Planet of the Apes, 1968
Based on a french novel, La Planète des Singes by Pierre Boulle, the
original film debuted in 1968, captivating an audience and sparking a
franchise that includes 7 films, two television series, a novel and a comic
strip. In the first installment, a group of astronauts crash into a planet in
the distant future. The group led by Taylor, played by Charlton Heston,
discover a horrifying caste system: apes are the superior beings and
humans are the lowest of living things.
The Planet of the Apes, 1968
On this mysterious planet, Taylor discover that humans are hunted down,
enslaved, or used for scientific experimentation. Taylor manages to
escape his captors and eventually finds himself in an area known as the
Forbidden Zone, where he discovers his destiny...
Beneath the Planet of the Apes, 1970
In the second installment, a second space crew is sent on a
reconnaissance mission to track Taylor. After escaping from captivity,
Brent, a crew member from the second ship, hides in a cave that turns
out to be the ruins of Queensboros Plaza in New York thereby realizing
that he is on Earth.
Beneath the Planet of the Apes, 1970
Underneath the Forbidden Zone, Brent discovers a group of telepaths
who worship a nuclear bomb. As the apes close in to conquer this zone,
in a last ditch effort Taylor detonates the "Divine Bomb", completely
destroying the planet.
Escape from the Planet of the Apes, 1971
Before the nuclear bomb was detonated, Cornelius, Zira and Dr. Milo
managed to escape via Taylor's spaceship. They travel back in time
and arrive on Earth in 1973. After a series of interrogations, Zira and
Cornelius accidentally reveal the eventual demise of the human race.
The President orders for Zira and Cornelius to be sterilized and Caesar,
their baby, be killed. Before dying in a shoot out, the two ape parents
switch babies with another ape named Heloise, ensuring Caesar's survival.
Conquest of the Planet of the Apes, 1972
It is the year 1983. Caesar and his human caretaker, Armando is now
living in a society where monkeys are exploited for their intelligence and
serve as slaves for the human race. After the death of his foster father,
Caesar loses all faith in mankind and begins secretly gathering other apes
to rally against human oppression.
Battle of the Planet of the Apes, 1973
A decade after he led the revolution, Caesar finds himself trying to being
peace between apes and the surviving humans. Aldo, a gorilla general, is
opposed to this and plans a coup to overthrow Caesar.
Planet of the Apes, 2001
The remake of the original film from 1968 was directed by Tim Burton
and featured an all star cast. Although it was a commercial success,
it had mixed reviews.
Rise of the Planet of the Apes, 2011
The latest movie in the franchise, Rise of Planet of the Apes is a reboot of
the original and is set in modern day San Francisco. It's an origin story
that offers an explanation for how the apes developed their superior
intelligence in the first place: animal testing gone awry. The film's star
is the chimp Caesar, played by Andy Serkis with the help of CGI
technology, whose advanced brainpower is the result of Alzheimer's drug
testing. Once Caesar grasps the gravity of his intellect — and the human
cruelty that has alienated him — he revolts, but not before taking a few
chimps along with him.
