This final installment in the series may be a bit corny, but it sure as hell does provide us with some action. Humans and apes are again at war, and as a result a lot of stuff explodes, that's pretty much the summary. The usual philosophic remarks are thrown in, but they just work up to the battle the title promised. The action scenes are pretty chaotic but still look good, especially the scene early in the movie where they enter the forbidden zone/undergrond parking lot works out well. By this time the actors knew what they were making and seemed to be loving it, Claude Akins hams it up like crazy. His portrayal of man-hating general Aldo has one dimension, and that dimension is really built to last. We meet Aldo and he's angry, we see him again later and he's angry, and then finally he's well what do you know, angry. His best scene comes near the ending though, you'll know it when you see it. You can say a lot of negative things about this movie, but boring it ain't.
134 Reviews
Why does everyone hate this film?
veryape-887-9139054 January 2014
In my opinion this film is underrated it is not a great film by any means but is better than Beneath The Planet Of The Apes and Conquest Of The Planet Of The Apes. This is the fifth and final chapter in the ape saga and in my opinion it didn't disappoint the planet is a desolated place, Ceasar wants apes and humans to live together however ape has the edge over man as leaders and the humans fight back... This film stars Roddy McDowell, Claude Akins & Natalie Trundy this film was directed by J.Lee Thompson i recommend this film even though it has a low rating on IMDb it is an enjoyable film so watch and enjoy THE FINAL CONFRONTATION
***/*****
***/*****
Hail Caesar the King! But Every Caesar has his Brutus
Bogmeister4 June 2006
A point raised by Caesar's enemy, Kolp (Darden in a mustache-twirling snidely elegant turn at maddened villainy), in this 5th and final Apes film. But a king usually has more than one enemy, as Caesar finds, to his grief. A predictable and mostly logical follow-up to the previous "Conquest of the Planet of the Apes," this one, like "Beneath the Planet of the Apes," stresses sci-fi action rather than any deep themes related to slavery or culture shock. Several years after a nuclear war, we find a surprisingly peaceful yet primitive village occupied by both apes and humans, governed by chimp Caesar (McDowall), who began a revolution in the previous film, as a young radical. Now much older - either about 10 or 30 years older, depending on various sources - he projects a benign fatherly personality. It's not quite paradise: though not the slaves as apes were previously, humans have shifted to 2nd-class citizens, despite an image of equality, and tension escalates due to local bully gorilla Aldo (Akins - 'call me by my proper rank, General, huh!'). Then Caesar himself opens the door to other possible problems by visiting a nearby nuked city (obviously the same one from the previous film). There, the human governor from "Conquest..." has been replaced by his security chief, Kolp, who was bad enough as 2nd in command - now he's bored just sifting through the rubble with his few mutated followers - time to work off the doldrums and teach a clever ape how to show respect.
This entry is generally regarded as the worst of the 5 films, if most fans had to pick one, but it's not a complete waste by comparison. There really is a battle at the end, a mini-war between the invading mutants and the village - but then the final confrontation between Caesar & Aldo is slow going. This film is almost like a precursor to all of those post holocaust sci-fi pieces in the eighties ("Steel Dawn," etc.). The biggest weakness is that nothing really new is added to the saga. The new character, Virgil (Williams), for example, is a genius orangutan, but he's a retread of the genius chimp from "Escape..." What this film does, really, is bring things full circle for the 5-film saga, though not in a very creative way. As with the previous film, "Conquest...", events that should occur over the course of decades or centuries are depicted in the span of days. The filmmakers got all the old costumes from the first 3 films out of mothballs and outfitted the apes here the same way, against logic. The mutated humans from the bombed out city are the ancestors of the mutants we've seen in "Beneath..." - they even show the alpha-omega bomb which, though almost detonated here, remains as is until it supposedly destroys everything in two millennium. However, a prologue and epilogue set about 600 years from now with the orangutan Lawgiver (Huston) shows that the future is not set, so now we're left guessing. This movie was followed by the short lived TV series, which took place about a thousand years in the future.
This entry is generally regarded as the worst of the 5 films, if most fans had to pick one, but it's not a complete waste by comparison. There really is a battle at the end, a mini-war between the invading mutants and the village - but then the final confrontation between Caesar & Aldo is slow going. This film is almost like a precursor to all of those post holocaust sci-fi pieces in the eighties ("Steel Dawn," etc.). The biggest weakness is that nothing really new is added to the saga. The new character, Virgil (Williams), for example, is a genius orangutan, but he's a retread of the genius chimp from "Escape..." What this film does, really, is bring things full circle for the 5-film saga, though not in a very creative way. As with the previous film, "Conquest...", events that should occur over the course of decades or centuries are depicted in the span of days. The filmmakers got all the old costumes from the first 3 films out of mothballs and outfitted the apes here the same way, against logic. The mutated humans from the bombed out city are the ancestors of the mutants we've seen in "Beneath..." - they even show the alpha-omega bomb which, though almost detonated here, remains as is until it supposedly destroys everything in two millennium. However, a prologue and epilogue set about 600 years from now with the orangutan Lawgiver (Huston) shows that the future is not set, so now we're left guessing. This movie was followed by the short lived TV series, which took place about a thousand years in the future.
A review from North America, 2004 A.D.
lemon99323 May 2004
So the final entry in the Planet of the Apes series takes liberties with the timeline and the plot wanders through other prior installments, but I feel the movie delivers a degree of pathos seldom seen in a sequel. The bookend scenes involving the Lawgiver, John Huston in heavy make up, speaking to a group of schoolchildren--apes and humans--tie up the saga nicely, leaving open the future for more sequels.(Tim Burton in his dreadful remake should have filled in the blanks instead of "reimagining" a different world of apes. Only my opinion.) Things I like include the character Mandemus, keeper of the armory(Caesar's conscience), the trek to the radioactive city, Caesar's viewing of his dead parents in the Hall of Records and the final ambiguous shot of the movie. The money allocated to Leonard Rosenman's impressive score was well spent. The pop singer Paul Williams display a deft touch for acting in his debut. Try and catch this screen gem on Fox Movie Channel and you will be treated to additional scenes involving the always looming doomsday bomb. And special praise to J.Lee Thompson for delivering more with less.
Weakest Ape Film
gavin69425 October 2017
One decade after a worldwide series of ape revolutions and a brutal nuclear war among humans, Caesar must protect survivors of both species from an insidious human cult and a militant ape faction alike.
Screenwriters John William Corrington and Joyce Hooper Corrington were brought in after the success of their film "The Omega Man", although prior to that neither one of them had written any science fiction films and, indeed, Joyce Carrington later admitted they had never seen any of the Apes films prior to being hired to write the script for "Battle".
Roger Ebert gave the film a negative review, stating, "Battle looks like the last gasp of a dying series, a movie made simply to wring the dollars out of any remaining ape fans." As usual, Ebert is spot on. This feels nothing like an "Apes" movie at all, and the continuity starts to get a little strange. Even ignoring the paradox of the time loop, there is no explanation of how the apes became able to speak and so forth. If Caesar had a mate and this was 500 years in the future it might make sense, but apes simply do not have the ability to speak!
Screenwriters John William Corrington and Joyce Hooper Corrington were brought in after the success of their film "The Omega Man", although prior to that neither one of them had written any science fiction films and, indeed, Joyce Carrington later admitted they had never seen any of the Apes films prior to being hired to write the script for "Battle".
Roger Ebert gave the film a negative review, stating, "Battle looks like the last gasp of a dying series, a movie made simply to wring the dollars out of any remaining ape fans." As usual, Ebert is spot on. This feels nothing like an "Apes" movie at all, and the continuity starts to get a little strange. Even ignoring the paradox of the time loop, there is no explanation of how the apes became able to speak and so forth. If Caesar had a mate and this was 500 years in the future it might make sense, but apes simply do not have the ability to speak!
