Planet of the Apes (1968) (Movie Review)

  When it comes to long running Sci-Fi franchises, one of the earliest to set the standard was "Planet of the Apes". While I've never called myself a die-hard fan of this series, I've always respected it's status in the Sci-Fi hall of fame, and will occasionally enjoy watching select films from the series. Before "Star Wars" or "Alien", this was 20th Century Foxes big Sci-Fi Blockbuster franchise, and is still going strong several decades later. "The Planet of the Apes” series began in 1968, and remains a unique franchise, with some really good films ... and by extent some really bad ones too. With all the different spinoffs and reboots, it’s hard to avoid giving this series a look. I’m not going to review the two short-lived television series, “Planet of the Apes” in 1974, or the animated series that followed in 1975 titled “Return to the Planet of the Apes”. I’m just looking at the theatrical movies, and giving my personal thoughts on them. Now, in order to talk about the sequels, I’ll have to talk about the endings, so spoiler alerts ahead. As usual, we’ll start at the beginning with the original 1968 classic “Planet of the Apes”. 

 

 Based on the 1963 French novel “La Planete des singes” by Pierre Boulle, “Planet of the Apes” remains one of the most popular and beloved Sci-Fi’s of all time. Empire Magazine even placed it among the 500 best movies ever made. However, anyone expecting a big, action packed, Sci-Fi adventure, with humans battling apes might be disappointed with this film. Personally, I do find this a very exciting movie, but for different reasons other then simple popcorn entertainment. This is a smart movie that asks interesting, even thought provoking questions about our society, and delivers an imaginative, yet honest warning story about a possible world gone upside down. Best of all, this film never lets it’s social commentary get in the way of the main characters, or the story at hand. There's also just enough action, as well as mystery, and atmosphere to keep things engaging.

 

    

  As our venture begins, a small team of astronauts are testing light speed, in the span of seven hundred years, they’ll have traveled across the galaxy in six months. However, they stay in hyperspace for too long, up to the point where Earth time has passed for 2000 years. More problems ensue as their space ship crash-lands on what appears to be a disserted planet. 

It’s not long before the team stumbles upon a society in which apes have evolved into creatures with human-like intelligence, speech and have become the dominate spices of the planet. The human occupants are now mute creatures wearing animal skins, and are basically being trampled underfoot. The crew gets killed off, all except for one named Taylor, who is captured by the apes. He befriends two chimpanzees named Zira and Cornelius, who try to learn all about him. Unfortunately, a ruthless law keeping orangutan named Dr. Zaius already knows that he’s an early stage of intelligent man that once dominated apes, and refuses to let history repeat itself. Using a false religion, he tries to convince the other apes that he’s an unholy apparition that must be executed. Later, the two chimpanzees free Taylor, and set off across the planet to find answers of his being here, which leads to the terrifying realization that this planet is indeed Earth, thousands of years in the future, and through some mysterious reason, mankind doomed itself, which lead to all of this.

  The screen play was partially written by Rod Serling, shortly after the cancelation of his famous TV series "The Twilight Zone". In many respects, this movie could have easily passed as an episode of the show. In fact the twist ending was mainly inspired by the episode titled "I Shot an Arrow Into the Air", which likewise revolved around astronaut's who thought they were on another planet, but were in fact on Earth the whole time. Taylors monologue in the opening of the film, in which he laments the failed growth of human kind, was also written by Serling, and could have easily been one of his opening narrations for a "Twilight Zone". Just like the themes in his episodes, this movie holds a mirror up to human kind, and showcases the ape world as a slightly exaggerated reflection of our own society. Apes are even color coordinated, and strict to their own classes, with the orange suited Orangutans being the intellectual lawmakers, the purple suited Gorillas being the military strong arms, and the green suited Chimpanzees as the ordinary citizens. The ape makeup on display was also quite impressive for the time, and won the Academy Award for Best Achievement in Make-Up. The film also had an Oscar nomination for Best Costume Design.

  Charlton Heston, famous for his leading roles in “The Ten Commandments” and "Ben-Hur", now plays astronaut Taylor, a man fed-up with the miss-deeds of human kind, and hopes to find something better. Needless to say, he’s great in the role. Something about his mannerism feels genuine, and even though he can be a bit of a hot head, he still holds your attention. I especially love his voice ... no one else can say the line “Take your filthy hands off of me, you Damn dirty ape” with as much class as him. 

