The cool thing about this movie is how having experienced the ape world in the first 2 films enables us to see the story through the apes’ eyes. This movie is essentially the flip-side of the first movie.
And they MUST know it’s Taylor’s ship - but they seem oblivious. If not, who are expecting in the ship? I’m surprised he didn’t. Fear a Russian invasion.
And they don't explain how three apes with medieval tech managed to locate the sunken ship at the bottom of the lake well within the Forbidden Zone, raise the ship to the surface, drained it of all its water, fixed the damaged electronics and engines, then made it ready for space flight, all within a matter of weeks, if not days.
This and Conquest are my favorite sequels. But imagine my shock and disappointment to find out the Dr. Hasslein was villainous, especially after the first two movies noted how brilliant he was.
It could be that he wasn't villainous in the original timeline/ before they came back through time? I'm still not sure if this is a repeating loop or an actual divergance, though.
@@ivane5110Dr. Hesslein is an antagonist, he clearly doesn't see himself as the villain and in other circumstances, he would be one of the heroes. Hell, I'm sure he does see himself as a hero. Hesslein's problem stems from the very thing that usually drives good men to commit acts of evil... fear and ignorance. He doesn't have all of the facts, just tidbits of information provided by Cornelius and Zira regarding the downfall of mankind. A reasonable man would just let the Apes live their lives, learn from them in order to avoid the pitfalls that lie ahead and be more at peace rather than try to force the issue. Obviously in Hesslein's mind, he thinks he's killing baby Hitler and Hitlers parents, when in actuality he's Herod trying to eliminate the Christ child.
@@ivane5110 I would say it's a divergence or a case of them turning things into a sort of selffulfilling paradox, or advancing the timeline a bit through their actions and presence in an earlier part of human history.
@@gorymarty56 He showed up several times on the original Mission Impossible as villain of the week under his birth name Hans Gudegast, and he was fantastic. One episode I can never forget was Echo of Yesterday, which focused on a neo-Nazi (Braeden, of course) working with a millionaire German factory owner played by Wilfrid Hyde-White who had the worst German accent I've ever heard. I always wondered how much Braeden winced as the two actors worked together.
The thing I really love about the original films is the way they form a closed loop/predestination paradox. Cornelius and Zira escaping into the past sets that whole timeline into motion. Just brilliant in hindsight, and I can't recall any other story that has such a shift in tone and pulls it off so successfully
In one of the 'Behind the Scenes' books on the making of the POTA series, one of the things brought up in the rough drafts/outlines for "Escape" was the Cornelius, Zira and Milo would have been time traveling "Typhoid Mary'"; bringing back with them the disease that killed the dogs and cats and accelerated the evolution of the apes. It would have been hinted at, but never fully confirmed. There would have been a couple of scenes, one set at the zoo where the gorilla that killed Milo showed signs of increased intelligence, and the other, set at the circus while it's being taken down where a couple of trainers mentions that he had to put one of the tigers down because it was sick and another tiger was showing similar symptoms.
Back in Ape City, once Dr. Zaius and General Urko had departed with the army for the Forbidden Zone, those chimpanzees sure got busy. Underwater salvage and spacecraft restoration with absolutely no previous knowledge of such activities and then an unparalleled crash course in astronaut training. Of course, back then, most of the film audience would've had a greater ability to 'suspend their disbelief' and just enjoy the show.
Would have been better if Brent's ship wasn't THAT badly damaged so that one could have been used for Escape's story. Pretty wild how it turned out, but I love Escape anyway.
Amen. My biggest problem with this film is its' clear contradiction of what was setup in the original motion picture. Ape society appears to be pre-industrial. No electronics, no astronomy and a rejection of any idea of flight, let alone spaceflight. The suspension of disbelief that is being asked of us is a bridge, actually a huge bloody logic chasm, to far for Me. Happy for everyone who enjoys this film. I agree, the cast is fantastic. Sad to say goodbye to Kim Hunter, but She leaves us with some great work. My favourite, Conquest is next. A beautifully crafted, dark fable with an astonishing performance by Roddy McDowall. Love the original cut, but understand why the studio freaked out and reworked it. Vale Don Murray (Governor Breck) who has just past away.
Escape from the Planet of the Apes is a great little sci fi film that captures the Twilight Zone feel of the original movie more than any of the other sequels do. This one and Conquest are easily my favorite sequels in the original film series.
I couldn't agree with you more. When I watch Kim Hunter and Roddy McDowall in my favorite Columbo (separate) episodes, I always think back at how well they worked together. Edit: I must mention honorably Ricardo Montalban, as well, also an alum of an episode of Columbo.
I still cry at the end of this one. I loved Cornelius and Zira in the original and they really were so kind to Taylor. Here they got to shine and win your heart. The fatalistic last act was so brutal.
The villain in this is pretty good, he's basically the evil version of Sarah Connor trying to stop a future that could harm humanity and going to extreme lengths to stopping that ape future.
This one was always my second favorite of the original five. Mostly because of the two main ape actors but also because it's a clever reversal of the original premise. Conquest is at a close third, though.
I love this movie. The comedy is over the top sometimes but because of that, the ending is hammer blow to the heart. I saw this in the theater first run. I cried then. I cry now.
I love the recent trilogy but I had never watched the originals. I LOVED this movie. Cornelius and Zira just have charm pouring out of them. What a credit to the actors that they made these two characters so lovable.
Saddened and surprised that you didn’t mention that the overall theme was a commentary on celebrity-hood. The change of tones was because it was tying in how society acts and treats celebrities (and how celebrities act) while trying to progress the overall story of the Planet of the Apes. This was the core of the movie.
Someone else in the comments mentioned this and I honestly never read the film that way until it was brought up to me. I think because we never actually see the public perception of Cornelius and Zira turn and only see the government's view on them change, it just didn't register that way with me. Love the idea though!
As a child this movie was so sad but once I got older I appreciate how brilliant this film is . Excellent point how it’s all inverted with the apes being in the 20th century. What a heartbreaking but powerful ending
William Windom, as the President, has some great lines and his discussion with Eric Braeden about what action to take in regards to Zira and Cornelius is one of the highlights of the movie for me.