Quality-wise this isn't up to movies 1, 2 or 4, but it's still a must for fans
planktonrules11 July 2006
Warning: Spoilers
Okay, by now the series had just about run its course and it was obvious that it would be concluding soon. However, there was one final film for the original series to go and they actually managed to come up with a credible reason for a followup. It was NOT so easy to make movie #3, as the Earth had just blown up and no logical reason could resurrect the series (so, in the 3rd film, they came up with a totally illogical reason!).
This film was set only a few years after the fourth film, CONQUEST OF THE PLANET OF THE APES. Unexpectedly, the new society that Caesar set up after the last film was pretty egalitarian and the humans were not all confined to become slaves--though there were a lot of rumblings from the gorillas who for some odd reason carried a grudge after being tortured and enslaved by the humans! One serious flaw with the film, though, is that although this only takes place perhaps a decade later, all the apes are civilized and can talk, use guns, etc. as well as any of the humans! I am a school teacher and I only PRAY that I get students this smart!! Anyways, back to the review. It turns out that although this society is functioning pretty well, not all the humans have fallen to the apes. Nope. Ignorant and nihilistic humans STILL hold out hopes of wiping out the basically decent apes and re-asserting mankind's hold over the planet. Well, without getting into the complex plot, the film boils down to a final battle with the bad humans. The apes win, but in the process the evilness of the gorillas is exposed, as they murder Caesar's son! It seemed the bad gorillas SHOULD have teamed up with the bad humans after all!! The film concludes leaving the viewer to ponder what will become of the perfect ape society--will it actually degenerate to what it would become in movie #1 or would all the positive changes in this movie avert that awful future and the destruction of the Earth?!? I guess we'll never know.
The first time I saw this movie, I didn't like it very much. However, in seeing it again, it had a good plot, acting and was a worthy conclusion to the series.
A few points in conclusion: it was cool to see the singer Paul Williams as an ape in this movie (it probably took less make-up than usual), there was a short-lived TV series that followed, and if anyone thinks the remake from 2001 was great is an idiot.
This film was set only a few years after the fourth film, CONQUEST OF THE PLANET OF THE APES. Unexpectedly, the new society that Caesar set up after the last film was pretty egalitarian and the humans were not all confined to become slaves--though there were a lot of rumblings from the gorillas who for some odd reason carried a grudge after being tortured and enslaved by the humans! One serious flaw with the film, though, is that although this only takes place perhaps a decade later, all the apes are civilized and can talk, use guns, etc. as well as any of the humans! I am a school teacher and I only PRAY that I get students this smart!! Anyways, back to the review. It turns out that although this society is functioning pretty well, not all the humans have fallen to the apes. Nope. Ignorant and nihilistic humans STILL hold out hopes of wiping out the basically decent apes and re-asserting mankind's hold over the planet. Well, without getting into the complex plot, the film boils down to a final battle with the bad humans. The apes win, but in the process the evilness of the gorillas is exposed, as they murder Caesar's son! It seemed the bad gorillas SHOULD have teamed up with the bad humans after all!! The film concludes leaving the viewer to ponder what will become of the perfect ape society--will it actually degenerate to what it would become in movie #1 or would all the positive changes in this movie avert that awful future and the destruction of the Earth?!? I guess we'll never know.
The first time I saw this movie, I didn't like it very much. However, in seeing it again, it had a good plot, acting and was a worthy conclusion to the series.
A few points in conclusion: it was cool to see the singer Paul Williams as an ape in this movie (it probably took less make-up than usual), there was a short-lived TV series that followed, and if anyone thinks the remake from 2001 was great is an idiot.
It's the end of the series as we know it (and I feel okay about it)
dfranzen7028 May 2019
The last of the original series takes place a decade or so after its predecessor. There's an Ape City, run by Caesar, the benevolent ruler played by Roddy McDowall, and its human denizens are servants to their simian cousins. Caesar's aide tells him of a place in the Forbidden City, now decimated by nuclear strikes, where video footage of Caesar's parents exists. Caesar has no memories of his parents, who were killed when he was a baby, so he, his aide, and the wise Virgil (Paul Williams) travel to the city and encounter a band of now-mutated humans who live in some squalor and are led by Kolp (Severn Darden). Kolp, learning of the apes' arrival, decides to launch a preemptive strike on Ape City to exterminate them all. Meanwhile, there's dissension among the apes - particularly, the combative General Aldo (Claude Akins), who wants to take over because he likes making war and being the Man. Anyway, the movie isn't as good as those earlier in the series, but it's passable. McDowall is very good, and in fact the ape costumes are still top notch. This is a fitting coda to the series.
Apocalypse Apes Redux
incognitoami23 May 2006
Warning: Spoilers
Rarely does the restoration of deleted scenes added back into a film work to its benefit. The Extended Edition of Battle for the Planet of the Apes is one of those rare exceptions. The fifth and final chapter in the Apes theatrical series is generally regarded as its weakest link. It had the lowest budget of all of the films in the series and it painfully shows and looks more like it's a made-for-TV movie. In fact, it feels almost like a pilot for the Planet of the Apes Television Series.
The film begins in the year 2670 and is bookended with John Houston as the revered ape Lawgiver reading from the sacred scrolls like a bedtime storyteller. From here the story is told in flashback and the viewer is left scratching their heads by the befuddling logic. Events not clearly explained are left to the viewer to make assumptions or draw conclusions about the contradictory order of events. It must be assumed that a nuclear war had devastated the Earth immediately after the ape uprising in Conquest and somehow only a decade afterward the ape society had unbelievably evolved their verbal powers of speech and intelligence. These facts are inconsistent with Cornelius' explanation of the apes' evolution in Escape in which he explains that the plague that destroyed all cats and dogs occurred some 200 years later than it did in Conquest and that Aldo was the first ape to utter human speech when he said the word "No" which was spoken by Lisa in Conquest, and that Aldo led the revolt against the humans which was led by Caesar. We can only conclude that the incongruent events in Conquest and Battle are the events of an alternate timeline forged by the creation of the temporal paradox from Cornelius and Zira's arrival in Escape. The apes also adorn costumes similar to the fashions of the ape society from the first film which had evolved over several thousand years but again this is only a decade after their revolt against the humans (one explanation could be that since this story is told as a flashback to ape and human children we are seeing it as depicted by their imaginations as a point of reference). MacDonald in this film is not the same MacDonald who was the Governor's Adjutant in Conquest but rather his brother which is confusing since Caesar appeared to have found a human sympathizer and ally in the MacDonald from Conquest and the only reasonable explanation for the deliberate change of character is that MacDonald is played by a different actor this time, but if you aren't paying close attention, you are likely to miss that inference. Ape City is located in a very lush and hospitable forest area within miles of the inhospitable desert wasteland of the annihilated Forbidden City. Automobiles such as jeeps and school buses still work somehow and were not rendered inoperable by the EMP of the atomic detonation. Radioactive half-life apparently only affects the surviving humans living within the irradiated remains of the Forbidden City and the apes can somehow sustain bombardments of high levels of radioactive fallout for a few hours while they search its archives for a videotape of Cornelius and Zira which also amazingly happened to not be vaporized or magnetically degaussed by the atomic blast. The mutated humans all wear skull caps for the purpose of (take your pick): A.) protecting their craniums from high radiation levels B.) to hide the fact that their hair has completely fallen out due to radioactive fallout C.) to enhance telepathic reception of their now-suddenly mutated telekinetic minds or D.) All of the above.
The newly restored scenes with the human mutants and the Alpha-Omega bomb at least help to make some sense of the rather weak narrative and gaps of logic and provide some continuity to the rest of the series. These scenes are significant because it shows the mutants beginning to hone their developing telepathic powers and it establishes the fundamental doctrine of their quasi-religious sect that will worship the Alpha-Omega bomb in future generations. It almost feels more like a direct prequel to Beneath now. Why this subplot was excised is almost as baffling as the film's logic but one reason perhaps is the fact that the film ends with a more optimistic outlook suggesting that the timeline of events were changed when Caesar united the apes and the humans and that the crisis of Beneath may have been averted but it is left open for the audience to decide from the ambiguous tear of the weeping statue of Caesar suggesting that perhaps the fateful events of the future cannot be avoided after all.
