The Big Picture
The
Planet of the Apes
franchise continues to stay relevant with its bold storytelling in every installment.
The original films focused on social commentary, while later ones explored character development and political themes.
Prequels like
Rise of the Planet of the Apes
interestingly turned audience sympathy against humans in favor of ape characters.
Hollywood sure loves to create franchises and crossover sagas, as many of the most anticipated upcoming films are connected to some form of previously established intellectual property. While reboots, remakes, and sequels are more common now than ever before, there’s only a select number of franchises that have retained the same level of critical acclaim and commercial viability as they did during their inception. Although audiences may now be growing tired of superhero films based on DC and Marvel characters, the Planet of the Apes franchise has shown no signs of slowing down. Between nine films, a strange television series, and an increasingly expansive continuity, the Planet of the Apes film series remains relevant because it continues to get weirder with every installment.
Planet of the Apes (1968)
An astronaut crew crash-lands on a planet where highly intelligent non-human ape species are dominant and humans are enslaved.
Release Date April 3, 1968
Director Franklin J. Schaffner
Runtime 112 Minutes
Main Genre Sci-Fi
Studio 20th Century Fox
The Original Planet of the Apes Movies Used Its Wild Plot to Tackle Realistic Themes
While 1968’s Planet of the Apes was based on the novel of the same name by Pierre Boulle, the film diverged widely from the original source material. The novel served as a grounded morality piece that examined the improbability of two competing species ever reaching a peaceful solution to their arms race. The characterization of the planet was entirely different, and presented less endearing human characters. However, the original Planet of the Apes film used its iconic plot twist to serve as a warning about mankind’s growing irrelevance. The concept of talking apes was exciting enough, but the idea that they could reach a level of intelligence that rivaled mankind’s was certainly shocking. However, including the Statue of Liberty in the reveal made the film’s ending and message even spookier.
While Planet of the Apes was rightfully acclaimed as one of the greatest science fiction films of all-time, the original novel did not provide a natural direction for the narrative to go in the aftermath of the major twist. Since 20th Century Fox wasn’t about to cut off a potentially viable franchise before it got the chance to begin, the Planet of the Apes sequels began to take more time to analyze the political and ethical ramifications of the central conceit. The commentary on how infrastructure is established often took unusual forms. 1970’s Beneath the Planet of the Apes centered around the new astronaut, Brent (James Franciscus), who searches for the original film’s protagonist, Taylor (Charlton Heston). He discovers that the remains of humanity have grown to worship a powerful missile, yes – a missile. This served as a grave warning about nuclear annihilation within an era when the message couldn’t have been more relevant.
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Since actors like Heston and Franciscus didn’t return for multiple installments, the Planet of the Apes series never mapped out a consistent set of characters over the course of the sequels. The development of the world itself took greater precedence over any individual member of the human or ape societies. However, despite the focus on worldbuilding in the Planet of the Apes franchise, the overall story does not follow a cohesive structure. For instance, Escape From the Planet of the Apes introduced time travel, allowing the story to expand in unexpected directions, including bringing back Roddy McDowall’s character Cornelius from the first film to tell a story set in the present-day United States that served as an allegory for racial conflict. Conquest of the Planet of the Apes continued these themes by mapping out the apes’ uprising in what was a clear allusion to the liberation of enslaved people.
While the early franchise tackled heavy topics, it walked the delicate fine line of not taking itself too seriously. Balancing the novelty of the idea and its more absurd elements with fun with equal parts grit and chaos. Only a franchise as bold as this can make an impactful cinematic moment out of the phrase, “Take your stinking paws off me, you damn dirty ape!” Beyond introducing a world ruled by apes, most of the human characters featured in the first Planet of the Apes movies were rendered unable to speak after a widespread virus caused the devolution of humankind. This set up helped make the aforementioned phrase a gasp-worthy moment in a way few modern franchises have managed to replicate.
The Planet of the Apes Series Lived Beyond the Original Films
While the subject of these films may have proven a little too downbeat for audiences, the final film in the original series was certainly not lacking in spectacle; Battle for the Planet of the Apes featured an all-out war between human and apes, and surprisingly ended on a more optimistic note. Creatively, Battle for the Apes was significantly less ambitious than its predecessors, as it ditched the more nuanced social commentary in favor of spectacle. However, the popularity of the franchise allowed the Planet of the Apes TV series to take the saga in a bizarre new direction. With smaller scale action and more time to flesh out the unique ape and human subcultures, the Planet of the Apes series merged the films’ groundbreaking makeup effects with the freedom allotted by a 14 episode series.
Following the cancellation of the television series, the Planet of the Apes franchise remained dormant for nearly three decades. However, Tim Burton’s remake of the original film managed to become the weirdest Planet of the Apes film yet. Talented actors like Tim Roth, Paul Giamatti, and Helena Bonham Carter were forced to act behind ridiculous masks that were impossible to take seriously. Between the beguiling ending and the adverse critical reaction, all plans for a new Planet of the Apes series under Burton’s command evaporated. Burton’s film opted to recreate elements of the first film instead of setting a new path for the franchise.
The ‘Planet of the Apes’ Prequels Took a Gritty Tone
While there are very few legitimately great prequel movies, 2011’s Rise of the Planet of the Apes paved a bold new direction for the franchise by exploring the origins of the apes’ intelligence. By chronicling this origin, the Planet of the Apes became an odd franchise in which the viewer was rooting against the human characters. After seeing the abuse that Andy Serkis’ Caesar was put through by his human captors, the audience is forced to empathize with his quest to lead the apes into a revolution. The groundbreaking work that Serkis did with his motion capture performance only made Caesar’s character arc more empowering.
Despite the franchise’s popularity, Planet of the Apes has never been a strictly commercial series. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes and War for the Planet of the Apes are among the bleakest summer blockbusters in recent memory. What’s more, between the original film franchise, the TV show, Tim Burton’s remake, and the ongoing reboot series, the lack of a cohesive timeline has been somewhat of a dent in the Planet of the Apes legacy. Nonetheless, the movies have empowered its audience to think creatively about the fragility of mankind’s institutions, proving to be an entertaining and thought-provoking film series. With 2024’s release of Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, there’s no sign that the saga is slowing down anytime soon.
Planet of the Apes is available to rent or buy on Prime Video in the U.S.
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