I love me some damn dirty apes, and I’m not alone. Ever since the first Planet of the Apes movie in 1968, it’s been one of Hollywood’s most consistent (on a quality level) franchises. Think about it. Has there ever really been a lousy Planet of the Apes movie? Not really. Yet, it’s often unheralded when we talk about the great franchises. So, let’s look at the series as a whole, with this Planet of the Apes movies ranked list (from worst to best). And don’t worry – you’ll get to have your say tomorrow with a poll I’ll be publishing, so check back for that.
Planet of the Apes (2001)
Tim Burton’s remake of the original 1968 classic is a mixed bag. Mark Wahlberg was a little too green at this point in his career to make a captivating action hero, with him paling...
Planet of the Apes (2001)
Tim Burton’s remake of the original 1968 classic is a mixed bag. Mark Wahlberg was a little too green at this point in his career to make a captivating action hero, with him paling...
- 5/11/2024
- by Chris Bumbray
- JoBlo.com
Who knew that French author Pierre Boulle’s slim, satirical 1963 novel, Le Planete des Singes, would lead to one of the most successful science fiction franchises of all time? Consisting of 10 films (to date), two TV series , comic books (including a magazine series from Marvel), toys, games, merchandise and more, Planet of the Apes remains one of the most enduring and unique sci-fi sagas in cinematic history.
The success of the original film, 1968’s Planet of the Apes, led studio 20th Century Fox (which finally made the movie after years of development and stalling) to launch a series of sequels. That wasn’t necessarily unheard of back then, but those sequels—which include Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970), Escape from the Planet of the Apes (1971), Conquest of the Planet of the Apes (1972) and Battle for the Planet of the Apes (1973)—told one complete story, unlike anything done on film before.
The success of the original film, 1968’s Planet of the Apes, led studio 20th Century Fox (which finally made the movie after years of development and stalling) to launch a series of sequels. That wasn’t necessarily unheard of back then, but those sequels—which include Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970), Escape from the Planet of the Apes (1971), Conquest of the Planet of the Apes (1972) and Battle for the Planet of the Apes (1973)—told one complete story, unlike anything done on film before.
- 5/11/2024
- by Don Kaye
- Den of Geek
The following contains spoilers for "Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes."
It's been 7 years since "War of the Planet of the Apes" brought to an end the story of Caesar the first ape capable of speech, who led a revolution and forever changed the world. Now, we're entering a new chapter in the "Planet of the Apes" saga with "Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes," set generations after the events of the previous film.
The movie follows Noa (Owen Teague), a member of the Eagle Clan who witnesses that entire clan being conquered and taken captive by a tyrannical king named Proximus Caesar (Kevin Durand). When Noa sets out to free his people, he joins forces with Raka (Peter Macon), an orangutan from the Order of Caesar, and a human named Mae (Freya Allan) who is also on the run from Proximus' apes.
Proximus needs Mae because she...
It's been 7 years since "War of the Planet of the Apes" brought to an end the story of Caesar the first ape capable of speech, who led a revolution and forever changed the world. Now, we're entering a new chapter in the "Planet of the Apes" saga with "Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes," set generations after the events of the previous film.
The movie follows Noa (Owen Teague), a member of the Eagle Clan who witnesses that entire clan being conquered and taken captive by a tyrannical king named Proximus Caesar (Kevin Durand). When Noa sets out to free his people, he joins forces with Raka (Peter Macon), an orangutan from the Order of Caesar, and a human named Mae (Freya Allan) who is also on the run from Proximus' apes.
Proximus needs Mae because she...
- 5/10/2024
- by Rafael Motamayor
- Slash Film
This article contains spoilers for Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes.
At the end of Planet of the Apes, the human astronaut who strove to understand the strange, simian-occupied planet made a shocking discovery. Horror overwhelms him as he struggles to make sense of the honored American monument before him, now barely recognizable.