Battle is definitely the worst of the five apes films but compared to most low-budget sci-fi shlock I've seen, it's really not as bad as it's made out to be, but judged against the superior standard set precedent by the first film it is a quite a disappointment. In addition to the restored scenes, there are few highlights that make the film worth at least a viewing if you have enjoyed watching the other films in this series at all. Of particular interest are the sets of the melted down post-apocalyptic Forbidden City that are just visually interesting to look at, even if the obvious matte paintings were composited into the background. It gives the film a future-coda feel in a way that evokes images of James Cameron's The Terminator but pre-dates it over a decade. If nothing else, Battle was at least influential in inspiring other science fiction films in the genre and was the template for subsequent franchises and was more than influential to George Lucas and his Star Wars mega-merchandising empire that would follow only a few years later and the Planet of the Apes series would forever be buried under its apocalypse and reside in the realm of Saturday afternoon and late-night television broadcasts.
The film begins in the year 2670 and is bookended with John Houston as the revered ape Lawgiver reading from the sacred scrolls like a bedtime storyteller. From here the story is told in flashback and the viewer is left scratching their heads by the befuddling logic. Events not clearly explained are left to the viewer to make assumptions or draw conclusions about the contradictory order of events. It must be assumed that a nuclear war had devastated the Earth immediately after the ape uprising in Conquest and somehow only a decade afterward the ape society had unbelievably evolved their verbal powers of speech and intelligence. These facts are inconsistent with Cornelius' explanation of the apes' evolution in Escape in which he explains that the plague that destroyed all cats and dogs occurred some 200 years later than it did in Conquest and that Aldo was the first ape to utter human speech when he said the word "No" which was spoken by Lisa in Conquest, and that Aldo led the revolt against the humans which was led by Caesar. We can only conclude that the incongruent events in Conquest and Battle are the events of an alternate timeline forged by the creation of the temporal paradox from Cornelius and Zira's arrival in Escape. The apes also adorn costumes similar to the fashions of the ape society from the first film which had evolved over several thousand years but again this is only a decade after their revolt against the humans (one explanation could be that since this story is told as a flashback to ape and human children we are seeing it as depicted by their imaginations as a point of reference). MacDonald in this film is not the same MacDonald who was the Governor's Adjutant in Conquest but rather his brother which is confusing since Caesar appeared to have found a human sympathizer and ally in the MacDonald from Conquest and the only reasonable explanation for the deliberate change of character is that MacDonald is played by a different actor this time, but if you aren't paying close attention, you are likely to miss that inference. Ape City is located in a very lush and hospitable forest area within miles of the inhospitable desert wasteland of the annihilated Forbidden City. Automobiles such as jeeps and school buses still work somehow and were not rendered inoperable by the EMP of the atomic detonation. Radioactive half-life apparently only affects the surviving humans living within the irradiated remains of the Forbidden City and the apes can somehow sustain bombardments of high levels of radioactive fallout for a few hours while they search its archives for a videotape of Cornelius and Zira which also amazingly happened to not be vaporized or magnetically degaussed by the atomic blast. The mutated humans all wear skull caps for the purpose of (take your pick): A.) protecting their craniums from high radiation levels B.) to hide the fact that their hair has completely fallen out due to radioactive fallout C.) to enhance telepathic reception of their now-suddenly mutated telekinetic minds or D.) All of the above.
The newly restored scenes with the human mutants and the Alpha-Omega bomb at least help to make some sense of the rather weak narrative and gaps of logic and provide some continuity to the rest of the series. These scenes are significant because it shows the mutants beginning to hone their developing telepathic powers and it establishes the fundamental doctrine of their quasi-religious sect that will worship the Alpha-Omega bomb in future generations. It almost feels more like a direct prequel to Beneath now. Why this subplot was excised is almost as baffling as the film's logic but one reason perhaps is the fact that the film ends with a more optimistic outlook suggesting that the timeline of events were changed when Caesar united the apes and the humans and that the crisis of Beneath may have been averted but it is left open for the audience to decide from the ambiguous tear of the weeping statue of Caesar suggesting that perhaps the fateful events of the future cannot be avoided after all.
Battle is definitely the worst of the five apes films but compared to most low-budget sci-fi shlock I've seen, it's really not as bad as it's made out to be, but judged against the superior standard set precedent by the first film it is a quite a disappointment. In addition to the restored scenes, there are few highlights that make the film worth at least a viewing if you have enjoyed watching the other films in this series at all. Of particular interest are the sets of the melted down post-apocalyptic Forbidden City that are just visually interesting to look at, even if the obvious matte paintings were composited into the background. It gives the film a future-coda feel in a way that evokes images of James Cameron's The Terminator but pre-dates it over a decade. If nothing else, Battle was at least influential in inspiring other science fiction films in the genre and was the template for subsequent franchises and was more than influential to George Lucas and his Star Wars mega-merchandising empire that would follow only a few years later and the Planet of the Apes series would forever be buried under its apocalypse and reside in the realm of Saturday afternoon and late-night television broadcasts.
History in the making
mungflesh4 October 2001
Warning: Spoilers
SPOILERS ON WHOLE SERIES
I'll not say I like this movie - it IS pants, but having seen it recently after all the other 4 in succession I realised something I had never understood before. Some of you might already know this and hence think I'm dumb .. OK, others might disagree with me .. also OK but this is intended for those of you who had the same viewpoint on the series as I previously did.
I had thought that the films III, IV and V had simply explained events prior to the first movie but after seeing Battle again, I saw that the past had been changed due to the apes going back in time after the destruction of the earth. Here are my reasons, and the evidence grows stronger as episode 3 progresses to episode 5 :
Episode 3 : In the timeline before episode 1, no talking apes had arrived in the 20th century therefore the past has already begun to change. Cornelius claims an ape named Aldo had been the one who first spoke the word 'No' to his masters. He also revealed the plague of cats and dogs was in another century than the 20th (I forget which).
Episode 4 : The plague of cats and dogs has already taken place - the bacteria obviously having been brought back from the future by the 3 apes in the spacecraft. Cornelius' son is the ape to give rise to revolution - not Aldo as he had claimed in part 3.
Episode 5 : The entire film can basically be forgotten except for the ending. The battle scene is particularly useless, having been more like an end-of-episode fight from the A-Team rather than a battle for the destiny of a planet. However, we end with the statue of the lawgiver as Caesar (a chimpanzee), and not one of an orangutan as shown in the first two movies. We also see ape and human children sitting side by side as equals, which is perhaps the biggest hint.
For me, this put the series into a new perspective and I appreciate it more now. What had previously appeared to be inconsistencies between episodes turned out to be intended differences.
Any comments on the above are most welcome - agree or disagree or just call me stupid for not realising this is blatantly obvious to the rest of you! I apologise in advance for any factual errors I have made due to this being all from memory and no references being consulted.
I'll not say I like this movie - it IS pants, but having seen it recently after all the other 4 in succession I realised something I had never understood before. Some of you might already know this and hence think I'm dumb .. OK, others might disagree with me .. also OK but this is intended for those of you who had the same viewpoint on the series as I previously did.
I had thought that the films III, IV and V had simply explained events prior to the first movie but after seeing Battle again, I saw that the past had been changed due to the apes going back in time after the destruction of the earth. Here are my reasons, and the evidence grows stronger as episode 3 progresses to episode 5 :
Episode 3 : In the timeline before episode 1, no talking apes had arrived in the 20th century therefore the past has already begun to change. Cornelius claims an ape named Aldo had been the one who first spoke the word 'No' to his masters. He also revealed the plague of cats and dogs was in another century than the 20th (I forget which).
