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Arguably one of the finest movies ever made, Planet of the Apes is also a legendary achievement in the history of Hollywood. I have nothing but praise for this film. This was the film that introduced me to Charlton Heston and the director Franklin J. Schaffner, whose another film, Patton, I also thoroughly enjoyed. Look, this was made before the high rise of technology and decades before CGI was born, so everything not only looks brilliant, but chillingly authentic. So real you can reach out and touch it. Such was the power of John Chambers who was the head of the monkey / ape / chimpanzee design. They look, feel and eat like real monkeys. Now that is something that the Hollywood of the now cannot re-create with CGI. Oh, and then there's the music by Jerry Goldsmith. Spine-chilling, hair-raising and bone-rattling, the music is the scariest element of the movie. This had to be the only time I ever feared the arrival of the music in the scene.
Look, PotA is one of those movies that everyone sees and everyone likes to remember, so I suggest you become one of them as quickly as you can. If someone says that this film is one of their personal favourites, it's not hard to see why. I'm one of those people. Not only it is a brlliantly executed film, it also shows us how awesome and memorable a film can get. PotA will forever remain in my top 10 and no, the sequels and remakes just don't compare to this original. The Tim Burton's remake is one of the worst movies I've seen and subsequently, his worst directed flick so far. The monkeys looked like very ugly caricatures and not realistic enough. Thank you and sorry, but I will stick to this film.
Now, the devilishly handsome Charlton Heston was one of the finest actors of yesteryear's cinema and his role as Taylor was one of his best. Granted, it was far from perfect but he was the perfect man for the job. From his eulogies to his laugh to his anger, Heston captured the emotions greatly. Even though he wasn't as believable in his role as, let's say, he was in Ben-Hur or Touch of Evil, he still managed to make it human and convincing, a man on the verge of becoming a monster. Abhuman, in a sort of a way. From the supporting, Kim Hunter had my undivided attention from the very start to her last dialogue. She plays Dr. Zira, the likable female ape, one of my favourite characters. Not nearly, not almost, but all "non-human" actors were simply the tops. Their little twitches, hand movements, facial movements (which they were told to constantly keep moving them for a realistic effect) is something that I thoroughly enjoyed. Never in my life have I ever had fun watching apes!
So, if you are a newbie or an oldie, Planet of the Apes is the one film I would urge you to watch. You have my permission!
9.0/10