Of course, that description can refer to the twist ending of the 1968 sci-fi classic, in which Charlton Heston falls on his knees at the sight of a decimated Statue of Liberty, realizing that he has been on a post-nuclear Earth the whole time. However, it also describes the less loved 2001 Planet of the Apes, directed by Tim Burton. In that film, Mark Wahlberg’s astronaut makes it back to the past only to find an ape version of the Lincoln Monument.
On a narrative level, the ending of 2001 Apes makes no sense, not even to Burton.
At the end of Planet of the Apes, the human astronaut who strove to understand the strange, simian-occupied planet made a shocking discovery. Horror overwhelms him as he struggles to make sense of the honored American monument before him, now barely recognizable.
Of course, that description can refer to the twist ending of the 1968 sci-fi classic, in which Charlton Heston falls on his knees at the sight of a decimated Statue of Liberty, realizing that he has been on a post-nuclear Earth the whole time. However, it also describes the less loved 2001 Planet of the Apes, directed by Tim Burton. In that film, Mark Wahlberg’s astronaut makes it back to the past only to find an ape version of the Lincoln Monument.
On a narrative level, the ending of 2001 Apes makes no sense, not even to Burton.
- 5/10/2024
- by Joe George
- Den of Geek
When it comes to the most influential sci-fi releases that popularised space operas, Star Wars is often the obvious pick, which broke industry records upon debuting back in 1977. Others would argue it’s Frank Herbert’s Dune, which hit the shelves back in 1965 and ended up revolutionizing the sci-fi landscape, serving as an inspiration for George Lucas’ Star Wars.
But while Dune was indeed a monumental success, it was Charlton Heston’s Planet of the Apes that laid the foundation for space operas on the silver screen.
Planet of the Apes Laid the Foundation for Space Operas on the Silver Screen Charlton Heston in a still from Planet of the Apes | 20th Century Studios
Long before Star Wars took the world by storm and David Lynch‘s Dune made its way to the theatres in 1984, 1968 saw Planet of the Apes making its debut on the silver screen. While A Space...
But while Dune was indeed a monumental success, it was Charlton Heston’s Planet of the Apes that laid the foundation for space operas on the silver screen.
Planet of the Apes Laid the Foundation for Space Operas on the Silver Screen Charlton Heston in a still from Planet of the Apes | 20th Century Studios
Long before Star Wars took the world by storm and David Lynch‘s Dune made its way to the theatres in 1984, 1968 saw Planet of the Apes making its debut on the silver screen. While A Space...
- 5/2/2024
- by Santanu Roy
- FandomWire
Planet of the Apes is one of the most successful and durable science fiction franchises in Hollywood history. Starting in 1968 with the original film, the Apes series has generated more than $2.1 billion in box office grosses over the course of just nine movies, with a highly-anticipated 10th entry, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, due for release this May. The property has also spawned both a live-action and animated TV series, books, comics, video games, and toys – the latter produced in the wake of the first film’s success and arguably the template for future movie merchandising campaigns.
And yet, as we’ve seen over and over again with blockbuster pop culture milestones like Star Wars, The Lord of the Rings, and numerous others, Hollywood at the beginning was loathe to touch the property. After publicist-turned-producer Arthur P. Jacobs secured the rights to the novel upon which the original film was based,...
And yet, as we’ve seen over and over again with blockbuster pop culture milestones like Star Wars, The Lord of the Rings, and numerous others, Hollywood at the beginning was loathe to touch the property. After publicist-turned-producer Arthur P. Jacobs secured the rights to the novel upon which the original film was based,...
- 2/15/2024
- by Don Kaye
- Den of Geek
For most of us, the Planet of the Apes movies have always been around. Spanning five decades and ten movies – and counting – it’s hard to imagine a world without that race of hyper-intelligent monkeys and their everlasting war against man. We take this extended universe for granted, but it wasn’t always this way. It’s probably not hard to believe that at one time, the concept of a world populated by talking apes wasn’t thought of as a box office draw, and if it hadn’t been for the determination of a handful of true believers in the material, we may never have gotten one movie, let alone an entire franchise. So let’s go back in time a bit to a world without Dr. Zaius and the gang and find out Wtf Happened to Planet of the Apes?
