Smartorhypo Highly Overrated But Still Good

RipDelight This is a tender, generous movie that likes its characters and presents them as real people, full of flaws and strengths.

Fairaher The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

KnotStronger This is a must-see and one of the best documentaries - and films - of this year.

alexanderdavies-99382 This fourth instalment of the "Planet of the Apes" films is a big improvement over the previous one. The above film has a good pace, a fair amount of incident and Roddy McDowall back once again as the offspring of Cornelius and Zira. The emphasis has been placed more upon violence more than anything else but the acting is of note also. McDowall and Ricardo Montoban are both very good but Don Murray is just a wee bit over the top. Seven Darden makes for a rather quirky villain but evil nonetheless. The budget had been reduced further for this 1972 "Apes" film but I hardly noticed in all honesty. I like seeing how Caesar (McDowall) changes from being a frightened and vulnerable character, into a ruthless and determined leader. I would rate this as being the third best from the original batch of "Planet of the Apes."

classicsoncall I watched this film out of sequence, not having seen "Escape From the Planet of the Apes" just yet. It didn't take long to get up to speed after reading up a bit on the prior movie, but even so, if you think about the premise of the film, it's a lot like the Terminator series - it just couldn't possibly have happened. If Cornelius and Zira had traveled to the past from the future, they couldn't have existed in the future for the original film of the series, or it's first sequel. Better not to think about it too much.One thing's probably true though, it must have been a lot of fun for the actors in the ape outfits to essentially go ape in the story. When the rioting started, it was cool to see Roddy McDowall's Caesar character leading the charge. However it was kind of startling to see how vicious he became before he calmed down long enough to proclaim a semblance of reason to prophesy the film that started the series - "We, who are not human, can afford to be humane." As popular as the films became in the Seventies, I think that for maximum impact, one needs only see the first two films before the series got watered down with the time loop aspect of the third and fourth sequel.

TxMike I remember the original "Planet of the Apes" in 1968, it was a landmark fictional story and will likely always remain the best. Who could forget the scene of the astronauts finding remnants of the Staue of Liberty broken and on the beach?In the second movie two apes arrive on Earth from a spaceship. Are they from the future or just from another world? They are intelligent and speak, and eventually humans become afraid that unchecked this race of apes could eventually take over the world. So their one offspring, named Caesar, is presumably destroyed.However in this third movie, filmed in 1971 but set in the future of 1991, we find that Roddy McDowall as Caesar has not only survived but has been in hiding for 20 years. He is part of a circus and when he and his "master" arrive in the city witness large numbers of ordinary apes being trained and used as slaves to the humans.Caesar gives himself away by shouting out at the men, and the hunt begins to find him and presumably destroy him. The story mirrors the plight of African slaves in that Caesar says, to a black character, "We can never be happy until we are free", stating that he of all people should understand that.But humans being the stubborn species we are wanted to stay in control and the movie ends with a fiery rebellion in progress.Interesting entertainment, but ultimately forgettable.

brennonmackinnon With most movie franchises, the sequels are often inferior to the originals. While this may also be true for the 'Planet of The Apes' series, the fourth entry in the franchise surpasses the rest. While it may not have been as much of a ground-breaking success as 'Planet of the Apes', 'Conquest' had a social commentary that still resonates today, much like the original. This movie has two different endings, but the best of the two is the Unrated version. 'Conquest' has wonderful special effects, the best of the series. With a wonderful performance by Roddy McDowell as Caesar, this movie is fantastic. Don't ignore the sequels simply because of their bad reputation, give these films a chance.