I’m not going to lie, most of this movie is spent with Taylor being held prisoner by the apes, going on trial, and getting tested on by the ape doctors, and it’s not until the third act of the film that he and the chimps go on their little journey. This can make the film come off as boring to regular viewers, but if you pay attention to the characters, and the subjects established in the film, then it can be quiet engaging. The two chips, Zira and Cornelius are also really good characters, and become the most frequent, reoccurring players in the series. The antagonist, Dr. Zaius, is someone that you really grow to hate, every time he does something against Taylor, you just want to punch him. Yet, you don't get the impression that he's evil, in fact, he's actually quiet layered, and an example of what happens when desperation forces you to do unforgivable things. Then there’s this one human girl named Nova, who doesn’t say anything throughout the entire film, and doesn’t directly contribute anything to the plot, but she provides the necessary companionship, and levity for Taylor during his struggles. 

  One element that personally holds my attention is the films unique atmosphere and tone. Right from the opening, it creates a genuinely eerie feel, and the music composed by the late great Jerry Goldsmith has something of an avant-garde quality, using odd percussion instruments. His score for "Planet of the Apes" was also nominated at the Oscars for Best Original Music. I love how the planet is initially presented as a very mysterious one, with odd lightning storms that only form in one section of the planet, yet there’s no rain. 

There's odd lunar activity, and yet there’s no moon, rows of scarecrows that divide one half of the planet, even areas that the apes are forbidden to cross into. I always loved this one exchange, in which Taylor claims they have supplies to last for a couple days, to which a fellow astronauts asks "How long do you think a day is on this planet?" Little details like that really make this film come to life. A lot of the sets and locations alone can create this really alienating mood, as most of the buildings seem to be made of rock, and twist at weird angles. The cinematography in this film is spectacular. I really like the scale that they give to the landscape, and this was before wide screen became so popular. Scenes from the opening of the film were shot around Lake Powell, while other scenes were filmed on beeches between Malibu and Oxnard in California. Lastly, I admire that there's no clear answer to what accrued all those years ago, leading to apes becoming the dominate spices of the planet.

  Of cores, the ending is one of the most famous in film history, as Taylor and his mute girl friend Nova, go off on their own, and discover the remains of the Statue of Liberty. It’s such a popular image, and left quiet an in-packed. Now days, disaster movies in the vein of “The Day after Tomorrow” and “Clover field” put all their marketing into the destruction of the Statue of Liberty, or other national land marks, but back then, it was so sudden and frightening to see such a sacred landmark in ruins. It's also thematically chilling, as an image that once imbodied peace and perseverance was now representing man kinds down-fall and ignorance. On its own, "Planet of the Apes", still holds up over the years. The questions it raises about our culture can still get people thinking, and it’s warning of humanity dooming itself is still quiet effective. Audiences that love classic, old, Sci-Fi’s should definitely give it a watch. I still think it’s good, maybe not one of my absolute favorite movies, but still one of the greats of Sci-Fi cinema. I’d encourage anyone to check it out for themselves, as long as you go in with the right mind set. 

Thanks for reading my review of the 1968 Sci-Fi classic "Planet of the Apes" ... and continue to enjoy the movies you love! 

War of The Worlds: The Cumpleet Legacy

    The 1950’s was the great golden age of Alien Invader movies and one particular Sci-Fi invasion thriller has had quiet the media legacy, I’m of cores talking about “War of the Worlds”. So let’s rewind back before the 1950’s and see just how this simple story of invaders from Mars became such a worldwide phenomenon. 

 The War of the Worlds 1898 novel

 Our journey begins in 1898 with the novel “The War of the Worlds” by H. G. Welles. The thought of giant war machines coming down and blasting us with heat rays was an awesome and terrifying new concept, and H. G. Welles went on to become one of the most famous Science Fiction authors of all time, other great novel's if his include "The Time Machine" and "The Invisible Man". The novel itself has been documented as a classic book in literature, despite some criticism of the brutal nature of the events in the stories narrative. Rather than just a full alien attack, the book actually dives into some interpretations of Natural Selection, Social Darwinism, Colonialism, Imperialism, Human Evolution, Religion and Science. I’ve only read the book once but it’s still very memorable.

   
War of the Worlds 1938 radio drama

  H. G. Welles wouldn’t be the last one in the family to win fame from this because years latter in 1938 “War of the Worlds” was produced as a radio drama under the direction and narration of Orson Welles, who would later become an actor, director, film maker and one of the most respected in the business, mostly for his beloved 1941 classic "Citizen Kane". “War of the Worlds” was an episode of the American radio drama anthology series called “The Mercury Theatre on the Air”. It was performed as a Halloween episode, however it was done in the style of a live news broadcast, so everyone who tuned in to listen to it thought it was all real and it caused mass hysteria. To this day, it’s been called one of the most famous radio broadcasts of all time. When I first started college, I was in a radio class that presented the full recording to us. I thought it was great but the rest of my fellow class members were bored to death, they just didn’t appreciate the novelty of something like this the same way I do.