Episode 4 : The plague of cats and dogs has already taken place - the bacteria obviously having been brought back from the future by the 3 apes in the spacecraft. Cornelius' son is the ape to give rise to revolution - not Aldo as he had claimed in part 3.
Episode 5 : The entire film can basically be forgotten except for the ending. The battle scene is particularly useless, having been more like an end-of-episode fight from the A-Team rather than a battle for the destiny of a planet. However, we end with the statue of the lawgiver as Caesar (a chimpanzee), and not one of an orangutan as shown in the first two movies. We also see ape and human children sitting side by side as equals, which is perhaps the biggest hint.
For me, this put the series into a new perspective and I appreciate it more now. What had previously appeared to be inconsistencies between episodes turned out to be intended differences.
Any comments on the above are most welcome - agree or disagree or just call me stupid for not realising this is blatantly obvious to the rest of you! I apologise in advance for any factual errors I have made due to this being all from memory and no references being consulted.
It was the right time for them to end this (very good, all in all) series
r96sk27 February 2022
A limp way for the original franchise to finish.
Its predecessor, 'Conquest of the Planet of the Apes', was a weak entry too but remained watchable, though 'Battle for the Planet of the Apes' kinda straddles the other side as it's uninteresting. I didn't dislike it and it is very short at around 82 minutes, which helps. Roddy McDowall is the pick of the cast, though even his performance feels weary at this point.
A 'strong' 2½* rating from me, if such a thing exists. It was the right time for them to end this (very good, all in all) series.
Its predecessor, 'Conquest of the Planet of the Apes', was a weak entry too but remained watchable, though 'Battle for the Planet of the Apes' kinda straddles the other side as it's uninteresting. I didn't dislike it and it is very short at around 82 minutes, which helps. Roddy McDowall is the pick of the cast, though even his performance feels weary at this point.
A 'strong' 2½* rating from me, if such a thing exists. It was the right time for them to end this (very good, all in all) series.
I guess when you have 2000 years to fill, sequels and TV series are necessary.
mark.waltz27 January 2020
Warning: Spoilers
Yes, it's the last of the original movie series, but there would be a brief TV series and then a 25 year gap before it all started up again. Lots of history to fill in, even fictional. So let's get this straight. Cesar, the son of Cornelius and Zira (seen briefly in flashbacks), is actually an ancestor most likely of his own parents. This film deals with the aftermath of the education of the simians to be able to speak, and now they are in complete control. Claude Rains is the ill-tempered ape General Aldo who refuses to accept a human (their teacher) saying no to him and displays the animalistic tendencies that take over his educated brain. This makes him the bane of leader Caesar's existence, and now a father, all he wants is to maintain peace for the surviving decent humans, but it's obviously not going to be with Aldo's support. There's a human variation of General Aldo with Severn Darden's governor of the forbidden city, and he's just as vile as Aldo.
Legends director John Huston introduces the story as the law maker orangutan in the far off future, setting up for the revelation that a nuclear explosion destroyed the human civilization and somehow the apes survived as well as the humans who are now basically slaves. The story (presumably in the beginning of the 21st century) shows a destroyed city, still contaminated by nuclear poisons, and populated by humans who were obviously descendants of the cult living under Manhattan in the second film. This fills in questions which arose from the first two films, leaving the overall rating of the film based upon details.
From Augustus Caesar in "Cleopatra" to ape king Caesar here, Roddy McDowall has gone full circle, and he's quite commanding as he deals with the power mad Aldo while trying to keep peace and start his own dynasty with wisdom and understanding. You can see the foundations of the ape civilization from 2000 years forward, and this helps with continuity. For fans of the franchise, it's an acceptable ending with the family element restored as Roddy and wife Natalie Trundy try to do their best to instill their values in their adorable son Cornelius (Bobby Porter). An evil act by General Aldo sends the battle into a different zone where the law of "ape shall not kill ape" is broken and brings Caesar to a point where he has to confront his own moralities.
Austin Stoker plays the brother of the character that Hari Rhodes played in the previous film, one of the few humans whom Caesar finds he can relate to. Veteran actor Lew Ayres is recognizable through his voice as the orangutan who manages the ape's weapon supply and finds himself in danger when the evil general and his rebels invade, not only with the purpose of destroying the humans advancing on their camp, but Caesar as well. This leads to a very tense conclusion with a stand-off between Caesar and Aldo and a prologue that reveals the circle is not yet complete with the situation between the humans and simians quite different at the end of the 30th Century as it would be where the first film started. It's formula in many ways, but still has enough value as it gives the viewer many ethical questions about how we will continue to make the world work as the universe changes.
Legends director John Huston introduces the story as the law maker orangutan in the far off future, setting up for the revelation that a nuclear explosion destroyed the human civilization and somehow the apes survived as well as the humans who are now basically slaves. The story (presumably in the beginning of the 21st century) shows a destroyed city, still contaminated by nuclear poisons, and populated by humans who were obviously descendants of the cult living under Manhattan in the second film. This fills in questions which arose from the first two films, leaving the overall rating of the film based upon details.
From Augustus Caesar in "Cleopatra" to ape king Caesar here, Roddy McDowall has gone full circle, and he's quite commanding as he deals with the power mad Aldo while trying to keep peace and start his own dynasty with wisdom and understanding. You can see the foundations of the ape civilization from 2000 years forward, and this helps with continuity. For fans of the franchise, it's an acceptable ending with the family element restored as Roddy and wife Natalie Trundy try to do their best to instill their values in their adorable son Cornelius (Bobby Porter). An evil act by General Aldo sends the battle into a different zone where the law of "ape shall not kill ape" is broken and brings Caesar to a point where he has to confront his own moralities.
Austin Stoker plays the brother of the character that Hari Rhodes played in the previous film, one of the few humans whom Caesar finds he can relate to. Veteran actor Lew Ayres is recognizable through his voice as the orangutan who manages the ape's weapon supply and finds himself in danger when the evil general and his rebels invade, not only with the purpose of destroying the humans advancing on their camp, but Caesar as well. This leads to a very tense conclusion with a stand-off between Caesar and Aldo and a prologue that reveals the circle is not yet complete with the situation between the humans and simians quite different at the end of the 30th Century as it would be where the first film started. It's formula in many ways, but still has enough value as it gives the viewer many ethical questions about how we will continue to make the world work as the universe changes.
Very entertaining sequel
Skragg3 June 2006
Warning: Spoilers
As far as I know, this one usually gets a bad rap, but I've always liked it a lot (but then, it was only the second one I saw, right after "Conquest"). How can you NOT like Severn Darden as the leader of the mutants? (He really walks a line between being serious and funny, being mainly a comedy actor.) And France Nuyen (in probably a smaller part than she'd been used to), as his aide, who's a little like a secretary with a crush on the boss, only in this weird setting. And Austin Stoker (an actor I know from hardly anything else) as McDonald, Caesar's human friend, was very believable. And of course, it was probably the Ape movie with the most well-known actors in ape roles - Claude Akins, Lew Ayres, John Huston, Paul Williams. There's one thing I never completely thought about till the last time I saw it (only days ago) - practically the last moment of the story (apart from the crying statue) does something that almost "deflates" the "message" of these movies - after all the endless strife between the apes and humans in these stories, the last thing you see is the little ape jokingly pulling the hair of the little girl. So even in the sequels (not just the original, which does get credit for this), the writers didn't really take the whole thing TOO seriously.
Better than "Escape from..."
pmtelefon29 December 2018
"Battle for the Planet of Apes" is not the worst of the original five. It's obviously not the best. However, it is a satisfying watch for me. It pulls very high on the nostalgia scale. I grew up watching the original five. "Battle..." is not a lazy effort. It's just a kind of low budget one. It's a pretty ambitious movie (as were the previous four "Apes" movies). It deals with some serious subjects. The clash of cultures, the rule of law and militarism. Maybe the actual battle is a bit of a letdown but I think that more to do with the budget than anything else. As far as the entire series goes; I rank "Battle..." ahead of "Escape..." but behind the others.
