"Take your stinking paws off me you damn, dirty ape!" Classic! Charlton Heston has some of the most iconic lines in movie history.

They’ve been spoiling it for years by using the final shot as the box art for home releases so it’s great to see someone surprised by the twist! Heston was also in the sci-fi classics “The Omega Man” and “Soylent Green”.

You really should have a lot more subscribers. You're more knowledgeable and do a more rational, analytical discussion of the movies you watch than most KZfaq reactors, and you watch a broader selection of movies than most KZfaqrs. When I saw this in the theater, I overheard somebody at the table behind me in the lunchroom give away the surprise ending, so I don't know what it like to get that big revelation. Even knowing the ending, I was thoroughly engrossed in the movie which I think speaks to how well written it is and shows the movie's rewatch value.

The symbolism in this movie is par excellent. Fun Fact: Roddy McDowall, an experienced actor, recommended to his companions in makeup that they should frequently add tics, blinks, and assorted facial gestures to add a sense of realism and keep the makeup from a "mask-like" appearance. McDowall reportedly became a merry prankster with the makeup, driving home with his make-up on, and shocking some of the other drivers on the freeway.

Another interesting sci fi film made in 1973 starring Charlton Heston is Soylent Green. Hope you add it to your list.

Another favorite with Charlton Heston is 'Soylent Green' 1973

The sequels (it's a five-movie series) have their own fascinating timeline and mythology and go ALL over the place. It's pretty fascinating for being almost impossible to predict where the next film will go. Roddy McDowell skips the second film but returns for 3, 4 and 5 and he is the heart and soul of this series. I would DEFINITELY recommend continuing the series.

The reason for the apes evolution so quickly is explained in the sequels particularly the third film. Other great Charlton Heston films are ‘Ben Hur’ and ‘The Ten Commandments’.

Good reaction Shan. I saw this film at the theater in 1974 as a 12-year-old kid. It was shown as part of a matinee marathon of 3 Planet of the Apes films. The original was and still is my favorite. Heston dropping to his knees at the realization of where and when he actually was still stands as one of the great moments in film history.

SO RARE to find someone who hasn't either seen this film or had the ending ruined at this point, so THANK YOU for providing this reaction/review and proving that this one's still got it (this 5-film series - despite applying the law of diminishing returns with each film going forward - is one of my favorite guilty pleasures, and you should see the other two Matt Reeves reboots if you want some more modern, high-quality ape adventures; skip the Tim Burton/Mark Wahlberg Apes film though; it's worth it for the prosthetics, but WOW did they bend that one over a sink otherwise, lol). Per your request, some other Charleton Heston must-sees: The Big Country (he's more of a co-star with Gregory Peck in the lead, but it's an amazing and unusually thought-provoking western with a rousing score) Touch of Evil (Orson Welles' best film after Citizen Kane, imo) Ben-Hur (most expensive film of its time in 1959 - at $15 million dollars - all of it on screen) Midway (an all-star international cast gives both sides of the battle a fair view, plus one of John Williams' best pre-Jaws scores; Heston's character is fictional, but like Titanic, is set in and around real events and people) The Ten Commandments (regardless of your religious beliefs, or lack thereof - I consider it a religious fantasy film myself - it's simply one of the biggest and best movies EVER MADE. BEHOLD HIS MIGHTY HAND!!!! I'm talking about Cecil B. DeMille, btw, lol). But whatever's next in your queue, looking forward to it as always - thanks!

Another really good sc-fi movie with Charlton Heston is Soylent Green from 1973.

The sequels explained how the apes evolved in such a short period

Franklin Schaffer followed up PotA' with Patton (1970), Nicolas and Alexandra (1971), Papillon -etc. a versatile director.

Regarding the evolution of the apes from humans, they make it clear in the sequels that the apes didn't evolve from man, but the apes that already existed rose when humanity fell. I don't know if it was a retcon or if that was their intention from the beginning, but either way, it fixes that plot hole. :) Great video as always.

One of my favorite movies of all time! And Shan, you're right, the movie does delve into social commentary, science vs religion, class separation, etc. Notice that Taylor was defending man while at the beginning criticizing man. He was confronted by Dr Zaius at the end, repeating Taylor's exact criticism of man. The movie is a masterpiece and intelligently written.