The War of the Worlds 1953 classic

   Now we’ve reached 1953 and the release of the classic movie, “The War of the Worlds”. I’ve seen countless great Science fiction films from this time period, and this still stands as one of my favorites. It makes a few changes from the book, most notably the alien hover ships instead of the tripods from the book. These ships are actually quite impressive for their time, as are the aliens themselves and the sound effects are incredible. I especially love the narration in the opening of the film about the stages of world wars and the planets in our solar system, it gives me chills every time. The film has a big reputation for being one of the greatest Sci-Fi’s of the time and there really is just this wonderful charm to the whole thing that makes it feel very timeless. If you manage to get passed the hammy performances and some obvious mistakes (wires seen holding up ships in some parts) then you may find this to be a really fun and classy Sci-Fi.  

     

War of the Worlds 1988 TV series

 In 1988, there was “War of the Worlds” the TV series, it ran for two seasons and it plays like a direct sequel to the first film, even using the same alien space ships. The only difference is that the aliens in this show disguise themselves as humans and it was actually quiet violent for the time. I’m not going to go into much detail on this one because unlike everything else that I’ll mention on this list, I actually haven’t seen this show, so I can’t give it any personal preference.

 

Now we fast forward a few years to June 2005, this would be a very strange and special month for “War of the Worlds”. Apparently this series was upset set for not getting acknowledged for over 13 years and retaliated by releasing not just one but three remakes all in the same month of this year, I swear I’m not making this up. Now while I’ve seen ever one of these remakes, I had no idea they all came out in the same month, so I had plenty of time to breath between all these films.  

First June 2005 remake of The War of the Worlds

 Okay so June 14^th 2005 is when the first remake of “The War of the Worlds” was released and it was a direct to video film. This rendition fallows the book almost word for word and setting for setting, as a result it’s over three hours long and trust me when I say, you’re better off just reading the book. The film is full of obvious performances, terrible visual effects and it just drags on and on. So I say skip this one completely and watch the original or one of the other remakes.

Secend June 2005 Rmake of War of the Worlds

 Then on June 28^th 2005, the second remake of “War of the Worlds” was released and once again, it was direct to video. This was actually one of the very first renditions of the film I ever saw, even before I saw the 1953 classic but that doesn’t stand for much. To be fare, this film does have some decent performances and effects for a direct to video film and it’s the only film rendition to dive into the topic of religion. There are even some genuinely unsettling moments like this nightmare scene of a husband discovering a talking corpse of his wife. I also like how the alien war machines in this film are giant grab like robots, that’s kind of cool. But other than that, the aliens themselves look like sock puppets and it’s a very basic and boring plot about this dad that’s trying to find his family in Washington. Overall, it’s so generic that it could have been given any other title, in fact it has an alternate title called “The Invasion”, why can’t we just call it that?

Third June 2005 remake of War of the Worlds

 At last on June 29^th 2005, there was the third and final “War of the Worlds” remake, this time released in theaters. It was directed Steven Spielberg, who’s become one of the great film legends of our time, mostly for his work on some of the biggest hit blockbusters like “Jaws”, “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial”, “Close Encounters of the Third Kind”, “Jurassic Park” and the “Indiana Jones” series. This was my first time feeling the thrill and paranoia of the novel and to this day it stands as one of my personal favorite remakes of a classic Sci-Fi. The cinematography and visual effects are all terrific by today’s standards and there is some very disturbing imagery. It uses the tripod war machines from the book and they look fantastic, but the aliens themselves are far cuter than they are scary. I’ll also admit that I could care less for Tom Cruise in the lead role but Dakota Fanning is fantastic as the child character and she delivers her usual solid performance. Most Alien invader movies like “Independence Day” are mostly spent with the military fighting off the invasion, however, I love that this films sole focus is just on an ordinary family and their struggle to stay alive and together in this crises. It makes the invasion all the more terrifying because you know so little of what’s actually going on and this film does a much better job showing peoples real human emotions to the crises. There are some problems, like that guy under the house but over all it makes for solid Sci-Fi entertainment.