We’re going back as far as 1963, when...
We’re going back as far as 1963, when...
- 1/31/2024
- by Chris Bumbray
- JoBlo.com
Fellini, Visconti, Loren, Heston, Hepburn, Peck, Taylor, Burton … a dream dinner party of talent graced the grounds of Rome’s renowned Cinecittà film studios during the so-called “Hollywood on the Tiber” period — named after the river that runs through the Italian capital.
From the epic Quo Vadis in 1951 right through to Peter Sellers’ Pink Panther in 1963, the city was burning with big film-production energy. Hollywood studios clamored to record runaway English-language projects there, lapping up the local subsidies, lower costs and unfrozen international funds; peaking with Cleopatra in 1963 — at that time the most expensive title ever made. And now, thanks to both enduring appeal and a similar dynamic that created the post-war boom time, the U.S. film world is starting to take very frequent Roman holidays once again.
“Italy, in recent years, is experiencing a new renaissance in the movie industry,” says Alessandra Rainaldi, trade commissioner of the Italian...
From the epic Quo Vadis in 1951 right through to Peter Sellers’ Pink Panther in 1963, the city was burning with big film-production energy. Hollywood studios clamored to record runaway English-language projects there, lapping up the local subsidies, lower costs and unfrozen international funds; peaking with Cleopatra in 1963 — at that time the most expensive title ever made. And now, thanks to both enduring appeal and a similar dynamic that created the post-war boom time, the U.S. film world is starting to take very frequent Roman holidays once again.
“Italy, in recent years, is experiencing a new renaissance in the movie industry,” says Alessandra Rainaldi, trade commissioner of the Italian...
- 11/1/2023
- by Becky Lucas
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
It’s not every day that a filmmaker will rise up during an interview and recite Old Testament tales and sing out their favorite hymn. Well, hallelujah, brother Jeymes Samuel for spreading the gospel’s good news.
The director’s spectacular Jesus in the hood movie, The Book of Clarence, starring a mighty fine Lakeith Stanfield playing a charlatan wannabe Messiah, shakes up the toga and peepy toe genre.
Samuel’s movie has its world premiere Wednesday at the BFI London Film Festival. The Legendary Pictures production is released through Tristar with congregations taking their pews from January 12, 2024.
The movie’s thrilling prologue kicks off with a rip-roaring, wheel-screeching chariot race with Mary Magdalene thrashing the lads.
The moment was of course inspired by the iconic chariot scene between Charlton Heston’s Judah Ben-Hur and Stephen Boyd’s Messala in William Wyler...
The director’s spectacular Jesus in the hood movie, The Book of Clarence, starring a mighty fine Lakeith Stanfield playing a charlatan wannabe Messiah, shakes up the toga and peepy toe genre.
Samuel’s movie has its world premiere Wednesday at the BFI London Film Festival. The Legendary Pictures production is released through Tristar with congregations taking their pews from January 12, 2024.
The movie’s thrilling prologue kicks off with a rip-roaring, wheel-screeching chariot race with Mary Magdalene thrashing the lads.
The moment was of course inspired by the iconic chariot scene between Charlton Heston’s Judah Ben-Hur and Stephen Boyd’s Messala in William Wyler...
- 10/11/2023
- by Baz Bamigboye
- Deadline Film + TV
Loretta Swit remembers well the night she won her first Emmy Award.
On Sept. 7, 1980, the “Mash” star sat in her agent’s living room in Beverly Hills, watching the ceremony on TV when she heard her name called out and saw her picture flash on the screen. Swit was not in the audience at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium that year because her union, the Screen Actors Guild, was on strike.