My last comment: I agree with others here that you ought to check out "The Omega Man" and "Soylent Green". Along with Apes, the three comprise Heston's Misanthrope Trilogy, which he did during the turbulent era of the late 60's/early 70's, when science fiction was especially morose and movies were joining it in the general sense of malaise, rebellion, and violence. _Star Trek_ had been cancelled and the future seemed to be full not of shiny ships and hopeful journeys, but of tension, pollution, shortages... it wasn't a good time, frankly.

Charlton Heston's main films are the 10 Commandments and Ben Hur. Ben Hur is one of the best films ever made.

Fun trivia: The "oo-oo-oo" ape-like noise in the music is a _quica,_ a Brazilian friction drum composed of a tight drumhead with a stick glued to the inside of the skin so it protrudes into the drum. The player uses a damp rag to rub the stick inside the drum, creating that weird tone that sounds like an ape expressing alarm. You hear it most in "The Hunt", the track that's played during the manhunt that traps Taylor. (There is version of this instrument from northern Europe called a _rommelpot,_ that has the stick glued to the outside of the skin so it sticks up into the air. Even MORE fun to play!)

It was said that during breaks in the filming, the actors and extras in ape costumes tended to congregate for meals with those of the same species, regardless of the identity underneath. Another trivia bit on the costumes, as you might expect, the ape extras had less detailed prosthetics than the main actors who had to appear to talk as an ape and subject to closeup shots.

The Sequels are worth checking out just be prepared not to expect any of them to be as classic as the original

Soylent Green is the other Charlton Heston sci-fi movie to watch, a classic.

"I think this film is alluding to social commentary...." LOL... the whole movie is social commentary ;) Thanks for reviewing this film! And for another Charlton Heston classic: "Soylent Green"

You’re my favorite when it comes to these movie reactions, Shan. You really give credit to all persons associated with each film. I’m glad that you enjoy the older stuff that a lot of us grew up watching. I think the CGI stuff is over done now days. I love how you try to figure out what’s going on and most of the time you are correct. Keep up the good work. “Let’s Go”.

Rod Serling was the perfect choice in writing the screenplay since he's the creator & the host of the original 50's-60's TV-show The Twilight Zone, a great anthology series that for the most part always had a great twist at the end.

If you want to see an epic movie with Charlton Heston at the top of his game then I would recommend the all time classic Ben-Hur.

Shan, while technically the budgets kept getting cut for each successive sequel, they still continue the story with very little break in logic. No one has done reactions to all of them, yet. I love this film series, as well as the TV series that came around a year or two after the 5th movie. You should watch the other 4, as well as the "Behind the Planet of the Apes" documentary. While the point of how the apes evolved so quickly was never really addressed in the original films, the reboot gives some credence to the possibility of it happening much faster through scientific intervention. Also, I can recommend watching the two sequels that reboot spawned. We won't bring up the Tim Burton/Mark Wahlberg version, though.

This movie was co-written by Rod Serling, who was famous for his " shocking twist endings" on his TV show The Twilight Zone. Which makes the classic last scene so memorable. It was written by a master craftsman writer.

It was great watching this with you. What you said at the end about how long evolution takes is why you must do the sequels starting with "Beneath the Planet of the Apes" followed by "Escape the Planet of the Apes", and the two following sequels after that to complete the initial 5 Planet Of The Apes saga. You will see how it all happened. I can tell you this Shan, back in '68 at age 13 I had no idea they were on Earth until the very end and it blew mine and most of our minds back then! Of course the Cold War and the threat of a nuclear holcaust was in full bloom going in to see PotA. All the ads on TV back then for PotA were careful not to spoil the ending. There were a good number of well known actors in PotA such as James Whitmore here 12:31 who played Brookes on The Shawshank Redemption. Enjoyed the reaction vid and keep up the good work! And if you haven't seen Shawshank, it's time you did! I suspect you have already.✌😎

Great video Shan. Planet of the Apes is a classic and you were on the right track when you senses the subtle social commentary. The co-writer of the film is Rod Serling, host and creator of The Twilight Zone. And the filmmakers have commented as much afterwards. Though this direction was never spoken aloud during the production. There was an unspoken understanding. By the way, the book the film was based on was originally a French novel from author Pierre Boulle. The author of “The Bridge on the River Kwai”. Charlton Heston has made many classic beloved films. I’m going to recommend though his collaboration with director Orson Welles “Touch of Evil” (1958) It’s a beautifully shot black and white film.