 

2008 sequel War of the Worlds 2: The Next Wave

 In 2008 the second “War of the Worlds” remake from June 2005 actually had a sequel titled “War of the Worlds 2: The Next Wave”, making this the first full length sequel to “War of the Worlds”, not including the TV series of the 1980’s. This film is slightly worse than its predecessor, and has even less to do with the source material. The Lead actor of the first film is back but the plot is completely different, instead of another invasion (like the title suggests) this film actually takes place on the alien space craft’s and our main characters are trapped in some kind of virtual reality simulation of a regular town from earth. It’s just another film that could have been anything else other than another installment in the “War of the Worlds” library of films. 

   So this concludes my little trip though the history of “War of the Worlds”, hope it was interesting enough and for all you big Sci-Fi geeks like me, make sure you don’t miss out on your share of “War of the Worlds”, it’s practically where the genera all began.  

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My top ten favorite Non-Disney related animated movies (Updated Edition)

       
       Usually when people think of animated movies, they immediately think of Disney first and it’s hard not to imagine why, there’s just something so timeless and joyful about Disney that’s really hard to glance over. However, if you were to look past Disney and Pixar, you’ll notice that there are tones of other outstanding animated movies from other studios like DreamWorks kids, Amblin Animation and Don Bluth studios. So while there not Disney or Pixar, this is the list of other animated films that I hold most dear. So here they are, my top ten favorite Non-Disney related animated movies.   

                              Special Mention: Animated Movies Based on TV shows  

                           

    This post has been updated sense it was first published, I originally included “Batman Mask of the Phantasm” and “The Simpsons Movie” because they’re both absolutely two of my favorite animated movies of all time. However, I listed them again on my “Top Ten Movies Based on TV shows” list, which felt a little repetitive. So I decided to remove both films from this post and give other favored animated movies of mine mention in their place. With that said, here are my top ten favorite Non-Disney related animated movies   

                                           10. Monster House (from Amblin Animation)

This is personally one of my favorite animated Halloween specials of all time, delivering audiences a very smart, exciting, action packed adventure that kids and adults could enjoy. Everything about this film is great, it has all the right Holiday charms, the characters are funny, the animation is sensational, the action is thrilling and best of all, this film features one of the greatest haunted houses in cinematic history.

                                             9. Megamind (from DreamWorks Animation)

 Superhero spoofs have been around for a while, but "Megamind" takes the formula to imaginative and hilarious new heights. Boasting an ingeniously original premise about a super-villain turned hero, and a set-up that both spoofs and celebrates classic superhero cliches. It's all strung together with top notch animation, a brisk pase, funny jokes that never go overbord, a rockin sound track and great characters that are as entertaining as they are sympathetic, most especiaclly Will Ferrell who delivers a very energetic and livly performence in the lead role of Megamind. 

                              8. An American Tail: Fievel Goes West (from Amblin Animation)

This is perhaps the only movie on my list to make it for purely nostalgic reasons. I absolutely adore this film, and trust me, I like the first "American Tail" movie too, however, that one’s only nice to occasionally look back at. This one literally rejuvenates a young kindred spirit within me and takes me back to that time as a child that was wholesome and carefree. It’s what I like to call an oasis movie, where you take a break from your current life, have some fun in your joyful, nostalgic past and then return to real life feeling refreshed. There’s just this wonderful charm that comes from the characters, the music, the animation and the Wild West setting that makes this movie feel so rich and cheerful. We also have some really good voice actors including the always fantastic John Cleese as the villain and the late great Jimmy Stewart as the old, down and out cowboy who just wants one last chance to be a hero. It’s hard to do this film justice and it honestly isn't something I’d recommend to people who haven’t seen it, because it’s really just something special you have to grow up with. 

 

                                               7. Shrek 2 (from DreamWorks Animation)

Hands down the best in the whole Shrek series, the same colorful characters from the last film are all back and better than before, only this time we get some outstanding new supporting characters to join the fun, most notably Puss in Boots who completely steals the show. This is a rare sequel that just feels so much fresher than the first film and it’s boasted with great animation, a genuinely sweet story, a very well rounded cast of talented voice actors and lots of laugh our loud hummer. It’s just a perfect blend of comedy, charms and in its own right, this is one of the best animated sequels that I feel is leaps and bounds better than the original. 