Wish The Series Could Have Ended On A Higher Note
zkonedog5 March 2017
After the thrilling conclusion to "Conquest of the Planet of the Apes", it seemed as if the Apes tale had come full circle. Yet, for whatever reason, a final sequel was made on a shoe-string budget, featuring a plot that, while still interesting, was not worthy to end such an epic series. Sadly, then, "Battle for the Planet of the Apes" sends the series out with a whimper, not a bang.
For a basic plot summary, "Battle" sees a society some years down the road where Caesar (Roddy McDowell) rules a rather primitive Ape City. Humans are basically just workers in this society, yet are treated generally kindly by Caesar. As usual, however, gorilla General Aldo (Claude Akins) proves to be a war-monger who challenges the "ape must not kill ape" supreme law. When a pocket of human survivors (after the fallout of their first usage of nuclear weapons against the apes) decide to challenge Ape City in one final duel, the future of human/ape relations lies in the balance.
There are many people who think that "Battle" is a terrible entry into this series and not even worthy of being mentioned in the same breath as the others. I won't go so far as to say that. It is easily the weakest sequel, but that isn't to say that it doesn't have some redeeming value. McDowell gives another marvelous performance as Caesar, while the "ape politics" stuff is pretty good as well.
The trouble with "Battle", however, is that it is just so cheaply made. Whereas the other films had an "epic" feel to them, this one (right from the very beginning) seems not so much a labor of love as just a plain labor. There are no interesting visuals, the cinematography is dark/bleak, and the plot is stretched thin even with just an hour-and-a-half runtime. Like many other reviewers have said, "Battle" seems like a TV pilot more than something one is used to seeing up on the big screen.
Thus, "Battle for the Planet of the Apes" is a very conflicted film. It deals with many vital themes central to the "Apes" canon, yet at the same time does not provide nearly the type of heading that Ape-heads (the only ones watching by this point) were looking for. Watch it for what it is, but expect to be let down after the emotional high of "Conquest".
For a basic plot summary, "Battle" sees a society some years down the road where Caesar (Roddy McDowell) rules a rather primitive Ape City. Humans are basically just workers in this society, yet are treated generally kindly by Caesar. As usual, however, gorilla General Aldo (Claude Akins) proves to be a war-monger who challenges the "ape must not kill ape" supreme law. When a pocket of human survivors (after the fallout of their first usage of nuclear weapons against the apes) decide to challenge Ape City in one final duel, the future of human/ape relations lies in the balance.
There are many people who think that "Battle" is a terrible entry into this series and not even worthy of being mentioned in the same breath as the others. I won't go so far as to say that. It is easily the weakest sequel, but that isn't to say that it doesn't have some redeeming value. McDowell gives another marvelous performance as Caesar, while the "ape politics" stuff is pretty good as well.
The trouble with "Battle", however, is that it is just so cheaply made. Whereas the other films had an "epic" feel to them, this one (right from the very beginning) seems not so much a labor of love as just a plain labor. There are no interesting visuals, the cinematography is dark/bleak, and the plot is stretched thin even with just an hour-and-a-half runtime. Like many other reviewers have said, "Battle" seems like a TV pilot more than something one is used to seeing up on the big screen.
Thus, "Battle for the Planet of the Apes" is a very conflicted film. It deals with many vital themes central to the "Apes" canon, yet at the same time does not provide nearly the type of heading that Ape-heads (the only ones watching by this point) were looking for. Watch it for what it is, but expect to be let down after the emotional high of "Conquest".
Least of the series....but still enjoyable
mord393 October 2000
MORD39 RATING: **1/2 out of ****
For starters, it's true that this film is the least in the series. But it's still enjoyable and it's got values (something we could really use these days).
The missing scenes involving the nuclear missile were essential to the intelligence of the film; without them, it suffers. I'm basing my review on the full, uncut edition (as a major APES addict, I have it). If there is a real problem with BATTLE, it's mostly due to the lack of a great story and new blood. Each of the previous films gave us some kind of new direction to explore, whereas this fifth movie is more of a rehash.
I disagree about the casting of Paul Williams as Virgil. I mean, was that guy born to play an orangutan or what!? Similarily, I think Claude Akins as gorilla general Aldo was also an inspired piece of casting.
BATTLE FOR THE PLANET OF THE APES should be a film anyone can enjoy somewhat, and especially by someone claiming to be a fan of the series. Can anyone tell me what film series has an exceptional fifth chapter?
For starters, it's true that this film is the least in the series. But it's still enjoyable and it's got values (something we could really use these days).
The missing scenes involving the nuclear missile were essential to the intelligence of the film; without them, it suffers. I'm basing my review on the full, uncut edition (as a major APES addict, I have it). If there is a real problem with BATTLE, it's mostly due to the lack of a great story and new blood. Each of the previous films gave us some kind of new direction to explore, whereas this fifth movie is more of a rehash.
I disagree about the casting of Paul Williams as Virgil. I mean, was that guy born to play an orangutan or what!? Similarily, I think Claude Akins as gorilla general Aldo was also an inspired piece of casting.
BATTLE FOR THE PLANET OF THE APES should be a film anyone can enjoy somewhat, and especially by someone claiming to be a fan of the series. Can anyone tell me what film series has an exceptional fifth chapter?
Last and lackluster sequel in which mutant humans battle the simians led by Caesar
ma-cortes22 October 2010
Again the Apes along with an underground civilization of mutated human beings living on remains of a nuclear catastrophe . Average and stirring science-fiction movie with a first rate Roddy McDowall and special intervention of John Huston as the Lawgiver who literally disappears in the beginning and re-appears on the ending . This known story is the last and inferior of the primates sequels ; it starts on a culture where simians rule over humans and they are divided in three lineage : gorilla , chimpanzee and orangutan . Humanity has gone awry and Earth has been reduced to a wasteland . Militaristic General Aldo (Claude Akins) wishes humans to be treated as animal of burden and regarded as scum . A couple of chimps formed by the chief Caesar( Roddy McDowall) and his wife Lisa (Natalie Trundy replacing the usual Kim Hunter) think otherwise and even agree a peaceful existence with humans .Caesar is son of Cornelius and Zira from ¨Escape from the planet of apes¨ and was the leader in the ¨Conquest of the Planet of the apes¨ Caesar attempts to ease disputes between apes and men . Meanwhile, an expedition commanded by Caesar , Virgil (Paul Williams) and MacDonald (Austin Stoker ) sets out the forbidden zone where live human mutants ( Seven Darden, France Nuyen among them) who survived a nuclear explosion several years before . The group finds an underground civilization in the ruins of a bomb-blasted city and the battle begins . Meantime , mean gorilla Aldo is itching a coup de état and take over from Caesar and murder every human in sight . At the ending happens a spectacular confrontation between a human army ruled by governor Kolp and the simians commanded by Caesar .
This is an average , lackluster sci-fi flick plenty of metaphysical significance with thoughtful reflexion about origin of human being , racism , atomic danger and nuclear catastrophe , though also packs action, adventures, intrigue and entertainment. The performers , particularly Roddy McDowall, Natalie Trundy and Claude Akins are pretty good , the characters are well drawn and in spite of makeup they are still oddly convincing . In spite of time and being mostly a mediocre follow-up of the former stories , some moments of energy remain and turns out to be a B movie full of action, battles and suspense . Writing credits by habitual Paul Dehn from Pierre Boulle novel , however his screenplay is not just clever and was cut , eliminating the violent scenes and obligated to happy end . Acceptable production design with passable sets and great visual effects by means of matte paintings reflecting the ruined city inhabited by mutant survivors . One of the important attributes of this work, is the magnificent and luminous cinematography by Richard H. Kline . Phenomenal make-up by John Chambers, a first-rate expert, such as proved in 'Blade runner, Ssss, Island of Dr Moreau' among others . Sensational musical score by a top-notch Leonard Rosenman though imitating sounds from the great Jerry Goldsmith .The picture is lack budgeted by usual Arthur P. Jacobs , producer of whole saga, in his last film because he suffered a stroke . It's regularly directed by J. Lee Thompson , using sometimes a nice visual sense. It's followed by a short-lived TV series, again with Roddy McDowall .