This is easily my favorite out of the series. When I first watched it I was expecting it to be cheesy.....but I really got into it really quickly. One thing they did back in the 70's was re-release all 5 films back in theaters. They promoted it with carboard gorilla soldiers pointing like Uncle Sam saying, "Go ape!" I wish they'd do that again.

This was a scary movie for a kid, but the toys were great. I had the Planet of the Apes Treehouse play set with figures in 1974. That set is worth some money today.

Still one of the best science fiction movies imo. Impressed the hell out of me, when I was watching it as a child. And no, I wasn't alive, when it came out. Born 1996, but it still impressed me :) Also, I don't think this movie just alludes to social commentary, it very much so has clear critiques of religion and authoritarianism in it.

Absolutely watch the rest of the series. Even though the budgets started to fall, the stories kept moving along in very imaginative and epic directions . They explain how the apes evolved so fast later on in the series. Hope you can get around to it. It's no where near as long as the Bond franchise. Cheers.

Rod Serling was an icon of early American television. He was the creator and head writer of the American classic tv show, "The Twilight Zone."

The cast of this film was filled with a few major actors of the time. - Roddy McDowell (Cornelius) - With the most recognizable voice, Roddy was a child actor turned mature character actor who appeared in tons of films and tv shows. He was the voice of the robot V.I.N.Cent in Disney's 'The Black Hole', appeared with lifelong friend Elizabeth Taylor in 'National Velvet' as well as playing Octavius opposite her as 'Cleopatra', was Peter Vincent in the original horror classic 'Fright Night', and was a beloved figure in Hollywood. His filmography is long, distinguished and spans from the late 1930s to the 1990s. As far as 'Planet of the Apes'...he was Cornelius, then his son Ceasar, and in the short-lived TV series, played Galen. - Kim Hunter (Zira) won the Golden Globe and the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress playing Stella Kowalski in 'A Streetcar Named Desire', reprising the role she created in the original Broadway production of Tennessee Williams' play opposite Marlon Brando as Stanley Kowalski. She did a lot of television and films, but only 'The Planet of the Apes' films match the popularity of 'Streetcar'. - Maurice Evans (Dr. Zaius) was an English born and naturalized American actor who did a lot of Shakespeare and films. However, most of his work was not as popular as 'The Planet of the Apes' franchise. - James Whitmore (The President of the Assembly) was basically one of the best character actors around. He had a very long career and did so many things that to call out one is hard. However, he was best known for being a master of playing roles in one-man plays and touring them like 'Will Rogers, U.S.A.' (playing the American humorist and actor), 'Give'Em Hell, Harry!' (as U.S. President Harry S.Truman), and 'Bully' (as U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt). As for Franklin J. Schaffner...This was his first big hit. He only made a handful of films, some of which are still recognizable from the titles. He won tons of awards for his next film after this, 'Patton' (1970) with George C. Scott as General George Patton (it was an Oscar darling when it came out...Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Screenplay by Frances Ford Coppola). He also made 'Nicholas and Alexandra' (1971), 'Papillon' (1973) with Steve McQueen & Dustin Hoffman, 'The Boys From Brazil' (1978) with Gregory Peck and Laurence Olivier, and 'Yes, Giorgio' (1982) starring the legendary opera tenor Luciano Pavarotti in his only movie that was not an opera adapted for the screen. This was one of my favorite film series as a boy. Thanks for doing this one, Shan!

Was waiting for a watch on this. The apes faces was created by John Chambers who was awarded an Oscar. For more on him watch ARGO. The other four sequels are worth watching but suffer from decreasing budgets.

I'm sure I've said this before, but my friend, you have excellent taste in movies. So much variety and quality. Mad respect BTW you were right. It's the American Southwest, primarily Arizona (around the Grand Canyon) and Utah. The final scene was shot on a beach near Malibu, California

You have an amazing array of movie reactions. True Romance, Falling Down and A Few Good Men are all amongst my favourite movies and i really enjoyed you're reactions to them and this was another very enjoyable one. Keep up the great work!