Agree. Windom is both cynical and charming as the President and I love the philosophical discussion he has with Eric Braeden's character about the morality of killing someone because you think they pose a future threat.
When I met William Windom in 1997, I had him autograph my copy of "Planet of the Apes as American Myth" with the inscription: 'Given the power to alter the future, have we the right to use it?' One of my all time favorite dialogue exchanges in any film.
One of Jerry Goldsmith's unique scores. Once the opening credits begins, the score starts jamming it out. You mentioned percussion, I happen to love the jangly-sounding guitar. It reminds me of 60s surf music.
I finally got to see this movie in its entirety only a few years ago- I was shocked and moved by the ending, even though I knew what was coming. It truly is heartbreaking, because we care about the characters. The script is very good, as is the acting.
I agree. I love this movie. Cornelius and Zira give this film so much weight and honest reality, even though we are talking about talking apes on Earth in the 1970's.
I definitely like this film more than Beneath and think it's the second best film out of the original Ape saga for the same reasons you pointed out. I never thought about it before but yeah Escape is essentially a soft reboot as its successors all directly tie to it and it's kind of starting the story over with a new canon that replaces the previous timeline. I read a review for it on Letterbox and somebody pointed out that they thought Escape contained a social commentary on how we, especially here in the US, prop up celebrities but will quickly tear them down went they step out of line as seen with Cornelius and Zira. I thought that was a pretty neat takeaway.
Escape was one of my favorite movies growing up in the 70s. The baby switch is a great twist and made a certain amount of sense, at least as far as tying all three movies together.
Natalie Trundy was in FOUR movies in a row, Beneath: Albina (Mutant) Escape: Dr. Branton Conquest: Lisa (Ape. Ceasar's lil sumthin sumthin) And Again as Lisa in Battle for the POTA.
Love your channel. Never saw myself back in the 70's watching on the Internet sombody doing a series abouy the apes films . I'm in my 60's now but when i was a kid these films were the best and the short lived series as well. Hopefully you'll cover that as well.
I’ve always loved this movie because how it reversed the entire situation from the Tyler seeing a world of apes but now we have Cornelius and Zera looking at a world with humans. It really is thought provoking.
I loved this movie growing up. The campiness of it is fun, and the ending is truly heartbreaking. I agree wholeheartedly with this review. I can’t wait to hear your thoughts on Conquest.
As a kid there were these awesome Book and Record story sets for a lot of different movies and superhero licenses..I had a bunch of different ones as a kid myself..There’s even a set for this movie..Which is a little surprising with its incredibly dark ending..Kinda heavy for kids
You just made my day. That was a great movie review. I love the Planet of the Apes franchise. I have subscribed to your channel. Keep up the good work.
An interesting piece of trivia is that Paul Dehn was the partner of composer James Bernard who composed the scores of many classic Hammer horror films. Bernard would often offer Dehn input on his scripts, if not outright being a co-writer. The two collaborated on the script to Seven Days to Noon and shared the Oscar for it. Supposedly, for this film, while he went uncredited, it was Bernard who came up with the idea that the spaceship could travel back in time.
I couldn't watch this film for years after I saw it as a kid as I was genuinely traumatised by the fate of Cornelius & Zira. Watching it later as an adult, you can understand the point of Haslein's worries and he becomes less a bad guy and more a stand up guy who's concerned for the fate of his own people and that's what makes it so interesting. Definitely one of the best films of the original 5 film series.
Otto Hasslein is easily my favourite villain & character of the entire series. Hasslein is somewhat justified in his skepticism about the apes, but his pride blinds him from realising he himself unintentionally allowed the ape uprising (by forcing Cornelius & Zira to go on the run & switching their baby for another from Armando's circus). Self fulfilling prophecy at its finest. Also it doesn't hurt that Hasslein is played by the insanely talented & handsome Eric Braeden 😏
I personally love your reviews of the older films and couldn't really process the gravity of the entire franchise since it came out decades before I was even born lol. Although, your overall enjoyment of the franchise is something I enjoy, too. When Kingdom arrives, I can't wait to hear what the fortunate future of this franchise is gonna be.
Love your reviews, and also love this film so much-couldn’t get enough of Zira and Cornelius, such brilliant, classic comedic scenes as well as the iconic heartbreaking scenes , absolutely same sentiments about Dr Hasslein, and Armando, and the final scene with the baby Ceasar💔💓
I’m a huge fan of the original film and the newer Matt Reeves ones. I’ve always been told that the original movies got worse and worse overtime. Your reviews are challenging that mindset! Thanks to your reviews, I’m looking forward to re-watching the original and all of its sequels in the coming weeks.
Of the original set, this and the first one are my favorites. "Beneath" was a bomb for me. I saw "Escape" at the drive in as a kid and the end had the family so stunned that it took a while for my dad to start the car up for the drive home.
This was and is a truly great sci-fi film in its own right, despite the idea of Cornelius, Zira, and Milo dragging a many-tons spaceship out of the Forbidden Zone lake and getting it to take off into space again. Great script, and an incredible ending. I never get tired if rewatching this one, my favourite of all the original Ape films.
Second favorite Ape movie. Seem to remember my parents enjoying this as well although they rarely ever liked anything I wanted to watch. Will go back and read the novelization of this one next.
Great reviews! I think you are bang on regarding Escape. I love how fully invested our lead actors are and Hunter and McDowall are clearly ALL IN with their performances. I am appreciative of your ability to understand this movie as it was meant to seen. It holds up today and it is one of my favourite movies of all time. I could talk gobs about the layers and production work shown in Escape..Again, good work!
Great review, I love your videos! Apart from Burton’s movie and Caesar’s trilogy I’d only ever seen the original film. But after you said you’d be reviewing all the movies in the franchise I grabbed the original 5 on dvd to watch the rest of them I didn’t want to skip your reviews lol. I’m in love with this franchise! 🥰 Thank you!
Yea, loved "Escape" as a stand-alone film, but there's too much that's irreconcilable to the previous films: How could apes who were conditioned to believe in the impossibility of flight retrodesign a functioning space ship? How did they retrieve the parts from Taylor's ship, which had sunk into the sea? How could they have done all that in the time between Brent's ship crashing and the end of the world (a matter of days)? What exactly was Dr. Milo's field of study? (See my first question) How did Cornelius know about the history of Aldo and the early Ape Uprising when that information, if it existed at all in the Apes' time, would definitely not have been common knowledge as it would be offensive to their religious dogma (and he obviously had no clue of it in the original film)! So many continuity problems!