                                                    6. Coraline (from Universal Studios) 

This is one of those movies that’s far more of an experience than telling an actual story. It’s basically “Alice in Wonderland”, with an everyday girl finding herself in a new warped reality, the only difference is that this film is a million times cooler. I just love how creatively twisted, bizarre and imaginative this film is, ranging from fun and fluffy to dark and crazy. You just get this really cool feeling while watching it, like you’ve really left your world behind and have interred a new one that’s just as magical as it threatening. Best of all, I just love looking at all these creative sets, locations and characters knowing that it was all hand built with little to no computer animation used. It’s just so inventive and compliments the artistry of film without using modern day conventions. With a strong other worldly atmosphere, lots of amazing visuals, a richly imaginative story from Neil Gaiman and a strong lead voice performance from the always talented Dakota Fanning, “Coraline” is an animated movie experience that I won’t forget any time soon.

                                5. Anastasia (from 20th Century Fox and Don Bluth Animation)

This is one of those movies that’s just very well constructed, we have beautiful animation combined with lots of really fun and upbeat musical numbers (including one of the coolest villain songs ever). It’s a very fun, traditional love story with lots of terrific, comedic banter between the two leads. This is also another one of those films that’s brought to life by a very talented cast of celebrities. Coming from the animated master himself, Don Bluth, "Anastasia" is one animated treasure from my child hood that will still stay just as rich as I grow older.

                                    4. The Secret of NIMH (from Don Bluth Animation)

   Unlike An American Tail: Fievel Goes West, which was all charm and enjoyment, “The Secret of NIMH” is a dark, sophisticated and very well told story that respects young audiences with it's tone down subject matter. Despite being a film about talking mice, this film actually treats you like an adult and I continue to love it the older I get. It's such a treat when a film is great at one moment in your life and then suddenly it's better then you remember, and they just get stronger with repeated viewings. I especially love how this movies hero isn’t strong and heroic, instead she’s a frightened mother who has to brave her way through dangerous obstacles to save the life of her son. The settings are dark and uninviting and the kids are put in her place, making you feel the emotion and fear she is but her bravery is also felt and helps the audience stick with her and face the danger. The animation by Don Bluth is just a spectacle to behold and the musical score by Jerry Gold Smith is very beautiful, submersing you to the films rich atmosphere. The overall result is a complex story filled with magic, wonder, atmosphere, nostalgia, and beauty.

                           3. Titan A.E. (from 20th Century Fox and Don Bluth Animation)

 What makes this movie better than all the others, well, nothing really, this is just a personal favorite of mine. It’s nothing more then a classic adventure through outer space and I’m a complete nerd for stuff like that, actually it’s done a lot better here than most outer space journeys I’ve seen. The stakes and motivations behind what this journey is about are bigger than anything else. To put it bluntly, earth is destroyed, the human race is becoming extinct, and a small group of people are on a mission to find a ship that will give the humans a home. The characters are great, there's some really good plot twists, an awesome soundtrack and the movie features some of the most mind blowing, beautiful animation I’ve ever seen in an animated movie. It may not be a film for everybody but if you love fast passed, hi-tech, Sci-Fi adventures through outer space, then you simply couldn’t ask for anything better than this. 

                                 2. The Prince of Egypt (from DreamWorks Animation)

  Now here’s an animated movie that’s just epic, everything it does is just huge, lots of big emotions, a stirring hero villain conflict, incredible visuals and outstanding musical numbers. It’s a rare animated film that manages to bring this timeless religious story to life with so much dignity to the source material. There’s some really sharp voice acting in this film to boot and it’s a very well rounded cast of talented celebrities. Honestly, I think this film holds up over the original 1956 Cecil B. DeMille classic “The Ten Commandments”. It’s simply one of the greatest biblical stories of all time and I just love how powerfully this film captures the human emotion of the story and combines it with the sheer scope of its biblical size. 

       Before I reveal my number one favorite, here are my honorable mentions: 

 "The Polar Express”,
  "ParaNorman"

“The Road to El Dorado”, 

"Madagascar 3: Europe's most Wanted" 
 “Kung Fu panda” movies, 

 “The Swan Princess”, 

“The Land Before Time”, 

“Watership Down”.

                                          

and my number one favorite is....

                             1. How to Train Your Dragon (from DreamWorks Animation) 

Hands down my favorite Non-Disney animated movie, and personally one of my favorite movies to come out in the past six years. I honestly never would have guessed that something this great could come from the Dream works studios. Oh they've done great movies in the past but this went beyond just good, fun entertainment for children. This plot is built on old conventions and concepts that have been done in other movie before but the story is just told so well, with honest dramatic depth, fleshed out characters, an excellent pace, and fascinating dragon characters that convey so much without even speaking. Then when you combine all this competent righting with it's dazzlingly detailed animation and some of the most breathtaking flight scenes to be experienced in the theater, it makes for an animated spectacle that truly sores. 

 

                                                                    
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