One of the most iconic movie endings ever. I can’t remember if you watched “Space Balls.” If so, now you get the ape bit toward the end of the movie.

Hey, Shan! This is a science fiction classic and a remarkable movie! I highly recommend you continue with the series. The closing scene with Taylor devastated on the beach kneeling before a destroyed Statue of Liberty is an ICONIC cinematic image! The film is loosely based on a French novel by Pierre Boulle. The screenplay was co-written by Rod Serling, the creator and writer of the original "Twilight Zone". Taylor's raucously sardonic laughter at the flag planting was an expression of his deep-seated disgust with human constructs and vanity especially in light of how far in the future they were rendering the flag an obsolete relic. While in suspended animation, the ship passes through a TIME WARP in space keeping them in the vicinity of Earth just at a different point in time. Later, the voyage is recreated by the apes to go back in time. Don't overthink the concept because it's just pseudo-science that's not meant to hold up under rigorous scrutiny. It's just credible enough to serve the plot. Similarly, your point about evolution is dealt with in the story when the ape revolution is revealed in a sequel. Simian science is just propaganda perpetuated by orangutans like Zaius. Notice the apes are grouped into three classes: chimpanzees are scientists, gorillas are soldiers and orangutans are administrators. Taylor is one of Heston's signature roles. This is as much a Chuck Heston movie as it is a sci-fi classic! The irony is that Taylor is a cynical misanthrope who loathes humanity even more than the apes do yet his actions kickstart a series of events that give both humankind and apekind a chance to reach their greatest potential. There are four sequels that maintain an internally consistent narrative that loops back on itself. All five films together form a saga. It is an excellent series. The production quality is unfortunately low budget and very clearly stuck in a '70s aesthetic but the five-film saga tells a remarkable story of hope and redemption. The other films are "Beneath the Planet of the Apes", "Escape From the Planet of the Apes", "Conquest of the Planet of the Apes" and "Battle For the Planet of the Apes". The modern reboot trilogy of "Rise", "Dawn" and "War For the Planet of the Apes" is a rare modern reboot that equals the classic originals in emotional power. Avoid the dreadful Tim Burton remake at all costs!

Great review of a classic movie. Another movie with Charlton Heston I could highly recommend is Ben Hur (1959), which is one of my all time favorite movies. Story, acting, sets, costumes, the amount of extras used, stunts, some really epic scenes, overall an amazing film for it's time (and to me still holds up as one of the best films). Ok, keep up the good work and best wishes.

I loved this film series, and the short-lived TV series (as well as an animated series) it inspired.

Other films with Charlton Heston that are worth a watch (as already mentioned) are: Ben Hur Soylent Green The Ten Commandments If you are interested in classic movies these three are a must watch!

Location shoots were well-established practice by this point in the 1960s, having taken off in the 1950s as one of several ways to make films look different from television programs of the period. The Forbidden Zone was near the recently constructed Glen Canyon Dam/Lake Powell area along the Arizona-Utah border. Ape City was constructed on 20th Century Fox's Fox Ranch property and still stands, now inside a California state park that includes the former studio land--there some YT videos that explore the decaying remains.

Glad you enjoyed the film, it's one of my all time favorites. I particularly enjoy how Taylor starts out so cynical about humanity that he leaves Earth to find something better... only to then be put in a position where he's the one that has to actually defend humanity. Dr. Zaius is such a great antagonist too. His actions may make him the villain but, as you recognized, there's enough truth in his words that you can see his point-of-view. While none of the 1970s sequels are quite as good, they're still enjoyable. Charlton Heston also stars in another sci-fi classic from the 1970s Soylent Green. It takes place in the futuristic year of 2022 so might make for a fun reaction this year if you're so inclined.

Shan the prequels with Andy Serkis explains why the evolution of the apes occurred in such a short time. You should definitely check them out. I don't want to give away what happens and I hope no other comments do as well. keep up the great reactions and the innovative film choices. that definitely sets your channel apart.

If you like this film you should watch the original Twilight Zone series from the 60s, they have a lot of endings like that make you really think about things.

A couple of other fun well-done sci-fi films starring Charlton Heston are "The Omega Man" and "Soylent Green".

