Astronaut Taylor (Heston) crash lands on a distant planet ruled by apes who use a primitive race of humans for experimentation and sport. Soon Taylor finds himself among the hunted, his life in the hands of a benevolent chimpanzee scientist (McDowall).
- Based on the novel Planet of the Apes.
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When looking for what to watch next, there were a lot of films to choose from. After the recent Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, however, it seemed like a good time to go back and watch the film that started it all: Planet of the Apes. While the first film garnered a bunch of sequels on its own, the remake is now up to 4 as well. Surely, that meant the original film must have been something special, right? Right?
Charlton Heston is the most recognizable face of the cast (maybe in part because a lot of them are covered up by heavy ape makeup). He’s also the biggest over-actor of the bunch, and proceeds with his usual super dramatic flair throughout Planet of the Apes. While it may have been what the viewer wanted back in the late 60’s, at this point it’s downright silly. His great proclamations try to give weight to the situation, but instead coming off feeling like something straight out of a high school production. It’s hard not to laugh at his great exclamations – and it’s more noticeable since he spends a lot of the film not talking at all. He’s actually better in those situations, as he emotes well enough to be understood.
The storyline is old hat by this point, but one can imagine how shocking it was back when the film was first release – especially the twist at the end. Nowadays, though, viewers who don’t already know the twist should be able to guess it fairly easily, making the whole film seem a little less dramatic.
Sometimes films manage to withstand the test of time, no matter how old they get. Other films, unfortunately, aren’t as lucky. Planet of the Apes is one of the latter. With Heston’s overacting seeming downright goofy, and the plot twists and storyline long since revealed, there isn’t much left to keep this a film worth watching. Heck, even the ape makeup was done better on the lousy Planet of the Apes (2001) starring Mark Wahlberg. Still, some may want to watch it purely for the nostalgia factor, or to hear Charlton Heston utter some of his most famous lines in context. Other than that, there’s not much to interest viewers in this original anymore.