It’s worth mentioning that this movie not only sort of mirrors the first one, but it’s actually very very similar to the book, only inverted of course.
It’s interesting that, during the hearing, the commission only asked Cornelius if he knew Taylor. They didn’t bother asking about Stewart, Dodge, Landon, Brent or Maddox.
I loved this movie too, but I must admit, I liked Beneath better. I was brought up Catholic and watching the mutants unmask and worship an atomic bomb to the tune of a Catholic mass, at the age of about ten years old freaked me out like crazy! But I do love this movie too.
I love this one, maybe the most, since I got to see it in the theater when it came out when I was 7. I saw the first 2 and fell in love with them, but this one had a lot more light moments and made me laugh where the first 2 were much more gritty and dark. Roddy McDowell was always a favorite of mine and I loved how he was able to return as the darker and more determined Ceasar in the final 2. Great series overall and I can't wait for your review of Conquest and Battle.
This is the best acted out of the five. It was interesting on how the script flipped. Apes were in our time and experience somewhat Taylor experienced. I believe Star Trek IV The Voyage Home followed this movie of going back in time to a different setting. Great review!
Growing up in the 70's I was obsessed with the Ape series. It captured my imagination unlike any series before or since. I was never overly concerned about the gaps in logic some might have had and just enjoyed them for what they are. It all rests on the shoulders of the characters, first Cornelius and Zera and then Caesar for the final two films. Credit to Roddy McDowell for giving them so much emotion and empathy. Kim Hunter was very charming and strong as Zira. Many actors might have felt limited by their make-up but they bring them to life. I must admit that Beneath remains my least favourite. I bought the blu-ray box set many years ago and still haven't bee able to sit through it. The satiric aspects of Escape and Conquest were lost me when I was a kid but as an adult I appreciated them even more. The budget situation would plague the rest of the series. The films continued to turn a profit but the studio in their unfathomable reason saw fit to put smaller sums into each subsequent installment. But the writing and the performances save the day and make them the classics they are.
One thing I never understood about cornelius talking about the first ape to talk in the sacred Scrolls. His first word to humans was "no". That doesn't make sense. That implies that humans were once masters. But in the first film the sacred scrolls say humans were always below apes and humans were never advanced
The finding, retrieving, repairing, refueling, launching of Taylor’s ship is just way beyond jumping the shark. From riding a horse to launching and piloting a spaceship is just so ridiculous. Totally ridiculous. Needed to come up with a third character and a third ship from Earth picking up Corneilus or something. The premise pulls the rug out from under the entire story.
The first film of the series that I saw at the cinema, and I loved it! However, I can’t get how the apes had the know how to repair and launch the spaceship, particularly in the timescale!
Beneath is ofcourse reliant on the first film for its story to really mean anything, which makes it a weaker film compared to Escape. That said, i cannot watch Planet without starting to watch Beneath, i see them as one story. So for one to say the really like Beneath i think comes from the closure it gives the first film. A little sloppy yes, but sequels weren't handled with as much care back then. Escape is clearly written to be its own story with out needing to rely on the first two. They could have actually come from another Planet of Apes rather than the future, and the questions the film gives the audience would still be relevant. They come from the future only because its connected to the other two films.
I figured most fans agreed that Escape, and Conquest were the best sequels of the original PotA movies. To me, they certainly are with Hasslein, along with Dr. Zauis, being the best villain in the original series as to me both as a kid, and as an adult I find his motivation to be believable/sympathetic, even if I disagree with his methods, which to me is one of the best kinds of villains.
I really enjoyed this movie, the ending shocked me and made me so sad for Zira and Cornelius. The funniest part of watching this movie is that I watched it with my parents (who had already seen it) in... probably 2019. And the scene where Zira is offered wine and she gets drunk, I immediately turned to my parents in shock because I was shocked that she'd drink while pregnant and terrified for her unborn baby and my parents reminded me that at that point in time, people weren't aware of the harm of drinking while pregnant. It was a funny sort of dissonance, and reminder of the movie's timeframe.
I’m glad Roddy came back, but even more glad Kim Hunter came back. I agree she steals the movie I missed that as a kid, at least consciously, but caught it when I got older and rewatched it. But that ending made me angry as a kid (which means they succeeded) And I get why that ending makes sense, but it still gets me, every time.
A great review of a fantastic movie and one of the best sequels ever made to any film! I love the entire series, and so much of it has to do with writer Paul Dehn and how much he brought to the franchise. There is just so much to discover in the details when watching the series and here are just a few examples of what I mean. In Escape from The Planet of the Apes, we see a scene of Cornelius and Zira checking into a hotel. At one point, you see Zira crouch to pet a little dog. Is it the moment that she passes the virus from the future (which all apes may have been carriers of as a result of Zira and Cornelius' trip to the past) which eventually wipes out all of the dogs and cats on the planet as recounted in Conquest of the Planet of the Apes? Does the Alpha/Omega bomb's explosion causing the destruction of the Earth at the end of Beneath the Planet of the Apes create the tear in space/time (Hasslein Curve) that Taylor's ship passes through in the original movie? The entire series is just so amazing when viewed as a whole. It is every bit as thought provoking as it is entertaining.
Yes, I love the movie and you did it very well. The one aspect of the story-line that bothers me and wasn't addressed in it - how did Mr. Milo get the ship up out of the water, and learn to fly it so quickly? That always seemed very odd to me as the previous movie seems to give so little time. But - nothing really as this was a joy. It is, I believe, one of the best of the ape movies.
One of my favourite Ape movie for all the reasons in the review. One thing that's not mentioned is the brilliant twist at the opening of the movie. I watched the movie without seeing any promotional material and the sound, then arrival, of the helicopter blew me away..."What on earth is going on? Have started watching the wrong movie?" I loved it.