Swit and her fellow “Mash” troupers Alan Alda, Mike Farrell and Jamie Farr were among the most vocal and visible actors on picket lines and at press conferences when SAG initiated its first work stoppage in 20 years on July 21, 1980. The reality of her Emmy win – after seven consecutive nominations — sunk in for Swit when she suddenly got a phone call from Europe from her friend Jacqueline Bisset. “She was so excited. She said, ‘Hey, you won!’ ” Swit recalls.
Forty-three years later,...
On Sept. 7, 1980, the “Mash” star sat in her agent’s living room in Beverly Hills, watching the ceremony on TV when she heard her name called out and saw her picture flash on the screen. Swit was not in the audience at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium that year because her union, the Screen Actors Guild, was on strike.
Swit and her fellow “Mash” troupers Alan Alda, Mike Farrell and Jamie Farr were among the most vocal and visible actors on picket lines and at press conferences when SAG initiated its first work stoppage in 20 years on July 21, 1980. The reality of her Emmy win – after seven consecutive nominations — sunk in for Swit when she suddenly got a phone call from Europe from her friend Jacqueline Bisset. “She was so excited. She said, ‘Hey, you won!’ ” Swit recalls.
Forty-three years later,...
- 9/1/2023
- by Cynthia Littleton
- Variety Film + TV
William Holden may have won his only Academy Award for Billy Wilder’s “Stalag 17,” but he wasn’t the first choice to play Sefton, the cynical sergeant who is a one-man black market at a German Pow camp. Originally, Charlton Heston was going to headline the film. Heston was red-hot at the time coming off his flashy starring role in Cecil B. DeMille’s Oscar winning 1952 circus epic “The Great Show on Earth.” But as Wilder and co-writer Edwin Blum were working on the script for the film, which premiered on July 1, 1953 in New York and two weeks later in Los Angeles, the character became darker and more disparaging; They realized Heston wasn’t right for the part
The AFI catalog noted that supposedly Wilder went to Kirk Douglas who had starred in Wilder’s 1951 “Ace in the Hole,” a masterpiece that flopped badly when released. After he turned...
The AFI catalog noted that supposedly Wilder went to Kirk Douglas who had starred in Wilder’s 1951 “Ace in the Hole,” a masterpiece that flopped badly when released. After he turned...
- 7/3/2023
- by Susan King
- Gold Derby
The Ten Commandments is one of those iconic movies that just about everyone has seen and many have made watching the epic film on TV a spring tradition every year. There have been other versions made over the years but none are anywhere near as popular as Cecil B. DeMille’s 1956 classic.
Charlton Heston starred as Moses in The Ten Commandments but what some people don’t know is that wasn’t his only part in the movie or that his son was also in it.
Charlton Heston as Moses holding the tablets in ‘The Ten Commandments’ movie | Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images Who Charlton Heston’s son played in the movie
DeMille chose Heston to play the part of Moses because the director believed he resembled Michelangelo’s statue of Moses in Rome, Italy. He also decided to cast Heston’s son in the movie before the child was even born.
Charlton Heston starred as Moses in The Ten Commandments but what some people don’t know is that wasn’t his only part in the movie or that his son was also in it.
Charlton Heston as Moses holding the tablets in ‘The Ten Commandments’ movie | Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images Who Charlton Heston’s son played in the movie
DeMille chose Heston to play the part of Moses because the director believed he resembled Michelangelo’s statue of Moses in Rome, Italy. He also decided to cast Heston’s son in the movie before the child was even born.
- 4/1/2023
- by Michelle Kapusta
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
Chris Chesser, the film and documentary producer best known for bringing the iconic baseball comedy Major League to the big screen, has died. He was 74.
Chesser died suddenly Feb. 2 at his Los Angeles home, his brothers, Alan and Steve Chesser, announced. No cause of death was revealed.
As a production executive, Chesser supervised such notable films as The Great Santini (1979), Caddyshack (1980), On Golden Pond (1981), Wolfen (1981), Arthur (1981), Sharky’s Machine (1981) and Excalibur (1981).
