****Charlton Heston, Roddy McDowall, Kim Hunter
Directed by Franklin J. Schaffner
Written by Michael Wilson and Rod Serling
Based on the novel by Pierre Boulle
Produced by Arthur P. Jacobs
Rated PG
Summary:
Four astronauts crash land on to an unknown planet about 2,000 years in the future. After wandering the planet looking for life they discover a civilization of incredibly advanced apes. They are captured by the apes during a hunt and are separated. Taylor (Heston) is placed into the hands of scientist, Dr. Zira (Hunter) and her fiancé, Cornelius (McDowall) who study feral humans. During the hunt, Taylor loses his voice and cannot talk. Now it's up to him to find a way to communicate with the scientists, find his fellow astronauts, and regain his freedom.
Review: I first saw the movie when I was 7 and vaguely remembered it, so I decided to watch it again. The movie was originally a book written by French novelist, Pierre Boulle. Details on the book can be found at the link at the bottom of this post. Watching this movie I discovered a couple of loopholes, i.e. How do the apes know how to speak English if this is a totally different planet? How do apes and humans exist together on a different planet that isn't Earth? Those are just a few questions that came to mind. With movies, especially sci-fi flicks, you just have to go with the movie. If they don't get in the away of the entire movie (in this case they don't) just keep watching. The make up is incredibly no matter what year this was made. It is said that the make up cost one million dollars, but in behind the scenes interviews with the crew they said it cost only half a million. The make up is flawless. Much better than any CGI job that could have been done today. Sorry Avatar. What makes this movie so incredibly is that it isn't just 9 or 10 apes with make up, it's easily 75 people portraying apes with make up. The first half hour of the movie can be a little dull for some since all they are doing is walking around a desert setting looking for signs of life. At times it seems almost hopeless. Otherwise, the acting is superb! Heston goes above and beyond; you really feel like you are there with him. I felt a connection with Hunter's character. You can truly feel her emotion radiating off of her. Two thumbs up and four stars!
Parent's Guide:
A dead, skeletal like, woman is seen. This might frighten young children. Three men are seen skinny dipping and you can see their bare butts. Taylor is seen naked in court. Basically equal to the skinny dipping scene. Some smoking. What could be defined as racism. There is a scene where gorillas are hunting humans. Gun shots are seen and heard. People are collected in nets in moderately violent fashion. Some mild swearing. Best for ages 8 and up.
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