Movie Review – Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970)
Back in 1968, the film Planet of the Apes introduced people to a concept of a world where apes rule society and human beings are feral creatures.
Planet of the Apes followed along as astronaut George Taylor (Charlton Heston) was forced to deal with being on a strange and hostile planet. He was ultimately successful in proving to the apes that human beings are smarter and more resourceful than the apes gave them credit. Planet of the Apes had a shock ending where Taylor discovered that he was really on planet Earth the whole time. At some point in the past humanity destroyed itself in warfare, and apes evolved to become the dominant species on the planet.
We know that there’s more to the story of what really happened on planet Earth. We know that there must be more human artifacts out there. And we know that there’s more to be discovered.
Beneath the Planet of the Apes was released two years later in 1970.
In Beneath the Planet of the Apes, a second spacecraft (one that was sent to search for Taylor’s spacecraft) travels through a time warp and crash lands on the same planet that’s now ruled by apes. Astronaut Brent meets Nova, he is shocked to witness the ape’s society, and he ultimately discovers a hidden underground city inhabited with mutant human beings, descendants from the war that destroyed humanity. It’s a race against time as an army of apes advances and aims to crush the underground city once and for all.
Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970) – movie poster
Directed by Ted Post, Beneath the Planet of the Apes stars James Franciscus as Brent, an astronaut who accidentally travels through time while he’s sent on a mission to rescue George Taylor. Charlton Heston reprises his role of George Taylor, and so does Linda Harrison as Nova, Kim Hunter as Zira, and Maurice Evans as Dr. Zaius. This time around David Watson plays the role of Cornelius.
Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970) – (c) 20th Century Fox
Beneath the Planet of the Apes begins at the ending of Planet of the Apes. George Taylor (Charlton Heston) and Nova (Linda Harrison) find the remains of the Statue of Liberty, and Taylor realizes that he’s been on Earth the whole time, just several thousand years into the future. Humanity is virtually extinct and apes are in control of society. Depressed, he and Nova ride on horseback further into the Forbidden Zone, hoping to find other signs of life.
A short while later, Taylor and Nova discover a wall of flames that appears and just as quickly disappears. This is followed by a few quick bolts of lightning. Taylor suspects that there’s more to the story of these phenomena, so he grabs a rifle and takes a closer look. Just as it looks like Taylor discovers the secret behind the apparitions, he suddenly disappears into a rocky wall. Nova is terrified by the sight, and she flees on Taylor’s horse. Read more…
Categories: movie reviews Tags: Charlton Heston, movie review, Planet of the Apes, sci-fi
Movie Review – Planet of the Apes (1968)
Imagine suddenly being placed in a world where things were the opposite, where human beings were running wild and apes were in control of society.
That’s the premise for 1968’s hit science-fiction film, Planet of the Apes.
In Planet of the Apes, George Taylor and two other astronauts crash land on an alien planet where human beings are wild with no permanent homes, no form of communication, and no real society. They live in packs and stay on the run from the apes, advanced creatures that can speak, they have clothing and weapons, and they have a functioning society complete with their own city. When Taylor is captured by the apes, the apes are shocked to see that he’s very different from the other human beings. Some apes believe that Taylor is a missing link that explains their society, while other apes believe that Taylor is a mutation that must be destroyed.
Planet of the Apes (1968) – movie poster
Directed by Franklin J. Schaffner, Planet of the Apes stars Hollywood legend Charlton Heston in the lead role of astronaut George Taylor. Co-starring in the film are Roddy McDowall as Cornelius, Kim Hunter as Zira, Maurice Evans as Dr. Zaius, and Linda Harrison as Nova, one of the human beings.
Planet of the Apes (1968) – (c) 20th Century Fox
Planet of the Apes begins out in space as astronaut George Taylor (Charlton Heston) readies their spaceship for their trip back home to Earth. Joining him are astronauts Landon (Robert Gunner), Dodge (Jeff Burton), as well as a female astronaut already asleep and in stasis. Although there’s no mention of the spaceship’s name in the 1968 version of the film, a 2008 Blu-ray edition of the film includes a short film where it’s mentioned that the ship is called Liberty 1.
Liberty 1‘s mission left Earth in 1972, and it travelled faster-than-light through a wormhole to distant galaxies. As a result, while the mission itself has only lasted for six months, it’s theorized that 700 years have passed back on Earth.
Taylor is the last astronaut still awake before going into stasis. He records his thoughts into the ship’s recorder before climbing into his sleep chamber and entering a form of hibernation. The Liberty 1 continues on autopilot and continues its journey back to Earth. Read more…
Categories: movie reviews Tags: Charlton Heston, movie review, Planet of the Apes, sci-fi