I could not agree with you more on every point! I absolutely love this film! It rivals the first one as my favorite of the entire original series. I’m so glad that you enjoy it too!👊😎
I do love it, for the same reasons you do. It's my 2nd favorite of the sequels. Conquest is the best of them in my opinion, which was also Roddy's favorite. I look forward to your analysis of that one.
I hope that they continue to reference these movies in the new ones. I can just imagine a new Cornelius type figure telling a human about Caesar and how he was the first Ape to say "No."
Why exactly did Dr. Milo, Cornelius and Zira launch the recovered spaceship into outerspace? They couldn’t possibly have known that Earth would soon be destroyed. What was their motivation? Just weeks or months before, they believed flight was a scientific impossibility.
I love this film, i love the franchise as a whole. Each one builds upon what came before in a great way. This film has a great cheekiness given the whole fish out of water stuff, with Cornelius and Zira.become celebrities in what was the modern era. If they had landed in todays world, theyd be mega celebs, not just in the papers and on the news but all over social media.
Just to start off man.. I’ve been loving your breakdowns on these movies. Quality stuff man! Yeah, I have to agree man. This movie is so good. I watched the OG planet of the apes, then Beneath, when I watched the trailer to this one, I was suspect… the trailer made me think they turned escape into a comedy… it is, but it isn’t at the same time. I was kind of blown away, with all the thought provoking topics brought up. Especially the discussions with the Dr and President. It’s odd, because I feel like today a movie like this would have the president and the masses wanting to imprison them out of fear, not understanding. Yet this movie from 1971 has such a nuanced perspective… fascinating… I still have 2 more movies to go, but Escape is my favorite along with the OG so far
@@Ape-Nation awesome! I found all 14 episodes on Internet Archive. I plan on watching them myself asap. BTW, I love the channel, keep up the awesome work.
Currently on episode 2 here on RUclips! Didn't expect to be so engrossed and taken with Galen, GOAT Roddy McDowall, just like when it first aired. Had the annual, too. Apes rule!
It's taken a few days to watch this but have really enjoyed it. I commented on this before but I've seen all of them and watched the original relatively recently, although it has been a long time since I've seen any of the original sequels. Although there were mixed reviews, what they don't get enough credit for is being different and inventive. You pointed out how different they can be. Different settings, tones and story beats.
When I was a kid in the '70s, Conquest was my favorite sequel due to its action and intensity. (A few years beforehand in theaters, I had been terrified at a very young age by the previews of Conquest.) I still love Conquest, but in adulthood, Escape wins best sequel for me hands down. The script is so smart, as you say; it's Paul Dehn's finest apes script (although his story treatment for Battle would have made for possibly the best of the four sequels). The shift from the mostly comic first half to the dark second half indeed is amazing. And I agree that as lovable as McDowell is, Hunter surpasses him (but then, she nearly stole the first movie as well). One quibble: I wouldn't call Zaius a villain, at least not in Beneath. In that film, he is largely swept along by circumstances; Ursus is the real villain.
The story about Aldo being the first ape to rebel against the humans is actually a HUGE continuity error, in that in the first movie the ape society had no such history, and Cornelius was finding evidence of a culture BEFORE apes... and Zaius ordered the evidence destroyed. Which makes some fans think that this is an alternate timeline from the first two movies... Same goes for the TV show (since dogs are alive on the series).
I don't think it's a continuity error. I think at some point between the end of the first film and the earth being destroyed, Cornelius eventually discovered the truth about ape history. At least that's how I've always seen it.
The sound Roddy McDowell makes when he’s shot has haunted me for over fifty years….
It is a truly memorable and tragic scene.
Same!!,!, except I saw the film 12 years ago.
The cool thing about this movie is how having experienced the ape world in the first 2 films enables us to see the story through the apes’ eyes. This movie is essentially the flip-side of the first movie.
It's interesting that Taylor and Brent both crash land into New York, but Cornelius, Zira and Milo find themselves on the beaches of California.
And they MUST know it’s Taylor’s ship - but they seem oblivious. If not, who are expecting in the ship? I’m surprised he didn’t. Fear
a Russian invasion.
Well, yeah, they were heading in the opposite direction! 😅
Lower budget. 🤣🤣
🤫😅we don’t talk about that!!!
And they don't explain how three apes with medieval tech managed to locate the sunken ship at the bottom of the lake well within the Forbidden Zone, raise the ship to the surface, drained it of all its water, fixed the damaged electronics and engines, then made it ready for space flight, all within a matter of weeks, if not days.
This and Conquest are my favorite sequels. But imagine my shock and disappointment to find out the Dr. Hasslein was villainous, especially after the first two movies noted how brilliant he was.
It could be that he wasn't villainous in the original timeline/ before they came back through time? I'm still not sure if this is a repeating loop or an actual divergance, though.
@@ivane5110Dr. Hesslein is an antagonist, he clearly doesn't see himself as the villain and in other circumstances, he would be one of the heroes. Hell, I'm sure he does see himself as a hero. Hesslein's problem stems from the very thing that usually drives good men to commit acts of evil... fear and ignorance. He doesn't have all of the facts, just tidbits of information provided by Cornelius and Zira regarding the downfall of mankind. A reasonable man would just let the Apes live their lives, learn from them in order to avoid the pitfalls that lie ahead and be more at peace rather than try to force the issue. Obviously in Hesslein's mind, he thinks he's killing baby Hitler and Hitlers parents, when in actuality he's Herod trying to eliminate the Christ child.
@@ivane5110 I would say it's a divergence or a case of them turning things into a sort of selffulfilling paradox, or advancing the timeline a bit through their actions and presence in an earlier part of human history.
@@ivane5110
Divergence.
That's why the cats and dogs all died in the next movie....
The ending utterly broke me as a kid. So shocking.
Same. Totally traumatized me.
That bathrobe. A thousand times yes!
And the paint in that hotel suite! Hope they've repainted it since the 70s!
I have something for sale. Oh. What is it? THE Bathrope. 5000 people in line.
In San Francisco especially.
If it is our destiny ti wear a robe after a bath then please, make it a comfy one as this.
Not only is "Escape" my favourite sequel, I tend to like it even better than the original.
Escape Was my all time Fav!