The film has a shocking twist I did not see coming! I first saw this film on the WB network in 1998, and I was blown away by it! The film won an Honorary Oscar for Best Makeup or something of the similar nature.

Awesome! Hope you get to do all of them down the line. It's one of the best sci fi and philosophical movie series ever made. But it's never preachy as it respects the audience to think about it all. The 2nd one added one of the writers who co wrote Goldfinger on board, Paul Dehn. He took over for Rod Sterling and the other writer. And he went hard on examining philosophical issues in each movie but it isn't annoying or obnoxious. Each of the sequels are very fun watches that make you think but entertain and advance the timeline and story well. But be prepared they can hit really, really hard if you aren't expecting it especially the endings/. The third movie, Escape, is probably my favorite of the sequels but they all work real well. My least is the 2nd one, but even it grew on me in the last re-watch. Roddy McDowell acts his heart out in all of them and is a fun lead. Plus you get solid performances from Eric Braden and Claude Adkins as well and they have great chances to shine. Can't wait to see your journey on those.

Other great Charlton Heston movies, which Shan should watch: "Soylent Green", "The Omega Man", "Ben Hur", "The Ten Commandments", and "A Touch of Evil".

In honor of Charlton Houston you should consider reviewing the Omega Man, which a lot of us consider to be a science-fiction classic. It’s based on the original novel from which I am legend was remade, but it’s by far the superior film. Would love to see your reaction to that one. Keep up the excellent work, have a great day!

Great reaction to this sci-fi classic. Jerry Goldsmith started scoring for TV in the 1950's and early 60's. His first film score was in 1957. One of his first major film scores was in 1962 for Lonely Are The Brave with Kirk Douglas and I highly recommend this film. It was also Kirk's personal favorite film.

Great reaction. I hope you continue on with the rest of the original franchise...4 more to go. If you DO, you will see how it IS possible for the apes to evolve in such a short time. :)

On a sidenote: If you haven´t already seen it: The movie "Twilight Zone" (1983) is also worth watching. It is based on the classic TV series and even features a remake of a classic episode that featured William Shatner (Captain Kirk). The remake of that episode doesn´t feature William Shatner, but Dan Akroyd (Ghostbusters & Blues Brothers) has a small role in it. The movie was (besides others) directed by John Landis (Blues Brothers & American Werewolf) and Joe Dante (Gremlins & The Howling).

Great flick, isn't it? As to the shortness of the "evolutionary" period, remember that this film was made during the era of the "talking apes" experiments, of Washoe and Nim Chimpsky. There was still a hope that apes could be taught to speak like humans, so it wasn't so far-fetched that they would have learned to do so in 2,000 years. (Of course now we know that it's impossible since they don't have the hardware.) The story of how this happened is laid out in the sequels. No spoilers, but one really should watch them in order. The third one is the lightest, with the most humor, and the fourth one is the most intense and politically charged. Personally, I think you can skip the last one but it's good, too.

I love this one so much more than the reboots. Yes, the apes look like people in makeup, (which it won an academy award for, by the way...) but the script is so much better. I doubt too many studios would want to touch that whole science vs religion subtext just at the moment. Beneath the Planet of the Apes should be included on any list of best sequels ever. After that, the original franchise goes a little further downhill with each new movie.

There was at least one other great science fiction classic around this time called "Fantastic Voyage". Highly recommended.

It was a mind blowing movie in 1968 and a blockbuster that launched 4 sequels, a tv show, a cartoon and a massive amount of merchandise.

I remember thinking at the end I would be so broken to have it confirmed I was home the whole time. Great reaction as always my guy ! Keep them coming.

PLEASE react to Soylent Green at some point this year. Another Charlton Heston classic and it's set in the future, dystopian future of 2022 :D

The recent Planet of the Apes trilogy is rather exceptional. The Matt Reeves films get particularly heavy. For some good fun, you should eventually give a watch to Tim Burton's remake from 2001; it's a doozy.

You should definitely watch the whole series, even if it isn't as a reaction. It answers the whole history of the Planet of the Apes.

The later movies explain how the evolution of the apes happened. Each adding its own lore to the series. In some ways you can consider this movie and the movie sequel following this as being like the original star wars trilogy. Its not the first movies chronologically but they let you know to some extent how the story inevitably ends.

