Film Review — Planet of the Apes (1968)
★★★★☆
Travelling a vast distance through time and space, a human astronaut finds himself trapped on a strange world dominated by intelligent apes.
Pre-dating 2001: A Space Odyssey by a year, Planet of the Apes has a legitimate claim as science fiction’s true silver screen big bang. Adapted from Pierre Boulle’s novel of the same name, Apes didn’t just kick off the reinvigoration of the genre, but also created a commercial blueprint that would change big studio productions forever.
It’s easy to forget there was a time when Charlton Heston wasn’t a gun-toting hero for a bunch of lunatic conservatives. Back in 1968, with the release of this now seminal classic, Heston, quite conversely, was a champion for liberal Hollywood, a fearless warrior fighting on the frontline during the crucial civil rights movement.
This was the era of counterculture, and this progressive energy, mixed with a touch of exacerbation bordering on misanthropy, radiates throughout the picture.
Heston puts his real-world anger to good use, fighting for his life in a now-iconic central performance as loved as it has been lampooned. Director Franklin J. Schaffner and his team deliver, crafting a world that somehow feels completely believable, and continues to do so despite its age. It’s remarkable how seriously I took scantily-clad people fleeing a horde of marauding plastic simians.
It’s not all quite perfect, however. Pacing issues bookend the action, excluding its still remarkable finale. Linda Harrison’s Nova, while obviously and quite justifiably popular with fans, isn’t really given much to do beyond “look great” and “be in peril”. It was the sixties, I guess.
Planet of the Apes is so much more than just a sci-fi creature feature. It takes what could’ve been a silly premise and elevates it with innovative production, fine acting performances, and a message that, due to our nature, will likely always be a necessary one.
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