Take your stinking paws off me, you damned dirty ape!

Planet of the Apes (1968). Who hasn't heard of this? A film so amazing it quickly spawned one of sci-fi cinema's greatest franchises, a TV-series, tones of rip-offs and cash-ins (even the spanish Blind Dead zombie series attempted to cash in), merchandise and even a (crappy in comparison) remake. This is a true cinematic masterpiece which I urge all to see. This film blows other so called sci-fi classics such as  Star Wars (1977) clean out of this solar system.

What's it about?


Well the plot is pretty straight forward and I'm sure most of you will know it. A group of astronauts are traveling to a nearby planet however something causes the ship to suffer from a few problems. Next thing they know they've landed on a strange planet, 2,000 years into the future. Upon further investigation of their new home they come across, what appears to be a primitive and mute version of man. Their plans of ruling these humans are quickly thwarted as several man-sized gorillas riding horses capture them. Only one survives, George Taylor (Charlton Heston)  only to find that this planet is run by man-sized apes. Will he escape? Will he survive? Or will he be experimented on by the monkeys and kept in a cage for the rest of his life?



Review

Often described as being one of the greatest science fiction films ever to be made, it's easy not to see why, and I for one fully agree with this statement. Every part of this film (besides the occasional problems with the ape make-up) is perfect. Each of the characters, from Taylor to the apes, are fully dimensional (and fantastically acted by an incredible cast) - there are no stock characters here with little to offer than cliched stereotypes. The music by Jerry Goldsmith is just incredible as is the Gaudi inspired sets of the ape landscape. The plot and the pace of the story is another breathtaking part of this film. With moments as slow and provoking as the best scenes in Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey of the same year and other moments full of action and suspense.




But I think the element that makes this my top sci-fi of all time is the ideologies that the film holds; it's view and critique of society - which are still very much true to this day. It critiques institutions and areas of our culture that are so intertwined within our society that they are inseparable, such as religion, family, laws, science and the role that humanity assumes within this earth. These critiques however are not pushed under your nose, you are not slapped repeatedly around the face with them as, I would say, is the problem with George A. Romero's recent zombie outings including Land, Diary and Survival of the Dead, but instead they are much more subtle but still very much unmissable and unavoidable. A very delicate balance perfectly achieved. During a period when the hippy movement was at it's height and the notion of anti-Vietnam war was a trendy and 'cool' view to have in America, Planet of the Apes, does not fall into this category. It is far more intelligent that just following the crowd. In fact, it even critiques the sheep-like qualities of hippy-culture at the time of the film's release and the, arguably, ironic empowerment of individualism when dressed similarly, listening to similar music, sharing similar views, etc.

With some of the greatest lines in film history, most notably "Take your stinking paws off me, you damned dirty ape!" and the aforementioned qualities its no wonder that this film is, deservedly so, highly regarded. Another interesting aspect to take in consideration here, when discussing the period the film was made (1968) is the recent interest in apes and more specifically the theory of evolution of man's role in the universe. For it was this year (1968) which saw the infamous Paterson-Gimlin film of the supposed Bigfoot strolling off into the trees - which caused a huge wave of debates and a new spark in apes.

So overall, this is without a shadow of a doubt one of the best films of all time and the best sci-fi film you'll ever see. Check it out if you have not done so already. You won't regret it.

The biggest problem however is, if you're a fan of The Simpson and  have seen the Planet of the Apes Dr. Zaius musical spoof, it'll ruin the film for you, especially the ending. D'oh!


It's a mad house! A MAD HOUSE!