He supervised production on the British comedy Yellowbeard (1983), starring Graham Chapman, and helped develop Rob Reiner’s Spinal Tap (1984) at Embassy Pictures and Sydney Pollack’s Absence of Malice (1981) at Columbia Pictures.
Chesser and Irby Smith produced Paramount’s Major League (1989), which was written and directed by David S. Ward and starred Charlie Sheen, Tom Berenger, Wesley Snipes and Rene Russo.
After earning his bachelor’s degree from Dartmouth College and his master’s from the American Graduate School of International Management,...
Chesser died suddenly Feb. 2 at his Los Angeles home, his brothers, Alan and Steve Chesser, announced. No cause of death was revealed.
As a production executive, Chesser supervised such notable films as The Great Santini (1979), Caddyshack (1980), On Golden Pond (1981), Wolfen (1981), Arthur (1981), Sharky’s Machine (1981) and Excalibur (1981).
He supervised production on the British comedy Yellowbeard (1983), starring Graham Chapman, and helped develop Rob Reiner’s Spinal Tap (1984) at Embassy Pictures and Sydney Pollack’s Absence of Malice (1981) at Columbia Pictures.
Chesser and Irby Smith produced Paramount’s Major League (1989), which was written and directed by David S. Ward and starred Charlie Sheen, Tom Berenger, Wesley Snipes and Rene Russo.
After earning his bachelor’s degree from Dartmouth College and his master’s from the American Graduate School of International Management,...
- 2/21/2023
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
What was the movie Steven Spielberg saw as a child that inspired him to become one of the most successful, influential, and acclaimed filmmakers? According to his semi-autobiographical new film “The Fabelmans,” his cinematic alter-ego Sammy becomes obsessed with movies after his parents take him to the see Cecil B. DeMille’s 1952 circus epic “The Greatest Show on Earth.”
“The Greatest Show on Earth,” which not only won the Oscar for Best Picture and story, was the box office champ of the year earning 14 million domestically and 36 million worldwide. Critics were not so kind to his cotton-candy colored melodrama set under the big top at Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus. Films in Review declared “Mr. DeMille is so accomplished a showman that one is astonished he did not just photograph a circus performance without the synthetic story he injected here. After all, the Ringling Brothers-Barnum and Bailey Circus is a wonder in itself.
“The Greatest Show on Earth,” which not only won the Oscar for Best Picture and story, was the box office champ of the year earning 14 million domestically and 36 million worldwide. Critics were not so kind to his cotton-candy colored melodrama set under the big top at Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus. Films in Review declared “Mr. DeMille is so accomplished a showman that one is astonished he did not just photograph a circus performance without the synthetic story he injected here. After all, the Ringling Brothers-Barnum and Bailey Circus is a wonder in itself.
- 1/18/2023
- by Susan King
- Gold Derby
The original "Planet of the Apes" remains one of the best sci-fi movies of all time. This is a movie with incredible makeup effects that hold up to this day, an air-tight script with poignant social commentary co-written by "The Twilight Zone" creator Rod Serling, and a stellar performance by Roddy McDowall.
Of course, the film is arguably best remembered for having one of the greatest and most memorable twist endings in all of cinema, which Tim Burton utterly failed to replicate. The ending of "Planet of the Apes" has been referenced and parodied to death for decades — though, if you somehow have remained unsullied until now, we will not ruin it. It is also an ending that is rather hard to top, though that didn't stop Twentieth Century Fox from trying.
One thing that makes the "Planet of the Apes" franchise so unique is that it is an extremely...
Of course, the film is arguably best remembered for having one of the greatest and most memorable twist endings in all of cinema, which Tim Burton utterly failed to replicate. The ending of "Planet of the Apes" has been referenced and parodied to death for decades — though, if you somehow have remained unsullied until now, we will not ruin it. It is also an ending that is rather hard to top, though that didn't stop Twentieth Century Fox from trying.