This is an average , lackluster sci-fi flick plenty of metaphysical significance with thoughtful reflexion about origin of human being , racism , atomic danger and nuclear catastrophe , though also packs action, adventures, intrigue and entertainment. The performers , particularly Roddy McDowall, Natalie Trundy and Claude Akins are pretty good , the characters are well drawn and in spite of makeup they are still oddly convincing . In spite of time and being mostly a mediocre follow-up of the former stories , some moments of energy remain and turns out to be a B movie full of action, battles and suspense . Writing credits by habitual Paul Dehn from Pierre Boulle novel , however his screenplay is not just clever and was cut , eliminating the violent scenes and obligated to happy end . Acceptable production design with passable sets and great visual effects by means of matte paintings reflecting the ruined city inhabited by mutant survivors . One of the important attributes of this work, is the magnificent and luminous cinematography by Richard H. Kline . Phenomenal make-up by John Chambers, a first-rate expert, such as proved in 'Blade runner, Ssss, Island of Dr Moreau' among others . Sensational musical score by a top-notch Leonard Rosenman though imitating sounds from the great Jerry Goldsmith .The picture is lack budgeted by usual Arthur P. Jacobs , producer of whole saga, in his last film because he suffered a stroke . It's regularly directed by J. Lee Thompson , using sometimes a nice visual sense. It's followed by a short-lived TV series, again with Roddy McDowall .
Battle for the Planet of the Apes (1973) ***
JoeKarlosi16 February 2005
Here is the final chapter in the PLANET OF THE APES series, and it's one of the most unjustly maligned sequels in film history. Sure, it's easily the least of the five movies, but it's still entertaining and has something to say, which is a quality that's usually missing with most fifth entries of a long franchise, and definitely in science fiction films in general these days.
It's now some years after the events of CONQUEST OF THE PLANET OF THE APES, and we learn that much has happened in the interim; most importantly, man must have pushed a panic button during the subsequent ape wars, as much of the Earth (or at least the North American section of it) has become radioactive wasteland, thanks to the detonation of some kind of bomb. BATTLE FOR THE PLANET OF THE APES centers on one small community of survivors - who are not necessarily supposed to be considered "the entire world population," as so many detractors mistake when they like to condemn its small budget - but just a relatively modest group of apes and humans in one specific area who try to re-build their lives in peace. Can it ever be done?
Roddy McDowall returns as Caesar, who is more benevolent than he was in CONQUEST, but still has trouble completely trusting humans at this point in time - and even, as he grows to learn, some apes! Probably due to that plague that befell the world decades ago, the simians are still increasing in speech and intelligence at an incredible rate. While apes are the dominant species in this particular neighborhood, humans are treated with at least a moderate amount of respect, except by self-appointed gorilla general Aldo (Claude Akins), who would prefer to exterminate all of mankind instead of tolerating them.
There's still a point to the series, although by now it has reached the level of repetition -- "will man and ape ever be able to survive together as equals"? Not only do Aldo and his gorillas despise the humans of their own village, but a group of mutated human survivors from the old city are still alive and vow to wage war on Caesar's tranquil little town. It should also be noted that there was a very poignant subplot originally filmed which involved the mutants and their devotion to an Alpha/Omega bomb (making these beings the likely ancestors of the ones we'd later see in BENEATH THE PLANET OF THE APES). Without these scenes, the film isn't as intelligent as it might have otherwise been, and as of this writing the footage has only been made available on a Japanese laserdisc.
I think the casting was wonderful this time around. I mean, was Claude Akins perfect for a gorilla general or what? And Paul Williams was a natural for his part as Virgil, the wise little orangutan. John Huston as the Lawgiver and Lew Ayres as Mandemus were also interesting choices.
Yes, again the money was still tight for this chapter, so those expecting a huge blown-out, full scale war should be advised that it's more along the lines of ... well, a "battle". The movie is supposed to take place in a barren, scantily populated wasteland; why so much more money was thought to be needed under those circumstances is beyond me.
As a big fan of the APES films, I waited almost 30 years for Twentieth Century-Fox to revisit this series. There were still plenty of possibilities that could have been explored: what other forms of life and civilizations still existed in other locations throughout America? Whatever happened to apes and people over in the other countries? Apparently, none of that mattered to Fox. Like many, I guess they just don't "get " this saga. Instead, when they finally got around to making another film it was yet another needless "re-imagining" that was rushed out with no idea as to what made these films so engaging to those who liked them in the first place. *** out of ****
It's now some years after the events of CONQUEST OF THE PLANET OF THE APES, and we learn that much has happened in the interim; most importantly, man must have pushed a panic button during the subsequent ape wars, as much of the Earth (or at least the North American section of it) has become radioactive wasteland, thanks to the detonation of some kind of bomb. BATTLE FOR THE PLANET OF THE APES centers on one small community of survivors - who are not necessarily supposed to be considered "the entire world population," as so many detractors mistake when they like to condemn its small budget - but just a relatively modest group of apes and humans in one specific area who try to re-build their lives in peace. Can it ever be done?
Roddy McDowall returns as Caesar, who is more benevolent than he was in CONQUEST, but still has trouble completely trusting humans at this point in time - and even, as he grows to learn, some apes! Probably due to that plague that befell the world decades ago, the simians are still increasing in speech and intelligence at an incredible rate. While apes are the dominant species in this particular neighborhood, humans are treated with at least a moderate amount of respect, except by self-appointed gorilla general Aldo (Claude Akins), who would prefer to exterminate all of mankind instead of tolerating them.
There's still a point to the series, although by now it has reached the level of repetition -- "will man and ape ever be able to survive together as equals"? Not only do Aldo and his gorillas despise the humans of their own village, but a group of mutated human survivors from the old city are still alive and vow to wage war on Caesar's tranquil little town. It should also be noted that there was a very poignant subplot originally filmed which involved the mutants and their devotion to an Alpha/Omega bomb (making these beings the likely ancestors of the ones we'd later see in BENEATH THE PLANET OF THE APES). Without these scenes, the film isn't as intelligent as it might have otherwise been, and as of this writing the footage has only been made available on a Japanese laserdisc.
I think the casting was wonderful this time around. I mean, was Claude Akins perfect for a gorilla general or what? And Paul Williams was a natural for his part as Virgil, the wise little orangutan. John Huston as the Lawgiver and Lew Ayres as Mandemus were also interesting choices.
Yes, again the money was still tight for this chapter, so those expecting a huge blown-out, full scale war should be advised that it's more along the lines of ... well, a "battle". The movie is supposed to take place in a barren, scantily populated wasteland; why so much more money was thought to be needed under those circumstances is beyond me.
