Micitype Pretty Good

WillSushyMedia This movie was so-so. It had it's moments, but wasn't the greatest.

filippaberry84 I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

Darin One of the film's great tricks is that, for a time, you think it will go down a rabbit hole of unrealistic glorification.

paulclaassen How could they mess up a sequel so badly? This was not nearly as entertaining as the first film. What are the chances of another craft crash landing on the same planet the same year? The religious and racist elements are annoying. The film gets utterly ridiculous as it progresses and finally becomes almost unwatchable. The telepathic humans said at one point it is primitive to speak, but later in the film talks to each other anyway. Why? The visual effects are quite laughable at times. Give this film a skip.

Leofwine_draca Despite widespread condemnation on release and a dearth of originality I quite enjoyed this first follow up to the sci-fi classic. It's not a brilliant film by any means, but it has some fun, if dated effects and a second half that covers new ground in an interesting way. The film begins with a good recap reminding us of the ending of the first film before turning into a virtual retread of that movie, with Charlton Heston lookalike James Franciscus playing a new crash-landed astronaut captured and humiliated by the war-like apes. He even hooks up with the same cute mute girl from the first film, Nova.Then the plot moves underground and we're into new territory involving super bombs, a psychic society and outright warfare. Things lead up to an excellent, extended fight scene when Franciscus finally meets up with Heston for some seriously old-fashioned fisticuffs, and then there's time for a twist ending which brings new meaning to the word 'downbeat'. I really liked this bloody way of finalising the series once and for all, ensuring that there would be no sequels (except, of course, there were). The cinematography is the best thing this film has to offer: searing desert scenes that wouldn't be amiss in LAWRENCE OF ARABIA and giant underground cities that were cutting edge in the late '60s. I've always liked Franciscus and he plays the action man hero pretty well; Heston steals his (few) scenes and Linda Harrison blows away memories of Raquel Welch as the sexy love interest. Not a great film by any means, but not a bad one either, this suffers from paling in comparison with the original.

BA_Harrison Made two years after the original Apes movie, 'Beneath' spends the first half retreading old territory, before going off on a wacky tangent that leads to a unexpectedly downbeat and explosive finalé.After repeating the twist ending of the first film (Damn you! God damn you all to hell!), the film introduces astronaut Brent (James Franciscus), who has crash-landed on a desolate planet in the year AD 3955, having followed the trajectory charted by fellow NASA explorer Taylor (Charlton Heston). By a remarkable coincidence, Brent encounters Taylor's mute squeeze Nova (Linda Harrison), who takes him to Ape Town where chimpanzees Zira (Kim Hunter) and Cornelius (David Watson, replacing Roddy McDowell) inform him that Taylor has ventured into the wasteland known as the The Forbidden Zone.Nova and Brent leave the town as soon as possible, hoping to find Taylor, but are quickly captured by gorilla troops, who intend to use them for target practice; however, while being escorted to the shooting range, the pair manage to escape (with a little help from Zira), eventually finding sanctuary in a cave where Brent discovers the shocking truth: he is on Earth, the human race having finally 'pushed the button'.So far, so familiar. But then things take an unexpected turn…Following the strange noise emanating from deep within the cave, Brent and Nova discover a race of telepathic mutants whose first line of defence is the use of mental illusions, but who also worship an ancient and still primed Russian 'Doomsday' device. Brent also meets Taylor, who is being held prisoner by the subterranean freaks. When the gorilla army enters the forbidden zone and attacks the mutants, Brent and Taylor escape, but are shot during the mêlée. In a final act of defiance, Taylor activates the bomb.As much as I enjoy all of the entries in the original Apes series, 'Beneath' is must be considered a disappointment when compared with its excellent predecessor: the first half offers nothing absolutely nothing new, while the second half is just a little too silly for its own good, the most ridiculous moment being when the mutants take off rubber masks to reveal their true selves. Where exactly did they get the latex to make these convincing disguises? And more to the point, why did they make them?Beneath's apocalyptic ending suggests that this is the end of the apes, but they would soon be back by popular demand in the very enjoyable Escape from the Planet of the Apes (1971).6.5 out of 10, rounded up to 7 for IMDb.

Scott LeBrun After briefly recapping the ending of the landmark previous film, "Beneath the Planet of the Apes" shows how the apes are motivated towards aggression by the gorillas, led by Ursus (James Gregory). They embark on a mission to a mystery region known as The Forbidden Zone, with Dr. Zaius (Maurice Evans) going along to prove or dispel the idea of other forms of life on Earth. Meanwhile, another astronaut named Brent (James Franciscus) arrives in search of Charlton Hestons' character Taylor. He meets up with Taylors' companion Nova (super sexy Linda Harrison), and as they escape from captivity, they eventually find an underground civilization populated by human mutants who pray to an atomic bomb.This sequel, not unexpectedly, is definitely not in the same league as its predecessor. It's actually kind of goofy, albeit somewhat interesting, and works as a fair action-oriented narrative. The real marvel is the art direction by William J. Creber and Jack Martin Smith. John Chambers' ape masks are still as impressive as ever. What's most striking about the script by Paul Dehn (based on a story by Dehn and Mort Abrahams) is that these mutants are supposedly peaceable individuals, and their whole angle is getting their enemies to destroy each other.Franciscus is good in the starring role, and Gregory stands out among the strong supporting cast. Kim Hunter briefly returns as Zira, but you miss the presence of Roddy McDowall. He was directing the film "The Ballad of Tam Lin" at the time, and is replaced by an actor named David Watson. Paul Richards, Victor Buono, Jeff Corey, Natalie Trundy, and Don Pedro Colley play assorted mutants; this was Trundys' first appearance in an "Apes" film, and she went on to do all the other theatrical sequels as well. Hestons' contribution basically amounts to a special guest appearance, but he gets to administer the final coup de grace at the end.Directed by Ted Post ("Hang Em High", "Magnum Force", "The Baby", "Go Tell the Spartans"), this is all filmed in a workmanlike but entertaining enough fashion.Seven out of 10.