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Battle For The Planet Of The Apes [DVD] [1973]
![Battle For The Planet Of The Apes [DVD] [1973]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51YP742F13L._SL160_.jpg)
Loosely adapted from the novel by French author Pierre Boulle, Planet of the Apes was released at the height of racial and political unrest in America, adding resonance to its story of a NASA astronaut (Charlton Heston) stranded on a planet where superior apes dominate inferior human slaves. The film's final image--in which a horrified Heston realizes the fate of humankind--remains one of the most indelible in all of science fiction cinema. Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970) continues the original's distant future scenario, pitting militant apes against mutant humans dwelling in the subterranean ruins of New York City. Its phenomenal success spawned Escape from the Planet of the Apes (1971), in which simian scientists Cornelius and Zira (Roddy McDowall and Kim Hunter, reprising their roles from Planet) travel backward in time, setting the stage for the ape supremacy of the first two films. McDowall returned in Conquest of the Planet of the Apes (1972) as Caesar, the son of Cornelius, leading an ape revolution that bridges the historical gap of the previous films. Battle for the Planet of the Apes (1973) ended the five-film cycle with McDowall again playing the chimpanzee leader Caesar, defeating gorillas and human mutants to establish the hierarchy introduced in the original film. The Apes films present a classic what-if scenario that hasn't lost a bit of its potency. As if to prove its cultural endurance, the cycle returned to its origins with director Tim Burton's remake of Planet of the Apes--one of the most eagerly awaited films of 2001. --Jeff Shannon
RRP: £12.99
Our Price: £0.79 (subject to change)
Editorial
Amazon.co.uk Review
A reasonable way to wrap it all up, shame about the low budget
Review date: 2009-10-10 Rating: 6 out of 10
Sequels to big movies are supposed to get gradually worse than the original. However in my opinion "Escape From The Planet Of The Apes" (the 3rd film) is the low point, and the 4th and 5th films both do a very good job of bringing the Planet Of The Apes saga round full-circle.
The whole timeline of Planet Of The Apes is circular, so in practice this means that the events in this film happen after films 3 and 4, but before films 1 and 2. It's a clever science fiction loop, but perhaps one that would work better as a novel than as the premise for a film, especially because you already know how events are going to unfold, more or less (although there are some interesting "can the history be re-written?" questions that could have been more emphasised).
Weak points in this film: the much lower budget is very evident, it feels once again more like a TV movie with unusually good costumes rather than a full-budget feature film. The actor Severn Darden is basically in the wrong film, playing a cringeworthy camp pantomime villain who doesn't really advance the plot in any way.
Overall it does stand up as a film, and if you've got this far with Planet Of The Apes, you might as well finish it off.
Similar Products
- Conquest Of The Planet Of The Apes [DVD] [1972]
- Escape From The Planet Of The Apes [DVD] [1971]
- Beneath The Planet Of The Apes [DVD] [1970]
- Planet Of The Apes - The Television Series [DVD] [1974]
- The Johnny Weissmuller Tarzan Collection [DVD]
Reviews
Buy the boxed set
Review date: 2009-01-27 Rating: 4 out of 10
This is the fifth in the series of POTA films. Although Roddy McDowell retains a starring role and there is a minor role for John Huston overall it really is pretty poor.
The budget for this movie was clearly much less than the first two films. This and the lack of an original story are probably the main reasons for its failure. The 'battle' for the planet, it turns out takes place in a moderately sized field between a few dozen humans and a few dozen apes.
In itself the acting was OK but in places the script did nobody any favours and I struggled to retain any sort of interest after the first 1/2 hour. Fortunately it is only a short film (83mins) so if you do decide to buy it your suffering will be mercifully short.
I'd recommend buying the boxed set which contains all the films and an excellent documentary. This represents far better value for money.
Product Details/Specifications
Actor(s):
Natalie Trundy
Severn Darden
Claude Akins
Roddy McDowall
Creators:
Roddy McDowall (Primary Contributor)
Claude Akins (Primary Contributor)
Director(s):
Recording label: 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
EAN: 5039036022866
Binding: DVD
Number of items: 1
Format: Colour, PAL,
Release date: 2005-08-22
Audience rating: Suitable for 12 years and over
Region code: 2
Running time: 83 minutes
Theatrical release date: 1973
Language: English (Original Language)