As a big fan of the APES films, I waited almost 30 years for Twentieth Century-Fox to revisit this series. There were still plenty of possibilities that could have been explored: what other forms of life and civilizations still existed in other locations throughout America? Whatever happened to apes and people over in the other countries? Apparently, none of that mattered to Fox. Like many, I guess they just don't "get " this saga. Instead, when they finally got around to making another film it was yet another needless "re-imagining" that was rushed out with no idea as to what made these films so engaging to those who liked them in the first place. *** out of ****
The final scene will have YOU weeping with regret!
rfrenzel200221 January 2008
Horrible. What exactly gets this disaster started? There's a conversation that goes something like this: "Hey, Caesar. You wanna see and hear what your mother and father used to look and sound like? There's a forbidden city not too far from here that has an archive, and in that archive is some footage of your mom and pop doing some interviews and stuff. Wanna check it out?" Caesar: "Cool, let's go!" And it's all downhill from there. Two major cities less than a days ride apart and no one knows that the other exists or is populated? Give me a break. When the forbidden city "army" came rolling out of their ruins in an old dilapidated school bus and a couple of jeeps left over from the old Rat Patrol series I just about keeled over in hysterics. Did those cool goggles, man. I suffered so much brain damage from this film that I find it difficult to continue. An "armory" made of sticks "protected" by an elderly ape who administers logic tests to separate the riff raff from the honest weapon seeking populace? A mutant club whose only requirement is that you have a scar? Any scar. Anywhere. Any size. And don't forget those ruby goggles. When the mutants first open fire on a pair of apes it reminded me of something out of Monty Python. The shell explodes right between the two guys who are about 6 feet apart and when the smoke clears they're still standing! A quick follow up shot takes care of those pesky apes for good. The battle, such as it is, is a dismal failure. More of a squad of soldiers trying to secure a choke point than a battle for a planet. Things do go boom, there's some dirt flying in the air and a lot of extras running around screaming but that's about it. There's an extremely heavy handed comeuppance of a murderous ape and even a weeping statue at the end but not one shred of redemption for the time you just wasted watching this piece of trash. I can only wonder why Roddy McDowall agreed to participate in this tragedy unless he was forced to do so under contract with penalty of execution by firing squad if he refused. Here's a suggestion: Grab your kid's dolls, dress 'em up like apes and make your own final ape movie. It's gotta be better than this.
"All knowledge is for good. Only the use to which you put it can be good or evil."
utgard1422 July 2014
The fifth and final of the original Planet of the Apes series. In between the last film and this one, there's been a nuclear holocaust and the remaining humans are slaves of the apes. Caesar (Roddy McDowall) tries to rule in peace but gorilla General Aldo (Claude Akins) wants to eradicate all humans. While searching the ruins of a city for recordings of his parents, Caesar comes across mutant humans who attack the apes. This leads to inevitable conflict between Caesar and Aldo as to how best to deal with this new threat.
The least of the Apes movies is still quite good. It has solid acting and a script with good ideas, although it crams in a little more than it should. This was such a good series and it is, I believe, under-appreciated. Yes the first movie is widely praised but the sequels are rarely given their due. They're all smart, entertaining movies that tell a very interesting saga.
The least of the Apes movies is still quite good. It has solid acting and a script with good ideas, although it crams in a little more than it should. This was such a good series and it is, I believe, under-appreciated. Yes the first movie is widely praised but the sequels are rarely given their due. They're all smart, entertaining movies that tell a very interesting saga.
The fourth & final sequel.
poolandrews27 December 2009
Warning: Spoilers
Battle for the Planet of the Apes starts ten years or so after events of Conquest of the Planet of the Apes (1972) as a nuclear war has decimated human society & the Ape child of Zira & Cornelius who called himself Caesar (Roddy McDowall) has grown up, lead a Ape rebellion against man & is trying to start an Ape city where he dreams humans & Apes can co-exist in peace if not quite equality. Wanting to know the future & how he can change it for the better Caesar learns that the human archives contains tapes that feature Zira & Cornelius talking about the future. Caesar, human MacDonald (Austin Stoker) & wise Ape Professor Virgil (Paul Williams) travel to the archives in the ruined city & find the tapes but also alert a race of underground humans contaminated by radioactivity of their existence, in a decision of kill or be killed the human tribe decide to wage war on the Apes & wipe them all out...
Directed by J. Lee Thompson this was the fourth & final sequel to the original Planet of the Apes (1968), recently released on DVD & Blu-ray in a ten minutes longer than the original theatrical version 'Director's Cut' it's this longer 96 minute version that I will be basing my comments on. The film & it's continuity isn't that great but it's sort of fun in a silly sci-fi action sort of way, although within the space of ten years since Conquest of the Planet of the Apes there's been a nuclear war that has wiped out humanity & the Apes have learned to speak plus the ending in which Ape & human seem to co-exist in harmony is definitely at odds with the future that is clearly set out in the original two Planet of the Ape films & maybe it's no great surprise in retrospect that Battle for the Planet of the Apes turned out to be the last one. Although Battle for the Planet of the Apes does alter some continuity it retains some as it sets up the whole mutant human race & the atomic bomb plot from Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970) & it refers to previous character's such as Zira & Cornelius. The film moves along at a decent pace, there's some alright if workmanlike action scenes & it's watchable but the dialogue which seems to try & have character's say something profound every time they open their mouth's is badly written. The whole role reversal is here again too as the makers try to point out humanities flaws with the story like the dangers of war & not to put animals in cages & stuff like that.
The make-up effects look cheap here as the executives at Twentieth Century Fox kept cutting the budget of each subsequent Planet of the Ape film, the original Planet of the Apes had a budget of nearly six million while by the time Battle for the Planet of the Apes was made it had a budget of less than two million. The battle scenes are rather flat & sure there's a few explosions & some gunfire but nothing terribly exciting or particularly well shot.
With a supposed budget of about $1,800,000 this looks alright but nothing amazing. Roddy McDowall again stars but this time as Caesar who is the son of Cornelius who he played in the previous films. Oscar winner John Huston has a cameo while future director John Landis has a small role early on in his career.
Battle for the Planet of the Apes isn't a total disaster & if you like the franchise then this is worth seeking out, even if your not it does have a few good moments & it entertains although the heavy handed morals can get tiresome as in the rest of the series.
Directed by J. Lee Thompson this was the fourth & final sequel to the original Planet of the Apes (1968), recently released on DVD & Blu-ray in a ten minutes longer than the original theatrical version 'Director's Cut' it's this longer 96 minute version that I will be basing my comments on. The film & it's continuity isn't that great but it's sort of fun in a silly sci-fi action sort of way, although within the space of ten years since Conquest of the Planet of the Apes there's been a nuclear war that has wiped out humanity & the Apes have learned to speak plus the ending in which Ape & human seem to co-exist in harmony is definitely at odds with the future that is clearly set out in the original two Planet of the Ape films & maybe it's no great surprise in retrospect that Battle for the Planet of the Apes turned out to be the last one. Although Battle for the Planet of the Apes does alter some continuity it retains some as it sets up the whole mutant human race & the atomic bomb plot from Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970) & it refers to previous character's such as Zira & Cornelius. The film moves along at a decent pace, there's some alright if workmanlike action scenes & it's watchable but the dialogue which seems to try & have character's say something profound every time they open their mouth's is badly written. The whole role reversal is here again too as the makers try to point out humanities flaws with the story like the dangers of war & not to put animals in cages & stuff like that.
The make-up effects look cheap here as the executives at Twentieth Century Fox kept cutting the budget of each subsequent Planet of the Ape film, the original Planet of the Apes had a budget of nearly six million while by the time Battle for the Planet of the Apes was made it had a budget of less than two million. The battle scenes are rather flat & sure there's a few explosions & some gunfire but nothing terribly exciting or particularly well shot.
With a supposed budget of about $1,800,000 this looks alright but nothing amazing. Roddy McDowall again stars but this time as Caesar who is the son of Cornelius who he played in the previous films. Oscar winner John Huston has a cameo while future director John Landis has a small role early on in his career.
Battle for the Planet of the Apes isn't a total disaster & if you like the franchise then this is worth seeking out, even if your not it does have a few good moments & it entertains although the heavy handed morals can get tiresome as in the rest of the series.
A new simian world
bkoganbing26 August 2013
In this final installment of the Planet Of The Apes quintology, Roddy McDowall has emerged as leader of the Ape civilization and is now trying to create a new simian dominated world. His task not unlike George Washington as our first president. But he's got both human and simian opposition to consider.
