Escape the Planet of the Apes

Starring: Roddy McDowall, Kim Hunter, Bradford Dillman, Natalie Trundy, Eric Braeden, M. Emmet Wlash, Ricardo Montalban
Directed by: Don Taylor
Rating: G
Genre: Action, Science Fiction, Thriller
1971

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: Cornelius (Roddy McDowall) and Zire (Kim Hunter) escaped the Planet of the Apes in a spaceship moments before it was obliterated. They travel back to the 1970s Earth, where they become instant celebrities- until several scientists and governmental officials begin to question whether they will play a role in the eventual downfall of humanity, and decide to exterminate them!

Review:

Tim: The third Planet of the Apes movie marks a major departure for the franchise. Instead of human astronauts being our main protagonists, we follow Cornelius and Zire as they travel back in time to our human-dominated planet. On the one hand, this is a brave, unique, interesting change of pace. On the other hand, it makes you ask about the motivations for this change. Was it in the best interest of the series, or was it done: 1. Because it was the only way to continue the franchise after the Earth exploded in the first sequel (and a convenient way) and 2. Because it allowed this movie to be made with a considerably smaller budget. I suppose we can never know completely for certain, but it sure feels like there were some questionable concessions for this sequel.

Despite all this, Escape from the Planet of the Apes manages to be a decent, fairly entertaining movies. Whatever the reasons, it is very interesting to watch the roles reversed- instead of human beings being the strange miracle, the talking chimpanzees here are the fish out of water. This role reversal is certainly interesting, and it did infuse some new blood into this franchise. I enjoyed seeing Cornelius and Zire in our world. It was somewhat fitting and poetic.

The cast is decent, but there are no real standouts. It was nice to see Roddy McDowall back after his conspicuous absence from the previous film. Kim Hunter does strong work, as she has done in the previous two films. Hunter and McDowall work very, very well together. They are believable as apes (sorry, chimpanzees) and as a married couple, regardless of species. I also liked the performance of Eric Braeden- the movie's villain, and yet, somewhat sympathetic and complex as a character. I really enjoyed the complexity of his performance. I also enoyed seeing E. Emmet Walsh and Ricardo Montalban in smaller, supporting roles.

One of the film's strengths eventually becomes a weakness. It is interesting to see chimpanzees in our world (which is the main appeal of this movie), but this soon grows a bit tiresome. Yes, the story is interesting, but this is a far cry from the original film. The first Planet of the Apes was remarkable, controversial, and shocking. This movie is an interesting little story. It is very difficult to compare the two. It also doesn't help that this movie was saddled with a criminally small budget, which caused this film to feel very different in tone and shape from the first two films. It feels too small. While it can't reach the heights of the original, I have to believe this movie is a little bit better than its immediate predecessor. Beneath the Planet of the Apes felt like a rehashing of the original movie, with some mind boggling ridiculous twist near the end. This movie doesn't do anything to ruin itself, although it doesn't do much to stand out, either. Yet, it doesn't completely play it safe- the story itself is such an unexpected departure, that you have to give this movie some credit for at least trying and making an effort.

Escape from the Planet of the Apes is not a very good movie, but it isn't horribly flawed, either. I love the attempt to change things up and insert some new energy and life into this franchise. Not all of its attempts work, but this is an interesting movie and I found myself having a decently enjoyable time watching it. I still long for the greatness that was present in the original, but I'll take this film as a decent entry into this sci-fi series.



Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 6.5


If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Planet of the Apes, Beneath the Planet of the Apes