Conquest of the Planet of the Apes

Rating: ***/*****, or 6/10

Third sequel to the original Planet of the Apes film from 1968. After the overall lighter tone from its predecessor Escape from the Planet of the Apes (1971), the franchise takes a much darker turn in this film, as we finally witness the origin of the apes and their hatred towards mankind. In the not too distant future (1991, so don't worry, it didn't happen), a mysterious disease has wiped out all cats and dogs, so apes are kept as replacements pets, but are soon found to be more suitable for slave labour and as such are ruthlessly exploited by their human overlords in a gritty dystopian setting. The son of former 'future apes' Zira and Cornelius, dubbed Caesar (played by Roddy McDowall, who previously performed Cornelius as well) by his human surrogate father (all too small part for Ricardo 'Khan' Montalban), finds himself without his protector who is viciously brutalized and killed by the human regime – it's not an all too happy future for humans either – after which he finds himself amongst his fellow simians and becomes their Messiah. Under Caesar's command, the apes rise in revolt and violence sweeps the nation as they fight for their freedom and start a conflict that will change the fate of the world. Easily the most controversial and most violent entry into the franchise, as the provocative display of abused and chained apes evokes haunting imagery of human slavery based on racial segregation, which is of course a parallel that has driven the continuing overall plot since the first film, but is most effectively fleshed out here. It is also painfully reminiscent of the race riots of the late sixties and early seventies, something the writers sure were aware of. Despite its convincing and intriguing social parallels, the fairly limited budget and resulting small scale look of the film hinder the impact of the story on a visual level for looking so cheap. Plus, the clear delineation between good apes and bad humans makes for pretty two-dimensional, oversimplified characterization. The plot was partially appropriated to great acclaim by the latest Planet of the Apes reboot, Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011), thankfully resulting in grander imagery.

Starring: Roddy McDowall, Don Murray, Ricardo Montalban

Directed by J. Lee Thompson

USA: 20^th Century-Fox, 1972