Planet of the Apes (1968) - A Great Start To A Fantastic Franchise

Planet of the Apes (1968)

By: Noah Newcomb

        I had already seen the Andy Serkis Planet of the Apes Trilogy before I had seen the first and original Planet of the Apes movies and I love that trilogy. It's by far one of my favorite trilogies of all time, but I couldn't help but feel slightly ashamed that I hadn't seen the first. Before I stated my thoughts on the film if you're a film fan this is a movie you need to check out whether you're a fan of these films or not. I sure am a fan of these films, however, and this is one of the best of the series so far. War of the Planet of the Apes is still my favorite film of the series but this is a close second. So many iconic things happen in this movie and I'm always eager to spot them. This is more than a movie about apes being the dominant species it gets near psychological and political at times which is likely why it will go down as one of the most iconic movies of all time. Charlton Heston does a great job in this movie as our lead and only intelligent human, but let's talk about the apes what this movie is most known for. You know I'm not going to say the costumes and ape effects are flawless because they're not. When the apes talk it's quite clear that its a voice over but I think you just have to take it for what it is. In the first five minutes, I just accept that the effects weren't as good back then. You just have to accept that when sitting down to watch this movie. If you do that then I think you'll enjoy this movie.

SPOILERS!!!

        I know I didn't spend much time on the non-spoiler side, but there's not much to say. The Planet of the Apes' reputation precedes itself as far as what it's about. I mentioned earlier that many iconic things happen in this movie. My favorite one by far is the ending when the Statue of Liberty roles on to the beach and Charles Heston figures out that he's actually on Earth. It's a powerful moment that ends the movie perfectly and makes it the special film it is today.

Final Thoughts

        I said earlier if you're a film fan you need to check this out and that still stands. To fully appreciate movies you should see this. This is a legendary film for a reason. It shouldn't take my opinion for you to see this film. Strong Recommend.

Original Planet of the Apes (1968) Trailer