What i found really interesting is that the Ape society did nothing invent on their own. Everything is eiter directly or indirectly adopted by the previous Human civilization. In 2000 years they didn't invent anything.

One of my favourite films , Do invasion of the body snatchers sometime , that's another of my favourites. I think the same director made Papillon , which is a great film.

2:13 "This film is not set on Earth??"....I chuckled LOL

1968 was a great year for science fiction movies. (I was 14 at the time.) “Planet of the Apes” and “2001:A Space Odyssey” are iconic films.

Great review.I say the sequels are worth a watch .For other Charlton Heston films I reccomend Touch of Evil,Omega Man ,Soylent Green,The Big Country ,The Three Muskateers and The Ten Commandments .I must also reccomend the work of Cornelius's actor:Fright Night(!985),Legend of Hell House (!973) ,Man Hunt (1941),Cleopatra (!963),Poseidon Adventure (1972) and That Darn Cat (1965)

I read the original book years ago.It was quite different,with a civilization similar to ours,as opposed to the primitive look of the movies (due to budget).

Long time viewer but first time commenting. You absolutely have my favorite movie reactions because you give great, thoughtful analysis after you watch and it’s fun seeing how your thoughts become sharper the more movies you watch. It’s been fun seeing your knowledge grow and how you apply things to other movies. And thank you for seriously taking when a film was made into account! I’ve seen so many people fail on that and they don’t look at a movie through the lens of when it was made in terms of effects, social commentary, etc.

This was also social commentary movie of the times ,I've been a fan of this classic series even watched the TV show series and cartoon as a kid ,the budget for each film kept decreasing but the box office gross for each film kept out grossing each previous one...rod serling of twilight zone fame wrote this screenplay,can't wait for you to watch beneath the planet of the apes

What a classic. This one and beneath the planet of the apes are my faves. Both endings are insane.

I always enjoy your reactions, I'm glad you did this masterpiece.

This is one of my favorite movies. I remember watching it at TV when I was 14 years old. It left a huge impact in myself. I recommend the following movies with Charlton Heston: Ben Hur, El Cid, Touch of Evil, The ten Commandments, The Big Country, etc. I Aldo lijes his cameos in Hamlet and True Lies.

Saw your intelligent, thoughtful review of "Planet of the Apes" (one of my favorite sci-fi movies) and became an instant subscriber. Well done!

Rod Serling = Genius (just thought I’d mention that…)

The Actor who played Cornelius is a very famous actor Roddy McDowall

Great reaction to a great film! Other Charlton Heston films you might want to check out: "Ben-Hur" (1959) "The Ten Commandments" (1956) "The Omega Man" (1971)(remake of "The Last Man on Earth" which was the 1st adaptation of the novella "I Am Legend" by Richard Matheson - likewise, Will Smith's "I Am Legend" (2007) was a remake of "The Omega Man") "Soylent Green" (1973) "Midway" (1976) "El Cid" (1961)

Aside from the evolution issue, which they did attempt to explain in the sequels, one of my bigger problems with the film was how Taylor demonstrates flight to the astonished apes with a paper airplane, which _glides_ rather than flies. I find it very difficult to believe that a species who possessed paper, even in such a strict theological society, would never once have noticed that it was capable of gliding briefly when folded a certain way (or just carried on a strong gust of wind). Still a great movie for all the reasons you mentioned and an absolute classic.

Schaffner made two great movies in the 70's Patton & Papillon.

4:25 I've always believed Heston's character is laughing at that moment because he's certain America will not exist 2000 years into the future so it appears comical to him that this guy still holds on to that notion.

A few things: This is one of my all-time favorite movies, thank you for your excellent (as always!) reaction. Back in the mid-70s, movie theaters would have ape-athons where they would show a couple of the movies in sequence in one screening. I remember attending one where the first movie began at 9am on Saturday morning and the last one, Battle for the Planet of the Apes, ended sometime around 7pm. There were short breaks in between movies so you could use the restroom and get your snacks. The theater was packed all day long with both adults and kids. I was around 14 or 15 back then. Taylor accuses Dr. Zaius of having Landon lobotomized which was actually true. Landon probably began speaking when he woke up after the hunt, Zaius was probably notified about a talking human so he ordered the lobotomy. Zaius pretty much admits this to Taylor during their meeting in Zaius's office later. Also, Zira makes a comment about Zaius lurking around the infirmary/cages the past few days and that something was bothering him. He was looking for more intelligent humans. Thanks again for your reaction!