Eric Braedan shows why he's still on screen in Young and Restless as Victor. A great actor
He makes a perfect baddie
@@gorymarty56 He showed up several times on the original Mission Impossible as villain of the week under his birth name Hans Gudegast, and he was fantastic. One episode I can never forget was Echo of Yesterday, which focused on a neo-Nazi (Braeden, of course) working with a millionaire German factory owner played by Wilfrid Hyde-White who had the worst German accent I've ever heard. I always wondered how much Braeden winced as the two actors worked together.
He was great in the underrated, “ Colossus the Forbin Project.”
@@Earthtime3978 He sure was. I loved that film.
and always the German officer in Rat Patrol...
All I know, dude, is when we watched this back in '73, when CBS broadcast this first-run, my Mom cried at the end.
Crazy.
Cheers.
The thing I really love about the original films is the way they form a closed loop/predestination paradox. Cornelius and Zira escaping into the past sets that whole timeline into motion. Just brilliant in hindsight, and I can't recall any other story that has such a shift in tone and pulls it off so successfully
Always been my favourite of the sequels. Zira and Cornelius are 2 of my favorite movie characters so its cool they got a movie where theyre the leads.
It's my favorite also.
I love how ceasar's "no" is a nod at Aldo's first word
…..Aldo eventually became Milo, who changed his name to Ceaser.
(Continuity)
In one of the 'Behind the Scenes' books on the making of the POTA series, one of the things brought up in the rough drafts/outlines for "Escape" was the Cornelius, Zira and Milo would have been time traveling "Typhoid Mary'"; bringing back with them the disease that killed the dogs and cats and accelerated the evolution of the apes. It would have been hinted at, but never fully confirmed.
There would have been a couple of scenes, one set at the zoo where the gorilla that killed Milo showed signs of increased intelligence, and the other, set at the circus while it's being taken down where a couple of trainers mentions that he had to put one of the tigers down because it was sick and another tiger was showing similar symptoms.
Oh wow, that is fascinating!
Ironically, what Dr. Otto Hasslein tried to prevent, it is him that created the nightmare ape world.
One of the many reasons he's such a great villain!
And far quicker than would have happened otherwise.
I think Ceasers “Nooooooo” is the best jaw dropping moment I saw in a movie theater outside of Hulk Im always angry in avengers
Love this movie, as well!! It's cool to see Cornielius and Zira get "mod" clothes and the music behind that shopping spree is on point!
Back in Ape City, once Dr. Zaius and General Urko had departed with the army for the Forbidden Zone, those chimpanzees sure got busy. Underwater salvage and spacecraft restoration with absolutely no previous knowledge of such activities and then an unparalleled crash course in astronaut training. Of course, back then, most of the film audience would've had a greater ability to 'suspend their disbelief' and just enjoy the show.
But more importantly, what did they do with the mummified lady when they found Taylor’s spaceship?
the ship may had been built to be able to fly in a return trip already they just needed to remove the water and dried it out. minor repairs.
Would have been better if Brent's ship wasn't THAT badly damaged so that one could have been used for Escape's story. Pretty wild how it turned out, but I love Escape anyway.
Definitely should've been Brent's ship.
Amen. My biggest problem with this film is its' clear contradiction of what was setup in the original motion picture. Ape society appears to be pre-industrial. No electronics, no astronomy and a rejection of any idea of flight, let alone spaceflight. The suspension of disbelief that is being asked of us is a bridge, actually a huge bloody logic chasm, to far for Me. Happy for everyone who enjoys this film. I agree, the cast is fantastic. Sad to say goodbye to Kim Hunter, but She leaves us with some great work. My favourite, Conquest is next. A beautifully crafted, dark fable with an astonishing performance by Roddy McDowall. Love the original cut, but understand why the studio freaked out and reworked it. Vale Don Murray (Governor Breck) who has just past away.
Escape from the Planet of the Apes is a great little sci fi film that captures the Twilight Zone feel of the original movie more than any of the other sequels do. This one and Conquest are easily my favorite sequels in the original film series.
I couldn't agree with you more. When I watch Kim Hunter and Roddy McDowall in my favorite Columbo (separate) episodes, I always think back at how well they worked together.
Edit: I must mention honorably Ricardo Montalban, as well, also an alum of an episode of Columbo.
I love the first four films of this early entry on the Planet of The Apes saga. Movies were a hard work of love and vision, back then.
I still cry at the end of this one. I loved Cornelius and Zira in the original and they really were so kind to Taylor. Here they got to shine and win your heart. The fatalistic last act was so brutal.
The villain in this is pretty good, he's basically the evil version of Sarah Connor trying to stop a future that could harm humanity and going to extreme lengths to stopping that ape future.
Honestly I've never heard that, but that's a great and fitting comparison!
One of my favorite parts of this movie was Dr. Hasslein's explanation of infinite regression.
This one was always my second favorite of the original five. Mostly because of the two main ape actors but also because it's a clever reversal of the original premise. Conquest is at a close third, though.
100% agree
I love this movie. The comedy is over the top sometimes but because of that, the ending is hammer blow to the heart. I saw this in the theater first run. I cried then. I cry now.
The twinning of this series is amazing. The baby doll found in the first planet film said mama.This one ends with a baby asking for ma ma . Brilliant.
One cool 😎 thing that this movie does, is take the story idea 💡 from the later part of the original book 📖 and make it uniquely their own.
I love the recent trilogy but I had never watched the originals. I LOVED this movie. Cornelius and Zira just have charm pouring out of them. What a credit to the actors that they made these two characters so lovable.
Saddened and surprised that you didn’t mention that the overall theme was a commentary on celebrity-hood. The change of tones was because it was tying in how society acts and treats celebrities (and how celebrities act) while trying to progress the overall story of the Planet of the Apes. This was the core of the movie.
Someone else in the comments mentioned this and I honestly never read the film that way until it was brought up to me. I think because we never actually see the public perception of Cornelius and Zira turn and only see the government's view on them change, it just didn't register that way with me. Love the idea though!
As a child this movie was so sad but once I got older I appreciate how brilliant this film is . Excellent point how it’s all inverted with the apes being in the 20th century. What a heartbreaking but powerful ending
Because I loathe bananas. This was always one of my favorites
A classic
William Windom, as the President, has some great lines and his discussion with Eric Braeden about what action to take in regards to Zira and Cornelius is one of the highlights of the movie for me.
