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This is an absolutely brilliant sci fi classic! Planet Of The Apes was released in the same year as 2001: A Space Odyssey and together they have become two of the greatest films of it's genre. Personally, I prefer Planet Of The Apes but I still really like 2001: A Space Odyssey. I find most science fiction films have very effective and shocking endings and twists. Planet Of The Apes has one of those things. I loved it first time and still love it after a rewatch. There is one thing that I do have a problem with in this film and that is that it takes far too long to get into what's going on within the film. It took 33 minutes until Taylor ended up in the apes' hands. Planet Of The Apes has absolutely outstanding make-up especially on the apes. It is a very extraordinary film that does make sense and does feel very realistic when you watch it. I thought that there is one way where Planet Of The Apes might not a science fiction film and that is because the Earth was once ruled by apes millions of years ago. However, where it is science fiction is obviously where apes had their own costumes and cages whereas in the old history of the Earth, they had none of that.
Charlton Heston is most famous for his Oscar winning performance in Ben-Hur and The Ten Commandments but I remember him better for Planet Of The Apes. His performance as George Taylor was far better than his performance in both of those other films because I believe he showed real power, force and reality towards the character. Taylor is an astronaut who is in deep hibernation with fellow astronauts Landon, Stewart and Dodge while their spaceship lands on an unknown planet. This unknown planet is ruled by apes and is set in the year 3978. Kim Hunter was awesome as Zira. Just like all of the actors behind the ape costumes and make-up, you can't tell that it's that person but the voice you can. I could tell it was Kim Hunter as Zira because I have watched A Streetcar Named Desire numerous times and can recognize her voice.
Franklin J. Schaffner is a really good director who has done some amazing classics! This is his most famous one in my opinion. He directed Papillon and Patton. This feels like a sci fi epic when watching this film. Planet Of The Apes is a film that took a lot of work because of the date of when it was made. Nowadays, it is quite easy for filmmakers to make science fiction films but back then it was really hard. It had three months of filming which I would have predicted at least 1 year of filming just like I was predicting with 2001: A Space Odyssey. I have never read the novel but I have heard from some people I've met that it is a good book but the film is better.
Planet Of The Apes is a classic science fiction film that is absolutely brilliant yet quite slow. It is the best sci fi film of the 1960s ahead of 2001: A Space Odyssey. This film has one of the most shocking and most powerful film twists ever! Planet Of The Apes is Charlton Heston's best film in my opinion even ahead of Ben-Hur. Planet Of The Apes is quite a dark film is some ways but is quite good for anybody because it is hardly a violent film. Love this film and is just too good to despise.
8/10
