Damn dirty apes!

Sci-fi stalwart, Charlton Heston, stars as Astronaut George Turner, who crash lands on a distant planet governed by an advanced race of Ape-like creatures. After travelling through space at the speed of light, Turner and his crew have passed hundreds of Earth years, but aged only several months, before it is time to touch down again in pastures new. After crash-landing on a mysterious planet, it becomes obvious that something has gone wrong. They have been in space far longer than planned and furthermore, one of their crewman - the only female - has died after equipment malfunction.

A soil analysis declares that no life can be supported in their current terrain, so the astronauts trek across miles of desert before coming into contact with an extremely primitive humanoid race. Turner is subsequently captured by a marauding ape-like species which apparently hunts these humans for sport. Turner must then fight for his survival amongst a truly corrupt species who see and treat humans as lower life forms. Despite his obviously complex and advanced abilities, he is still sentenced to an investigative lobotomy which will undoubtedly render his human cognitive functions obsolete.

The immediate emotion I felt whilst watching the film was one of shock. I couldn't believe just how poorly human beings were being treated at the hands of these intelligent apes, until I realised almost at once that this is exactly the way humans treat apes in the modern world. How different would it be if an ape suddenly spoke one day? Whilst we, as a species, wouldn't keep his existence a secret, we almost certainly continue to use their brethren as advanced test subjects in scientific experimentation. This realisation made the rest of the film a lot more uneasy to watch. The way this film ends is now the stuff of legend, so I knew before hand which planet this film took place on, which made the events throughout the film all the more poignant.

Turner eventually breaks free from his captors, along with his new mate (the hottest woman I have ever seen), Nova, and makes a break for freedom with some sympathetic apes. What he uncovers is a conspiracy amongst the ape world to keep humanity and it's intelligent existence a secret. The finale of the film delivers a damning verdict on humanity and it's propensity to annihilate each other, simultaneously destroying the world in which we live. The frustration I experienced throughout culminated in my feeling of anger and resentment towards my own species for the damage that we will ultimately inflict on ourselves in the distant future, somewhere down the line.

8/10

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Added by Grand Assault 1 year ago on 28 November 2008 04:51