Agree. Windom is both cynical and charming as the President and I love the philosophical discussion he has with Eric Braeden's character about the morality of killing someone because you think they pose a future threat.
When I met William Windom in 1997, I had him autograph my copy of "Planet of the Apes as American Myth" with the inscription: 'Given the power to alter the future, have we the right to use it?' One of my all time favorite dialogue exchanges in any film.
One of Jerry Goldsmith's unique scores. Once the opening credits begins, the score starts jamming it out. You mentioned percussion, I happen to love the jangly-sounding guitar. It reminds me of 60s surf music.
It's groovy as hell...very much early 70s sounding funnily enough...
Love how Cornelius recounts the first apes first words and his first word was no which is what they made ceaser say in rise 👌🏼👌🏼
I finally got to see this movie in its entirety only a few years ago- I was shocked and moved by the ending, even though I knew what was coming. It truly is heartbreaking, because we care about the characters. The script is very good, as is the acting.
I agree. I love this movie. Cornelius and Zira give this film so much weight and honest reality, even though we are talking about talking apes on Earth in the 1970's.
I definitely like this film more than Beneath and think it's the second best film out of the original Ape saga for the same reasons you pointed out. I never thought about it before but yeah Escape is essentially a soft reboot as its successors all directly tie to it and it's kind of starting the story over with a new canon that replaces the previous timeline.
I read a review for it on Letterbox and somebody pointed out that they thought Escape contained a social commentary on how we, especially here in the US, prop up celebrities but will quickly tear them down went they step out of line as seen with Cornelius and Zira. I thought that was a pretty neat takeaway.
Love that take! Never thought of it that way but totally agree
I love Classic Apes!!! I can Never get bored of these uploads!!!
Classic Apes has bored me for over 3 decades. Never the less, I love the concept. And, the reboot trilogy is brillant.
@@marcoparada6652 i wish we had a 70s style tv show again
Escape was one of my favorite movies growing up in the 70s. The baby switch is a great twist and made a certain amount of sense, at least as far as tying all three movies together.
Fun fact. Both Roddy McDowell and Kim Hunter were guest stars in Columbo but not the same episode. Oh and Ricardo Montalban,
Cannot unsee it. Cornelius is wearing MCU Kang's outfit.
Natalie Trundy was in FOUR movies in a row,
Beneath: Albina (Mutant)
Escape: Dr. Branton
Conquest: Lisa (Ape. Ceasar's lil sumthin sumthin)
And
Again as Lisa in
Battle for the POTA.
Love your channel. Never saw myself back in the 70's watching on the Internet sombody doing a series abouy the apes films . I'm in my 60's now but when i was a kid these films were the best and the short lived series as well. Hopefully you'll cover that as well.
I’ve always loved this movie because how it reversed the entire situation from the Tyler seeing a world of apes but now we have Cornelius and Zera looking at a world with humans. It really is thought provoking.
"An inverse of the original film" -- well put!
I think that the focus on Cornelius and Zira makes it a stronger and more emotional movie.
I loved this movie growing up. The campiness of it is fun, and the ending is truly heartbreaking. I agree wholeheartedly with this review. I can’t wait to hear your thoughts on Conquest.
As a kid there were these awesome Book and Record story sets for a lot of different movies and superhero licenses..I had a bunch of different ones as a kid myself..There’s even a set for this movie..Which is a little surprising with its incredibly dark ending..Kinda heavy for kids
They all were great movies with amazing actors never get tired of watching it
You just made my day. That was a great movie review. I love the Planet of the Apes franchise. I have subscribed to your channel. Keep up the good work.
Thank you!
An interesting piece of trivia is that Paul Dehn was the partner of composer James Bernard who composed the scores of many classic Hammer horror films. Bernard would often offer Dehn input on his scripts, if not outright being a co-writer. The two collaborated on the script to Seven Days to Noon and shared the Oscar for it. Supposedly, for this film, while he went uncredited, it was Bernard who came up with the idea that the spaceship could travel back in time.
I couldn't watch this film for years after I saw it as a kid as I was genuinely traumatised by the fate of Cornelius & Zira. Watching it later as an adult, you can understand the point of Haslein's worries and he becomes less a bad guy and more a stand up guy who's concerned for the fate of his own people and that's what makes it so interesting. Definitely one of the best films of the original 5 film series.
Otto Hasslein is easily my favourite villain & character of the entire series. Hasslein is somewhat justified in his skepticism about the apes, but his pride blinds him from realising he himself unintentionally allowed the ape uprising (by forcing Cornelius & Zira to go on the run & switching their baby for another from Armando's circus). Self fulfilling prophecy at its finest. Also it doesn't hurt that Hasslein is played by the insanely talented & handsome Eric Braeden 😏
I personally love your reviews of the older films and couldn't really process the gravity of the entire franchise since it came out decades before I was even born lol. Although, your overall enjoyment of the franchise is something I enjoy, too. When Kingdom arrives, I can't wait to hear what the fortunate future of this franchise is gonna be.
Love your reviews, and also love this film so much-couldn’t get enough of Zira and Cornelius, such brilliant, classic comedic scenes as well as the iconic heartbreaking scenes , absolutely same sentiments about Dr Hasslein, and Armando, and the final scene with the baby Ceasar💔💓
I’m a huge fan of the original film and the newer Matt Reeves ones. I’ve always been told that the original movies got worse and worse overtime. Your reviews are challenging that mindset! Thanks to your reviews, I’m looking forward to re-watching the original and all of its sequels in the coming weeks.
Of the original set, this and the first one are my favorites. "Beneath" was a bomb for me. I saw "Escape" at the drive in as a kid and the end had the family so stunned that it took a while for my dad to start the car up for the drive home.
This was and is a truly great sci-fi film in its own right, despite the idea of Cornelius, Zira, and Milo dragging a many-tons spaceship out of the Forbidden Zone lake and getting it to take off into space again. Great script, and an incredible ending. I never get tired if rewatching this one, my favourite of all the original Ape films.
Second favorite Ape movie. Seem to remember my parents enjoying this as well although they rarely ever liked anything I wanted to watch. Will go back and read the novelization of this one next.
