Planet of the Apes (1968)

Directed by: Franklin J. Shaffner
Starring: Charlton Heston

*****

George Taylor (Charlton Heston) opens Planet of the Apes with a short monologue explaining that he and his crew of four are heading back to Earth after six months in space. Those six months, he explains, have passed while traveling at the speed of light meaning that the amount of time passed on earth is closer to seven hundred years, by the time they land, its been 2000 years since the last time Taylor stepped foot on Earth. This is about the extent of science fiction within this film despite the fact that it can only be categorized as science fiction.

The reality of the fiction that takes place in Planet of the Apes creates such a brilliant concept that's combined with, good acting, filmmaking beyond its time, and if your interested, an good message about the treatment of animals. This movie is apparently preaching the consequences of racism but I'll argue endlessly that there isn't really a connection. Yes, class divisions can segregate and destroy societies but if the intention was to be as obvious as so many suggest, the movie would have had a black president in rule, not an ape. I really saw little to suggest that there are racial undertones in this film.

The "how'd you like it if we locked you in a zoo" argument surrounding the mistreatment of animals is a weak one at best but it is the basis for this movie and surprisingly one that works really well. Taylor crash lands on a planet where everything is that exact opposite. Civilization is on the up and up but Apes are the superior being and humans are the inferior.

There is a hokieness in the opening of this film as the three men who crash land try to make sense of when and where they are. I'm not sure if this is to be blamed on acting or script or just the 60s style of filmmaking. That flaw was quickly lost amidst what was actually great acting both by Heston and all of those portraying the world ruling apes, as well as the aforementioned concept. There is a very good pace and flow to this movie. Its a two hours that goes by very quickly and its a story that unfolds in a very deliberate fashion. Nothing in this movie is forced and that includes the concept. If there is any attempt to convince its audience that what is going on is believable is a simple line of dialogue, "...its a fact...buy it, you'll sleep better."

If I can't fault this film with anything its the poor and overused music that is continuously screaming at me what to feel at any given moment. In a movie that does have a layered message to it, it avoids such influential tactics for the most part. The music doesn't really hurt the movie as a whole, but it distracts on a number of occasions. Bad music in a bad movie is just salt in a wound. Often times, its dismissible in a movie as good as this one. It is just that here. Its almost not worth mentioning but for the sake of an impartial review, I bring it up.

There is such an intelligent way this film presents itself. There's an irony to the situations presented and the dialogue. An ape pointing out that Charlton Heston is so ugly is ironic, and an irony that we recognize as a believable statement. Jobs, behaviors, relationships are all familiar to us as audience members because the apes are essentially the humans. There are even members of groups like PETA. Apes who try to prevent the inhumane (or inapeane) treatment of man. We need no exposition because this bizarro world is created using aspects of our own world that we know and understand and simply flips it on its head.

I didn't have the highest of expectations for this movie going in. I knew enough about the plot and I (regrettably) have seen Tim Burton's remake. Like the music, that "remake" is not even worth mentioning in the review of this movie. They are vastly different in story and quality. My reasons for having lower expectations was simple common sense reasoning. I couldn't imagine this movie working as well as it does. So, part surprise and part great movie are the two components that rank this movie so high.