One thing that makes the "Planet of the Apes" franchise so unique is that it is an extremely...
- 1/8/2023
- by Rafael Motamayor
- Slash Film
Fifty years ago, Angela Lansbury opened the 45th Academy Awards ceremony, with a song-and-dance number that paid homage to a day on a movie set. Carol Burnett, Michael Caine, Charlton Heston and Rock Hudson shared Oscars hosting duties on March 27, 1973, a historical night of Academy controversies, record-making, and memorable moments. Enjoy our Oscar flashback 50 years to the ceremony on NBC.
It began with Heston running late due to a flat tire; he was scheduled to deliver the voting rules in a “Ten Commandments” manner. Asked to fill in at the last minute was Clint Eastwood, who humorously claimed, “They pick the guy who hasn’t said but three lines in 12 movies to substitute for him.” Fortunately, Moses showed up and saved Dirty Harry about midway through the speech.
SEEOscar Best Picture Gallery: History of Every Academy Award-Winning Movie
Five completely different types of films were represented in the Best Picture category,...
It began with Heston running late due to a flat tire; he was scheduled to deliver the voting rules in a “Ten Commandments” manner. Asked to fill in at the last minute was Clint Eastwood, who humorously claimed, “They pick the guy who hasn’t said but three lines in 12 movies to substitute for him.” Fortunately, Moses showed up and saved Dirty Harry about midway through the speech.
SEEOscar Best Picture Gallery: History of Every Academy Award-Winning Movie
Five completely different types of films were represented in the Best Picture category,...
- 1/4/2023
- by Susan Pennington
- Gold Derby
Sometimes we hear negative stories about famous actors on set. Egos get in the way of common courtesy, political leanings can color conversations, and working conditions can bring out the worst in people. Here's an actually lovely one instead. Prosthetic makeup is a tricky thing, and I say this as someone who has worn them in productions and been a makeup artist who applied them. They are not comfortable and can be very hot, itchy, and claustrophobic. Effects makeup has come a long way since the late 1960s when "Planet of the Apes" was shooting, and even now, it's not easy to wear. Back then, it must have been awful.
Add in the fact that, when shooting some of the scenes in the classic sci-fi film, the cast was out in the desert in 100-degree heat. The people playing the apes had major prosthetics on their faces, extra hair on their arms,...
Add in the fact that, when shooting some of the scenes in the classic sci-fi film, the cast was out in the desert in 100-degree heat. The people playing the apes had major prosthetics on their faces, extra hair on their arms,...
- 1/2/2023
- by Jenna Busch
- Slash Film
Where the industry now embraces the trend of "too big to fail" superhero blockbusters, there was a point in Hollywood history where sprawling religious epics were the big ticket item, with "Ben-Hur" enduring as one of the most successful of its kind. It would be over 38 years until "Titanic," followed by "The Return of the King," would break the unprecedented Oscar streak set by William Wyler's 1959 epic, which took home 11 Academy Awards in one night.
Based on General Lew Wallace's 1880 novel of the same name, "Ben-Hur" stars former Hollywood megastar Charlton Heston as the affluent Jewish prince who is thrust on an epic journey of faith, friendship, and betrayal after his best friend Messala (Stephen Boyd) imprisons him for speaking ill against the Roman Empire.
Clocking in at over three and a half hours, "Ben-Hur" is as much an acting showcase as it is a spectacular display of scope.
Based on General Lew Wallace's 1880 novel of the same name, "Ben-Hur" stars former Hollywood megastar Charlton Heston as the affluent Jewish prince who is thrust on an epic journey of faith, friendship, and betrayal after his best friend Messala (Stephen Boyd) imprisons him for speaking ill against the Roman Empire.
Clocking in at over three and a half hours, "Ben-Hur" is as much an acting showcase as it is a spectacular display of scope.
- 9/19/2022
- by Matthew Bilodeau
- Slash Film
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