Great reviews! I think you are bang on regarding Escape. I love how fully invested our lead actors are and Hunter and McDowall are clearly ALL IN with their performances. I am appreciative of your ability to understand this movie as it was meant to seen. It holds up today and it is one of my favourite movies of all time. I could talk gobs about the layers and production work shown in Escape..Again, good work!
Thanks for watching!
Great review, I love your videos! Apart from Burton’s movie and Caesar’s trilogy I’d only ever seen the original film. But after you said you’d be reviewing all the movies in the franchise I grabbed the original 5 on dvd to watch the rest of them I didn’t want to skip your reviews lol. I’m in love with this franchise! 🥰 Thank you!
Love that!! Hope you're enjoying them!
Gotta admit, I’m a Beneath man. I could never get past the ludicrous leap of the apes experimenting with rockets, even if they did find one.
Fair enough!
Yea, loved "Escape" as a stand-alone film, but there's too much that's irreconcilable to the previous films:
How could apes who were conditioned to believe in the impossibility of flight retrodesign a functioning space ship?
How did they retrieve the parts from Taylor's ship, which had sunk into the sea?
How could they have done all that in the time between Brent's ship crashing and the end of the world (a matter of days)?
What exactly was Dr. Milo's field of study? (See my first question)
How did Cornelius know about the history of Aldo and the early Ape Uprising when that information, if it existed at all in the Apes' time, would definitely not have been common knowledge as it would be offensive to their religious dogma (and he obviously had no clue of it in the original film)!
So many continuity problems!
It’s worth mentioning that this movie not only sort of mirrors the first one, but it’s actually very very similar to the book, only inverted of course.
It’s interesting that, during the hearing, the commission only asked Cornelius if he knew Taylor. They didn’t bother asking about Stewart, Dodge, Landon, Brent or Maddox.
My favorite pota movie of all time. It's just so good.
I loved this movie too, but I must admit, I liked Beneath better. I was brought up Catholic and watching the mutants unmask and worship an atomic bomb to the tune of a Catholic mass, at the age of about ten years old freaked me out like crazy! But I do love this movie too.
The intro theme says it all!
What's interesting about Hasslein is that he's a villain only in relation to Cornelius and Zira.
I love this one, maybe the most, since I got to see it in the theater when it came out when I was 7. I saw the first 2 and fell in love with them, but this one had a lot more light moments and made me laugh where the first 2 were much more gritty and dark. Roddy McDowell was always a favorite of mine and I loved how he was able to return as the darker and more determined Ceasar in the final 2. Great series overall and I can't wait for your review of Conquest and Battle.
This is the best acted out of the five. It was interesting on how the script flipped. Apes were in our time and experience somewhat Taylor experienced. I believe Star Trek IV The Voyage Home followed this movie of going back in time to a different setting. Great review!
Love your movie reviews of the classic films. Well done.
Thanks for watching!!
Those volume spikes ("Spoiler Alert!") are jarring, the commentary itself is well thought out and delivered.
Growing up in the 70's I was obsessed with the Ape series. It captured my imagination unlike any series before or since. I was never overly concerned about the gaps in logic some might have had and just enjoyed them for what they are. It all rests on the shoulders of the characters, first Cornelius and Zera and then Caesar for the final two films. Credit to Roddy McDowell for giving them so much emotion and empathy. Kim Hunter was very charming and strong as Zira. Many actors might have felt limited by their make-up but they bring them to life. I must admit that Beneath remains my least favourite. I bought the blu-ray box set many years ago and still haven't bee able to sit through it. The satiric aspects of Escape and Conquest were lost me when I was a kid but as an adult I appreciated them even more. The budget situation would plague the rest of the series. The films continued to turn a profit but the studio in their unfathomable reason saw fit to put smaller sums into each subsequent installment. But the writing and the performances save the day and make them the classics they are.
One thing I never understood about cornelius talking about the first ape to talk in the sacred Scrolls. His first word to humans was "no". That doesn't make sense. That implies that humans were once masters. But in the first film the sacred scrolls say humans were always below apes and humans were never advanced
I just always assumed Cornelius found out the truth sometime after the end of the first movie
@@Ape-Nation But he says that apes celebrate Aldo saying no.
I'm with Doc Haslien for the 'Why'
The finding, retrieving, repairing, refueling, launching of Taylor’s ship is just way beyond jumping the shark.
From riding a horse to launching and piloting a spaceship is just so ridiculous. Totally ridiculous.
Needed to come up with a third character and a third ship from Earth picking up Corneilus or something.
The premise pulls the rug out from under the entire story.
Exactly. Well stated. I’ve been saying that for years.
Bro apes are really smart. It's not complete impossible.
The first film of the series that I saw at the cinema, and I loved it! However, I can’t get how the apes had the know how to repair and launch the spaceship, particularly in the timescale!
Beneath is ofcourse reliant on the first film for its story to really mean anything, which makes it a weaker film compared to Escape. That said, i cannot watch Planet without starting to watch Beneath, i see them as one story. So for one to say the really like Beneath i think comes from the closure it gives the first film. A little sloppy yes, but sequels weren't handled with as much care back then. Escape is clearly written to be its own story with out needing to rely on the first two. They could have actually come from another Planet of Apes rather than the future, and the questions the film gives the audience would still be relevant. They come from the future only because its connected to the other two films.
I figured most fans agreed that Escape, and Conquest were the best sequels of the original PotA movies. To me, they certainly are with Hasslein, along with Dr. Zauis, being the best villain in the original series as to me both as a kid, and as an adult I find his motivation to be believable/sympathetic, even if I disagree with his methods, which to me is one of the best kinds of villains.
I really enjoyed this movie, the ending shocked me and made me so sad for Zira and Cornelius. The funniest part of watching this movie is that I watched it with my parents (who had already seen it) in... probably 2019. And the scene where Zira is offered wine and she gets drunk, I immediately turned to my parents in shock because I was shocked that she'd drink while pregnant and terrified for her unborn baby and my parents reminded me that at that point in time, people weren't aware of the harm of drinking while pregnant. It was a funny sort of dissonance, and reminder of the movie's timeframe.
I’m glad Roddy came back, but even more glad Kim Hunter came back.
