User Reviews

Planet of the Apes is one of those films that changed movies and sci-fi for the rest of history. In it's time, the impact it made on the world was groundbreaking. This movie still holds up to this day, and is a good watch to see where we came from. The modern Planet of the Apes series is phenomenal, and the old series is really great as well.

[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]

A very interesting and creative movie that makes you think about what it means to be humane.

The people of Earth send four astronauts into the great unknown, firing through the cosmos at the speed of light in an ill-explained voyage to Orion’s Belt. Alone on the bridge, irritable crewman Taylor (Charlton Heston) casually ponders the wrinkles of time and space before joining his mates in the hibernation chamber. When they wake, months later, the ship has crash-landed in a large body of water and, after a narrow escape, the crew sets off in search of intelligent life. They soon find it: several native species of speaking, horse-mounted, dominant apes, who hunt their mute human cousins for sport. The other spacemen are quickly dispatched, but Taylor survives to dazzle simian scientists in captivity while plotting his escape. Like many of Heston’s dystopian sci-fi pictures from the ‘60s and ‘70s, Planet of the Apes can be boiled down to a thoughtful (if heavy-handed) premise, several opportunities for the star to evangelize from the grandstand and an effective, well-known twist ending. While this makes for an energetic leap into the conceptual deep end, the production’s flaws and shortcomings are quickly made apparent. The apes’ civilization is a puzzling blend of modern technology and stone-age comforts, a weird mishmash that doesn’t stand up to scrutiny. It also feels extremely small-scale; just one minor village with limited range and few hints of a broader culture. Religious fundamentalists have settled into cushy roles inside the government, mandating that their subjects avoid the surrounding “forbidden zone,” so the lower-class denizens have little to do beyond smoking cigs, attending Bible study, wandering the city and poaching the hairless wildlife. Hard to imagine multiple generations could feel content with such a flavorless life. So we settle into a steady flow of cruelty and obstruction from the top, which ignites a mild struggle with the more liberal-minded chimps. The social metaphors are strong, though over-played, and it all makes for good imagination fuel, but Heston is hardly an ideal hero. His rants and raves quickly grow tiresome and the action scenes that always seem to follow suit are dull and repetitive. I think we’re asked to sit through three overlong horse-and-netting chase scenes before it’s all through? One would’ve been more than enough. I’m sure this was daring and different in the late ‘60s, but it feels ponderous and a tad preachy in the modern light. Good ideas stuck in a dated execution, with an overbearing lead performance.

It is far from silly than you might think when you pictured a 60s movie about a human stuck in the future when an ape now in control, because i found the 1968 Planet Of The Apes movie surprisingly great, i was surprisingly really invested to the story, surprisingly good in terms of performances, makeup, set and design, literally if you think about it, this is probably the most effort Planet Of The Apes film that we could ever get and the rest of the original franchise because they did not rely on a single special effects at all except the space background in the beginning, all practical and all works really well, again the most surprising thing watching this film is how i really invested to the story and most importantly the characters of the film, the unexpected emotional aspects that i wasn't ready at all, overall Planet Of The Apes (the 1968 version) besides being surprisingly great and entertaining, it is also one of the best production film ever made.

Superbe adaptation du livre (excellent) de Pierre Boulle, fidèle sur l’essentiel mais avec quelques petites variantes ici et là pour les besoins de l’adaptation (intelligente). C’est aussi le plus beau rôle pour Charlton Heston (avec sans doute Soleil Vert aussi bien entendu) : loin du héros stéréotypé et du bellâtre paradant, il incarne un pragmatique et cynique rescapé avec brio sans être un anti-héros pour autant… Et la charmante Linda Harrison est vraiment ravissante en peau de bête…Certes, bien des éléments techniques ont vieilli et paraissent kitsch (certains diront ringard !) mais pour l’époque c’était à la pointe… du carton-pâte. Blague à part, les maquillages étonnent encore aujourd’hui, la photographie est superbe, les décors naturels judicieusement choisis sont incroyables et la mise en scène de Schaffner est tirée au cordeau mais sait faire preuve de quelques audaces.A cela s’ajoute l’excellente musique de Jerry Goldsmith délicieusement dissonnante et tribale. Et cette fin… est prodigieuse, bien évidemment. Différente du livre mais elle a le même impact. Alors ‘La Planète des Singes’ ? un grand classique (indémodable) de la Science-Fiction, ni plus ni moins !

Planet of the Apes is the first film in the franchise. Perhaps it is the most lamp, but it looks unusual when viewed in 2022. Although the film cannot be said outdated, it looks cheerful enough. The first half of the film is somewhat delayed, but fortunately, at least the end of the film gives the answer to the main question to the viewer. An excellent film that fulfills its task - to interest the viewer in the franchise

Then unprecedented brave story telling that takes a great premise and allow it to develop into a quest to return home only for an unforseen twist to deter any possibility to do so.

