the make up is still celebrated today and was way ahead of its time. if you're into that, you'll love this dvd as there is a feature included on this special edition showing it being put on start to finish. it should be a part of every make-up students curriculum

the musical score is absolutely amazing and fits the visuals like a glove. some great space age effects, thumping drums, and moments of complete desolate silence. you'd be hard pushed to find a composer these days who can appreciate that less is more

the costumes are also amazing. from the slick space suits straight down to the simian outfits which give the film a thoroughly western feel. and some of the visuals are memorable, especially the scene with the crashed spacecraft and the bright yellow life raft contrasting against the lifeless desert

plus you have to like the way the story was used to turn the tables on our own primitive ways of looking at other races and species. the notion that apes just because they are at the top of the food chain, must therefore be the most intelligent species, and closest to god seems like a laughable idea

heston was well cast really as he plays a thoroughly cynical and dislikable character. and for the guys, you have... NOVA. wow!

dvd presentation: a very nice looking and slick dvd menu

if you're going to buy planet of the apes, make sure you get this version. a sci fi classic given the proper anniversary treatment

The movie's surprise ending is not as surprising as the book
Review date: 2005-05-08 Rating: 6 out of 10

Astronauts are sent to a distant plane and crash. They find a barren wasteland and look for a place to survive. They fond more than the bargain for when the tables are turned and Apes rule the day.
Will they make friends or be sliced and diced?
Can the ever get back?
What would you do?

Now after that radical statement I know different media calls for different handling of the story. And most movies do not live up to the book. However some exceed the book. Surprise this is the "don't live up to the book" one. If you thought that the movie was insightful, surprising and shocking the first time you saw it. Then you defiantly have lower expectations than the reader does. Especially with such a botched ending; the ending changed the whole purpose and mystery of the story.

I did like the idea of having a movie where the woman was not talking all the time. (Just kidding) And the makeup for the simians was excellent. I suppose if you haven't read the book that this would be a pleasant time passer.

See Roddy McDowall again in Lord Love A Duck (1966) where he monkeys around with Tuesday Weld.

The First And The Best!
Review date: 2004-05-03 Rating: 10 out of 10

This 2 disc anniversary release is a suitable celebration of a groundbreaking sci-fi franchise and contains a host of extras - from the interesting ....see the numerous featurettes,to the unusual (Roddy Mcdowell/Galen's home movies!), to the proverbial... commentary,making of and theatrical trailer etc.Not to be forgotten is the fantastic quality of the film itself! A must buy for all "Planet Of The Apes" fans.

Great but not the whole picture
Review date: 2004-04-23 Rating: 8 out of 10

With all the hoo-ha surrounding the eventual DVD release of Lucas’original trilogy, it’s easy to forget that there was a sci-fi saga of epicproportions before Star Wars. It’s also fairly surprising to realise thatdirector Franklin J. Schaffner’s Planet of the Apes is 35-years-old. Longbefore it’s sequels descended into outright farce and before the usuallyfail-proof Tim Burton mauled the concept with his dire ‘re-imagining’,this was undoubtedly the movie that made people take the geeks favouritegenre seriously. With subtle political swiping at the Vietnam war,commentary on class, race and gender, Planet of the Apes was a cut abovethe rest. Charlton Heston exudes leading man charisma, but tinged with asense of despair. Kim Hunter and Roddy McDowall shine from beneath layersof latex monkey. And the fantastically fatalistic finale still rates asthe most shocking cinematic climax of all time. With all the usualcommentaries, the only thing that lets the second disc down is an in-depth‘making of’ feature that covers all five films. Surely it would make moresense to focus only on the original, otherwise it seems more sensible tobuy the complete box set?

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