I agree she steals the movie
I missed that as a kid, at least consciously, but caught it when I got older and rewatched it.
But that ending made me angry as a kid (which means they succeeded)
And I get why that ending makes sense, but it still gets me, every time.
A great review of a fantastic movie and one of the best sequels ever made to any film! I love the entire series, and so much of it has to do with writer Paul Dehn and how much he brought to the franchise. There is just so much to discover in the details when watching the series and here are just a few examples of what I mean. In Escape from The Planet of the Apes, we see a scene of Cornelius and Zira checking into a hotel. At one point, you see Zira crouch to pet a little dog. Is it the moment that she passes the virus from the future (which all apes may have been carriers of as a result of Zira and Cornelius' trip to the past) which eventually wipes out all of the dogs and cats on the planet as recounted in Conquest of the Planet of the Apes? Does the Alpha/Omega bomb's explosion causing the destruction of the Earth at the end of Beneath the Planet of the Apes create the tear in space/time (Hasslein Curve) that Taylor's ship passes through in the original movie? The entire series is just so amazing when viewed as a whole. It is every bit as thought provoking as it is entertaining.
Yes, I love the movie and you did it very well. The one aspect of the story-line that bothers me and wasn't addressed in it - how did Mr. Milo get the ship up out of the water, and learn to fly it so quickly? That always seemed very odd to me as the previous movie seems to give so little time. But - nothing really as this was a joy. It is, I believe, one of the best of the ape movies.
One of my favourite Ape movie for all the reasons in the review. One thing that's not mentioned is the brilliant twist at the opening of the movie. I watched the movie without seeing any promotional material and the sound, then arrival, of the helicopter blew me away..."What on earth is going on? Have started watching the wrong movie?" I loved it.
Watched your review right after my rewatch. Thrilled for a dedicated Ape channel
Thanks for watching!
I could not agree with you more on every point! I absolutely love this film! It rivals the first one as my favorite of the entire original series. I’m so glad that you enjoy it too!👊😎
I do love it, for the same reasons you do. It's my 2nd favorite of the sequels. Conquest is the best of them in my opinion, which was also Roddy's favorite. I look forward to your analysis of that one.
I hope that they continue to reference these movies in the new ones. I can just imagine a new Cornelius type figure telling a human about Caesar and how he was the first Ape to say "No."
Dr. Zeus was an antagonist, but he wasn't a "villain." Dr. Hasslein, also an antagonist, was sneaky. He was more "villainous."✌🏾
Why exactly did Dr. Milo, Cornelius and Zira launch the recovered spaceship into outerspace? They couldn’t possibly have known that Earth would soon be destroyed. What was their motivation?
Just weeks or months before, they believed flight was a scientific impossibility.
I love this film, i love the franchise as a whole. Each one builds upon what came before in a great way. This film has a great cheekiness given the whole fish out of water stuff, with Cornelius and Zira.become celebrities in what was the modern era. If they had landed in todays world, theyd be mega celebs, not just in the papers and on the news but all over social media.
Just to start off man.. I’ve been loving your breakdowns on these movies. Quality stuff man!
Yeah, I have to agree man. This movie is so good. I watched the OG planet of the apes, then Beneath, when I watched the trailer to this one, I was suspect… the trailer made me think they turned escape into a comedy… it is, but it isn’t at the same time. I was kind of blown away, with all the thought provoking topics brought up. Especially the discussions with the Dr and President.
It’s odd, because I feel like today a movie like this would have the president and the masses wanting to imprison them out of fear, not understanding. Yet this movie from 1971 has such a nuanced perspective… fascinating… I still have 2 more movies to go, but Escape is my favorite along with the OG so far
Thanks so much! And yeah, this is one of the best of the series for me for sure.
One of the best, most realistic, and developed villains of the series
I love these four films and feel they’ll never be bettered (despite the slashed budget for each of the sequels).
Are you ever going to discuss the 14 episode live-action series? From the 70s.
I haven't watched it yet, but I definitely need to.
...The Legacy! Best episode of the series!
Yes! Planning on doing episode-by-episode reviews and a full series review later this year!
@@Ape-Nation awesome! I found all 14 episodes on Internet Archive. I plan on watching them myself asap.
BTW, I love the channel, keep up the awesome work.
The TV series was my intro to PotA back when I was a kid in the 70s! Just saw it for the first time since then a couple years ago on Dailymotion.
Currently on episode 2 here on RUclips! Didn't expect to be so engrossed and taken with Galen, GOAT Roddy McDowall, just like when it first aired. Had the annual, too. Apes rule!
Great job! I think your review is insightful and on point!
Thanks for watching!
I had such a crush on Zira! Oh wait.. I still do
Thanks for the review. I love this film and think it is very underrated.
It's taken a few days to watch this but have really enjoyed it. I commented on this before but I've seen all of them and watched the original relatively recently, although it has been a long time since I've seen any of the original sequels. Although there were mixed reviews, what they don't get enough credit for is being different and inventive. You pointed out how different they can be. Different settings, tones and story beats.
When I was a kid in the '70s, Conquest was my favorite sequel due to its action and intensity. (A few years beforehand in theaters, I had been terrified at a very young age by the previews of Conquest.) I still love Conquest, but in adulthood, Escape wins best sequel for me hands down. The script is so smart, as you say; it's Paul Dehn's finest apes script (although his story treatment for Battle would have made for possibly the best of the four sequels). The shift from the mostly comic first half to the dark second half indeed is amazing. And I agree that as lovable as McDowell is, Hunter surpasses him (but then, she nearly stole the first movie as well).
One quibble: I wouldn't call Zaius a villain, at least not in Beneath. In that film, he is largely swept along by circumstances; Ursus is the real villain.
The story about Aldo being the first ape to rebel against the humans is actually a HUGE continuity error, in that in the first movie the ape society had no such history, and Cornelius was finding evidence of a culture BEFORE apes... and Zaius ordered the evidence destroyed. Which makes some fans think that this is an alternate timeline from the first two movies... Same goes for the TV show (since dogs are alive on the series).
I don't think it's a continuity error. I think at some point between the end of the first film and the earth being destroyed, Cornelius eventually discovered the truth about ape history. At least that's how I've always seen it.