This film is absolutely wonderful, much better than the uninspired Tim Burton re-imagining(that saddened me as I like Burton, well his early movies anyway). This though is the real deal, much better told in terms of story, and the script is clever and sly. Planet of the Apes certainly looks good, the special effects and cinematography are excellent for their time, and the ape make up is simply marvellous. And of course the twist ending still delights(and shocks). And I think the acting is good, with Charlton Heston appropriately square jawed in one of his more interesting film roles and as the apes Roddy McDowall and Kim Hunter really do shine. The direction is engaging and focused as well, and the score is terrific. The film may start a little slow, but that is nothing compared to how pedestrian the whole of the 2001 film was. Overall, simply brilliant. 9/10 Bethany Cox

Having seen all three films from the rebooted series, I came into watching the original series expecting something relatively similar. To my pleasant surprise, it's a very different story. It's a fascinating dynamic that is set up in this version, which I in fact prefer compared to the films from the 2010s - as entertaining as they are in their own right. It's nicely paced and features good cinematography. The cast of 1968's 'Planet of the Apes' are very good. Charlton Heston, as you might expect, sticks out the most, but Roddy McDowall, Kim Hunter and Maurice Evans are good too. Everyone else is solid, as well. The effects haven't aged amazingly, for example the ape make-up/costumes are dated and clunky - particularly when the characters are speaking. That's all forgivable of course, given the release year. It's all still effective, either way. 8/10 - very close to being 9/10 in truth.

A really well made sci-fi classic that touches on themes of science and religion in a very creative, if not entirely subtle way. The ape makeup is still really damn impressive to this day. It's baffling that the Oscars didn't have an official Best Makeup category until the 80's. With movies like this and the equally impressive ape makeup in 2001: A Space Odyssey released the same year, you would think they'd realize earlier just how important it is. Charlton Heston's maniacal laugh when Landon plants the flag is the wierdest, most amazingly hilarious thing ever.

Um dos melhores filmes de todos os tempos.. com certeza o melhor da franquia

A classic movie with a great story and smart dialogues. There are so many similarities and social ciritics to our past and present. Yes, the beginning is a bit slow, but after 20 minutes it starts to be very interesting. Everyone who likes movies should see it.

[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]

Посмотрев последнюю трилогию Планеты обезьян, появилось желание взглянуть на классику. И не чуть не пожалел. Фильм реально смотрится легко и при этом появлялось желания ставить фильм на паузу если куда-то отлучался что бы не пропустить ни минуты. К фильму практически нет претензий кроме небольших сюжетных дыр и игры некоторых актеров, но при этом хотелось бы отметить притягательную игру Хэстона. Прекрасный фильм, советую к просмотру любителям классики.

Note:9.6 50 years later and Planet Of Apes continues to have the same brilliance, his script is magical and passes a great message that until today is very reflexive, a good direction that can set the tone of the film in the first and only attempt, not counting the end , which brings us one of the biggest plot-twist in film history. A revolutionary film for the genre of science fiction and one of my favorite films.

You honestly can't go wrong with this classic. The cinematography and make up effects still very much live up to this day and that alone speaks to how well done this film was done. There are a few pacing issues throughout the film though, Especially with the overly long introduction. Aside from that, It's great and a must watch.

a worth exploring land.. Planet Of The Apes 4 Out Of 5 Planet Of The Apes is a sci-fi plot driven feature that depicts a life changing experience of an explorer who has landed on an unknown land and probably among a known species. Despite of having such a wide range on the genre, very few of them gets it right and this is one of them and primary reason to that is the maturity and the ingenious approach towards that concept is what makes it stand alone. It is short on technical aspects like cinematography, production design and editing although is rich in costume design and background score and sound effects. The writing is strong and witty and isn't afraid to visit unexplored places with thought-provoking concept and a sense of urgency that keeps the audience engaged throughout the course of it. The adaptive screenplay by Michael Wilson and Rod Serling is gripping and smart as the various steps in an act just falls in fluently without any hesitation. Franklin J. Schaffner; the director, is in his A game and has pulled off one of the best sci-fi fictional feature that is abruptly evergreen in its self-created mythology. It is short on performance but in actors' defense there isn't much range provided for them to factor in, accordingly. Planet Of The Apes is a worth exploring land on terms of the craft that went into creating such a glorifying and adventurous experience that communicates immensely with the audience.

One of best movies of sci-fi genre in sixties decade. Charloton Heston, so make-up effects still do not lose their ability to amaze. The unexpected twist of final act is one best of ever times.

I know lots of people hail this film as a masterpiece and everything, but I really wanted to like this movie (as I am a fan of Rise, Dawn, and War of the Planet of the Apes) but I just did not. Sure, this movie has decent acting, and good special effects, but I was just bored during pretty much the whole film.(with the exception of a few scenes)

An immortal classic. It might be a little slow to start, but it has excellent pacing and acting. I'm also extremely impressed by how much the actors were able to express under all that excellent make-up. The characters are all very well done; you really get a feel for Taylor's desperation at the beginning, being chased around and locked up. He doesn't want to e treated like a wild animal, but then when he has control, you feel his sheer confidence, like when he holds a certain character hostage. This movie also tackles prejudice in a smart way, since the apes do not just blindly hate humans, but they want to retrain humans for their history of warfare and violence. Then you have Zira who wants to better understand the humans while still exercising caution. The characters behave realistically. Planet of the Apes is just a timeless movie.