Severn Darden leads a race of humans in an underground city to which McDowall goes to find out about his own origins. He's quite mad, suffering the effects of radiation, no doubt human kind went nuclear to stamp out the ape revolt.
On the homefront a militant and thug like gorilla played by Claude Akins is challenging McDowall for leadership of the simians. Akins is a ruthless opponent, but when he breaks the first new simian commandment, that's his downfall.
I have to say I enjoyed seeing both John Huston as the profound lawgiver in the prologue and epilog and Lew Ayres as keeper of the simian armory in heavy ape makeup and costume. Their voices are unmistakable as is Paul Williams playing McDowall's confidante.
Battle For The Planet Of The Apes is a fitting end to a grand set of science fiction films.
Severn Darden leads a race of humans in an underground city to which McDowall goes to find out about his own origins. He's quite mad, suffering the effects of radiation, no doubt human kind went nuclear to stamp out the ape revolt.
On the homefront a militant and thug like gorilla played by Claude Akins is challenging McDowall for leadership of the simians. Akins is a ruthless opponent, but when he breaks the first new simian commandment, that's his downfall.
I have to say I enjoyed seeing both John Huston as the profound lawgiver in the prologue and epilog and Lew Ayres as keeper of the simian armory in heavy ape makeup and costume. Their voices are unmistakable as is Paul Williams playing McDowall's confidante.
Battle For The Planet Of The Apes is a fitting end to a grand set of science fiction films.
Battle for the small village
Hayden-860552 December 2020
With a budget of about 10 pence Roddy McDowall shuffles and monologues throughout this snooze fest, the film has slightly interesting concepts of humans being treated as second-class citizens but not slaves like in the 1968 version but it's just too repetitive and takes so much from the previous films. The underground human mutants is ripped straight out of beneath the planet of the apes and it's even less sensical this time round as this is only meant to be a few years after Conquest.
The action in this was laughable and had no tension to it, the end fight was a massive failure. The best things about this film was General Aldo (a humorous but psychopathic ape) and some of the speeches on morality and treating everyone equally were mildly interesting.
2/10: Just not interesting at all
The action in this was laughable and had no tension to it, the end fight was a massive failure. The best things about this film was General Aldo (a humorous but psychopathic ape) and some of the speeches on morality and treating everyone equally were mildly interesting.
2/10: Just not interesting at all
Missing 10 minutes crucial for film!
cornelius-710 October 2004
This is a very good film, not anywhere near as good as the first four of the series, but for only one reason. 10 minutes.
The Japanese release of 'Battle' contains an extra 10 minutes of footage that I feel is not only important to the storyline, but it completely changes the feel of the film. Without those crucial 10 minutes of footage, the viewer is thus given a somewhat watered down t.v. series type version of the film, originally done to attract a more younger audience. I personally love this film either way, Trust me, before critisizing 'Battle For The Planet Of The Apes', seek out the Japanese release (I have it on laserdisc) and see for yourself just how different (and better) a decent film can become with only 10 minutes of added storyline.
The Japanese release of 'Battle' contains an extra 10 minutes of footage that I feel is not only important to the storyline, but it completely changes the feel of the film. Without those crucial 10 minutes of footage, the viewer is thus given a somewhat watered down t.v. series type version of the film, originally done to attract a more younger audience. I personally love this film either way, Trust me, before critisizing 'Battle For The Planet Of The Apes', seek out the Japanese release (I have it on laserdisc) and see for yourself just how different (and better) a decent film can become with only 10 minutes of added storyline.
Ape-ocalypse now.
Hey_Sweden30 May 2017
This fifth and final entry in the initial theatrical "Apes" series is the weakest of the bunch. It seems as if it was limited by budgetary considerations. After "Conquest" set up the rise of the simians, this story is rather small in its scale, focusing on one ape / human community, the woodsy "Ape City", that doesn't seem to have that many residents. The apes and the people peaceably co-exist, but trouble is on the horizon. First, ape leader Caesar (the always great Roddy McDowall) decides on an expedition to the "Forbidden City" to seek out audio and video of his long deceased parents, incurring the wrath of humans suffering radiation sickness. Second, a fanatical, aggressive gorilla general, Aldo (Claude Akins), is just itching to start something.
Even at its worst, this series was never completely without interest, and this entry does have some good dialogue and moments. It also has some pretty decent action sequences towards the end, with lots of gunfire (but virtually no gore) and lots of explosions. Unfortunately, story author Paul Dehn and screenwriters John William Corrington and Joyce Hooper Corrington just couldn't come up with a tale that was particularly compelling. Still, director J. Lee Thompson, who'd also directed "Conquest", keeps things watchable and reasonably entertaining. The main value lies in the performances of old pros like McDowall and Akins. They're ably supported by Lew Ayres, Paul Williams, Natalie Trundy (who was in four of the "Apes" films), Severn Darden (as the crazed villain, Governor Kolp), Austin Stoker (who plays the brother of the Hari Rhodes character in "Conquest"), France Nuyen, and Paul Stevens. A young John Landis has an acting role as one of the apes; the great actor-filmmaker John Huston appears in wraparound segments as the wise old Lawgiver.
Watchable for its duration, but it has to rate as something of a disappointment.
Available in both a theatrical version and an extended version which runs about 10 minutes longer.
Followed by a TV series.
Six out of 10.
Even at its worst, this series was never completely without interest, and this entry does have some good dialogue and moments. It also has some pretty decent action sequences towards the end, with lots of gunfire (but virtually no gore) and lots of explosions. Unfortunately, story author Paul Dehn and screenwriters John William Corrington and Joyce Hooper Corrington just couldn't come up with a tale that was particularly compelling. Still, director J. Lee Thompson, who'd also directed "Conquest", keeps things watchable and reasonably entertaining. The main value lies in the performances of old pros like McDowall and Akins. They're ably supported by Lew Ayres, Paul Williams, Natalie Trundy (who was in four of the "Apes" films), Severn Darden (as the crazed villain, Governor Kolp), Austin Stoker (who plays the brother of the Hari Rhodes character in "Conquest"), France Nuyen, and Paul Stevens. A young John Landis has an acting role as one of the apes; the great actor-filmmaker John Huston appears in wraparound segments as the wise old Lawgiver.
Watchable for its duration, but it has to rate as something of a disappointment.
Available in both a theatrical version and an extended version which runs about 10 minutes longer.
Followed by a TV series.
Six out of 10.
How not to end a movie franchise...
wadechurton26 November 2011
Warning: Spoilers
Of all long-running movie franchises, only 'Jaws' fell further in quality between the first and final installments. Both the plot and dialogue for 'Battle' were either aimed at (or maybe actually written by) a bright eleven-year-old, whilst the production values were ridiculously low. Science fiction is a notoriously costly genre, and so we get an 'ape city' which looks like a hastily-erected squatter's encampment and a 'battle' highly reminiscent of a threadbare small-town Civil War reenactment. Yes, the titular 'battle for the planet of the apes' also refers to Caesar's 'peaceful co-existence' scenario versus Aldo's 'conquest is good' mindset, but with such a plethora of 'bad movie' moments distracting the viewer, it is not immediately obvious. In a multi-review site such as IMDb one should always try to say something which hasn't already been said, and to that end I draw your attention to the final scenes, set six hundred years in the future. Absolutely nothing has changed. Frankly, judging from the 'Biblical' austerity of this outdoor 'teach-in', society has actually regressed. Now there's a happy ending, eh?
Just as a postscript, it has always amused me that the 'cute, cheeky' chimpanzees were cast as the 'Apes' movies' most endearing and peace-loving characters whilst the gorillas were the violent warlike thugs. In nature it is very much the reverse.
Just as a postscript, it has always amused me that the 'cute, cheeky' chimpanzees were cast as the 'Apes' movies' most endearing and peace-loving characters whilst the gorillas were the violent warlike thugs. In nature it is very much the reverse.
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