot of riding around on horses around the woods and a little bit of fighting and not much else. The civil rights message is loud and clear however and is handled intelligently and effectively. The Apes look impressive, while the first films were a triumph of make-up artistry, the new films are pioneering the art of motion capture and are lead by, as far as I'm concerned, the only person who truly understands its purpose and its possibilities; Andy Serkis. Special effects aside, I wasn't that impressed overall, I like the Planet of the Apes films but I don't think this added much to the franchise but it is easy viewing. Apart from the great effects and brilliant motion capture, the reason I've rated it relatively highly is because of Toby Kebbell's Koba. Koba is one of 2014's greatest villeins by a country mile, the scene in which he acts like a silly monkey (for want of a better description) is worth watching the film for alone. The transformation from performing Bonobo to vicious killer is terrifying and thrilling in equal measure. It's a clever film to a certain point but unwelcome schmaltz creeps in.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Dir: Rupert Wyatt
2011
***
To be honest, the old PG Tips Tea bag adverts with the Chimps drinking tea on a loop for 2 hours would have been a better inclusion to the franchise than Tim Burton's effort, so Rise of the Planet of the Apes had a bit of slack to work with but to it's credit, it was pretty good in its own right. It's a very different film from the 1968 original, mainly because it is seen at a different point in history. I love the third film, Escape from the Planet of the Apes, but this seems to have been ignored (seeing as they would know about the Apes as in the film they arrived in the early 70's) so while there is news coverage of the Mars spaceflight in the background to link it with the first film, the Apes universe is sort of in tact but we can probably ignore Beneath the Planet of the apes (fine) and Escape from Planet of the Apes (less fine) and continue with what is essentially a remake of Conquest of the Planet of the Apes. It isn't a typical sci-fi adventure, everything is a little bit rushed to fit into the 2 hour run time but it's good fun, is exciting and is a little bit more intelligent than your average summer blockbuster. It fits into the franchise quite well and although the CGI wasn't always great, it is an example of a reboot done well. Conquest and Battle were never that popular or viewed as much though, so an easier task than usual but credit is rightfully due.

Planet of the Apes
Dir: Tim Burton
2001
**
Remaking an iconic film of modern cinema such as Planet of the Apes was a bold move and in 2001 it was felt that director Tim Burton could do no wrong. Although the film was a financial success, it received a deluge of criticism and for good reason. The change of story wasn't really that bad but I don't feel it matched the originality or intelligence of the original or even its sequels. Even though its very much a science-fiction film, the science element felt a little too far fetched and a bit contrived. The make-up and effects are fantastic though as is the eclectic cast and the Charlton Heston cameo was excellent. The big problem in my opinion was that the more it tried to change the original, the more it highlighted why the original was better. It was a poor imitation with a much bigger budget. The ending made little sense and angered original fans of the original and now iconic ending of the first film, to be honest I would hazard a guess that all would have been explained in the sequel but the presumption that there would even be one makes me dislike it even more.

Battle for the Planet of the Apes
Dir: J. Lee Thompson
1973
**
By the fifth and last of the original Planet of the Apes films, the idea has become tired. From such great beginnings the question as to what happens next is of interest to only the hard core Ape fans. I consider myself a big Ape fan but I'm afraid Battle for the Planet of the Apes bored me to tears. When you have a beginning and an end to a story sometimes there isn't any need for a middle and indeed the history of cinema suggests such films only exist as money making ventures. Battle for the Planet of the Apes is a lot of running around in the woods and not much else, compared to the complexities and visuals of the previous films it pales in comparison. The great Roddy McDowell remains the one of the main reasons to watch, that and the overall conclusion (if you care at this point). The conclusion isn't bad but compare it to the original's now iconic finish and it's forgettable.

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.

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. 

Beneath the Planet of the Apes
Dir: Ted Post
1970
***
There is an interesting idea at the root of Beneath the Planet of the Apes (the follow up to the hit sci-fi classic Planet of the Apes) but unfortunately it undoes everything that was great about its predecessor. The premise is exactly the same except this Planet of the Apes is a Planet of Apes and Humans, which is less catchy in story as well as title. The film's interesting element is that of broken history and its effect on society, religion and culture, this time explored from both a human and simian perspective. The people beneath the planet are separated from the Apes who live on the surface and worship a big gold nuclear rocket, both species have lived simultaneously, although humans do live on the Surface, they are not as intelligent and haven't evolved as the ones below. It's fine, especially if you liked the first but it is in no way as strong as the first for the two simple reasons that a) We know it is Planet Earth of the future from the beginning and b) It's not a 'Planet of the Apes'. An interesting idea, and I like it - although probably for the wrong reasons (it's a terrible B-Movie and I love terrible B-movies), but it does feel like the original idea for the first before it was wisely re-written. A substandard episode of an original Star Trek episode at best. It seems shocking now to have even thought about doing a Planet of the Apes film without the great Roddy McDowall.

Planet of the Apes
Dir: Franklin J. Schaffner
1968
*****
Franklin J. Schaffner's original 1968 Planet of the Apes is a sci-fi masterpiece. Sci-fi hadn't been this intriguing since H.G. Wells' time, it's like the best ever episode of Star Trek, the best ever B-Movie ever made and the sort of thing that usually only works in comic books. Like all good sci-fi, the story revolves around a sociological idea, the morality of a prominent species, government, religion and morals are also questioned with a little bit of space and time travel for good measure. It's got horror, action, suspense and intrigue. Most importantly it has men dressed as Apes, and everyone loves Apes. The ideas and imagery are now iconic, Planet of the Apes is both mainstream and cult. The performances are great, and the script is one of the most quotable of all time. The now famous ending has never been bettered within the genre in my opinion and the subjective and unfinished conclusion seems as bold and fresh as it did when it was released. Sci-fi gold.