Time to watch the new Shan drop for the most thoughtful reactions on the Tube!

You'll note toward the end of 2011's _Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes_ that the astronauts are shown blasting off in a TV playing in the background of a scene. The 1968 original & 2011 reboot series are in the same universe.

I remember watching the first two of these movies on television when I was a kid, as well as the television series. In the seventies, when I was a kid watching this, seeing that ending blew my mind. But after so many movies like it over the decades, I can see why it loses that shock.

Planet of the Apes was huge during its time. There were even Marvel comics, I still have them. There were only 12 issues with background information about the making of the movies, which was very unique, because at that time there was no such thing like "Making of..." like nowadays. In the Marvel comics they portrayed the movie plot but they also ventured into different directions. One storyline was a society of apes who life on a huge old-fashioned ship with sails, the size of an aircraft-carrier. Very weird and bizarre vibes. :)

Charlton Heston says that Earth has changed "Nearly 700 years" - yet it's OVER 700 years - 701 years! This is one of my all-time FAVORITE movies!

TIM BURTON also did a remake several years ago starting Mark Wahlberg playing Charlton Heston's character. The beach sequence at end of film was shot at ZUMA BEACH, my favorite in Los Angeles County. Funny trivia, at the South East corner where the Statue of Liberty is shown, you go up a cluster of boulders and it becomes a nude beach with great hiking trails up the cliffs and amazing views of the Pacific Ocean. There are also several caves formed by erosion. There are countless movie and televivion films that have been filmed there.

This is one of the few older excellent Sci-Fi films to have very good and worthwhile modern sequels. Most of the direct sequels back in the day were good as well.

Charlton Heston… One movie. The 10 Commandments!! What an epic with beautiful colors and cinematography!! Many like Benhur also, some more but for my money is the 10 Commandments not to miss!!!

The writing deserves tons of credit. The film is based on a science fiction novel from French author Pierre Boulle (definitely worth reading, it is a classic in the genre) with a script cowritten by the legendary Rod Serling. Serling was most famous for creating classic TV shows The Twilight Zone and Night Gallery, but he was also among television's first generations of great writers with others such as Paddy Chayefsky (whi wrote Network). Serling (not Sterling) had a grasp on the human condition that is rarely seen and his scripts remain among some of the best things ever filmed. And that line about "precious cargo" isn't cringy when not viewed with the watered down lens of political correctness. Without the female crew member there is no chance of furthering humanity. That's precious.

A classic and a film I always find depressing, for some reason. Be aware the sequels are.... variable. The 3rd one might be worth you looking at as it is has a major change of location (no spoilers) and it is pretty much all character based.

Holy shit no way! Please continue! Please watch all of the originals! They all need more attention! You have no idea how happy I am!

Great reaction to a true classic. Some very subtle social commentary and one of the greatest endings in movie history. This was the Star Wars of it's decade.There were toys, products and Bubble Gum cards. Diminishing returns on the sequels, IMO. Beneath has some great moments and good production values, it slides from there. For Charleton Heston films I would recommend Ben Hur(1959) and although a bit B movieish, The Omega Man (1971). Still the best of the three film adaptations of the story. I Am Legend.

Thank you so much for this review, Shan! It was so entertaining to experience "Planet of the Apes" WITH YOU for the first time...! MY first view happened when it opened in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

I absolutely adore this movie! So happy to watch your reaction. Plus, Nova is the most wildly beautiful woman in movie history. I'll stand by that assertion.

I love the original series of films so much, the first movie I remember seeing theatrically was Battle for the Planet of the Apes. The reboot from Tim Burton was ok but the newest trilogy is awesome.

A shockingly brilliant movie. I often wonder whether this wasn't the original earth but a parallel universe earth. Love your reactions as always. You always react to great movies that other reactors don't. x

Great reaction and I am glad that you chose this older film. There are several from the same time period. There are not bad films. You may know Roddy McDowell as one of the apes. As far as Charlton Heston performances, I would have you check out The Ten Commandments, Ben Hur, and Soylent Green.