You know how you lose track of time and then become astonished to learn how long ago something actually occurred. I reviewed "Planet of the Apes" on this board a full ten years ago! and haven't seen any of it's sequels since, until this one the other day. With a fairly clear memory of how the original ended, this one pretty much picks up from that point when search team astronaut Brent (James Franciscus) discovers the Statue of Liberty in New York harbor, and journeys his way through the land of the Apes Forbidden Zone attempting to find Charlton Heston's character from the earlier movie.
Perhaps it was evident in the original "Planet of the Apes" and I didn't notice it, but the various ape tribes are organized by their vocation on the planet. The orangutans are scientists, the gorillas rule militarily and the chimpanzees portray ordinary citizens for the most part. Some cross over occurs, as with the characters of Zira (Kim Hunter) and Cornelius (David Watson), but for the most part the simians don't cross boundaries. I thought that was kind of interesting, as humans on the planet are considered inferior by all - "The only good human is a dead human".
What I really got a kick out of was the way Brent discovered his old neighborhood by way of the Queensboro Plaza Station and advertising for the New York Summer Festival. Shortly after, a casual stroll with Nova (Linda Harrison) brings them to the remains of the New York Public Library, the New York Stock Exchange and Radio City Music Hall. Not being a city resident, I wouldn't know otherwise, but I wouldn't bet that all those places were within walking distance of each other, but then again, it's a sci-fi story.
Things get interesting in the second half of the picture when the humans make their appearance in the underground caverns, with their perverted views of religious fealty to an atomic bomb strategically placed in the remains of St. Patrick's Cathedral. With their ability to project telepathic illusions however, I couldn't quite figure out why they would have needed the rubber masks to hide their real features. Just a thought wave could have taken care of all that, wouldn't it?
The way this one ends seems to indicate a doomsday scenario after Taylor (Heston) shows up once more, and it would seem there would be no justification for another three sequels, but I'm not up enough on my 'Planet' lore just yet to know how it all transpires. Still, I thought this was a fairly entertaining entry in the series of films, so I'll be on the lookout for the others as time goes by.
Perhaps it was evident in the original "Planet of the Apes" and I didn't notice it, but the various ape tribes are organized by their vocation on the planet. The orangutans are scientists, the gorillas rule militarily and the chimpanzees portray ordinary citizens for the most part. Some cross over occurs, as with the characters of Zira (Kim Hunter) and Cornelius (David Watson), but for the most part the simians don't cross boundaries. I thought that was kind of interesting, as humans on the planet are considered inferior by all - "The only good human is a dead human".
What I really got a kick out of was the way Brent discovered his old neighborhood by way of the Queensboro Plaza Station and advertising for the New York Summer Festival. Shortly after, a casual stroll with Nova (Linda Harrison) brings them to the remains of the New York Public Library, the New York Stock Exchange and Radio City Music Hall. Not being a city resident, I wouldn't know otherwise, but I wouldn't bet that all those places were within walking distance of each other, but then again, it's a sci-fi story.
Things get interesting in the second half of the picture when the humans make their appearance in the underground caverns, with their perverted views of religious fealty to an atomic bomb strategically placed in the remains of St. Patrick's Cathedral. With their ability to project telepathic illusions however, I couldn't quite figure out why they would have needed the rubber masks to hide their real features. Just a thought wave could have taken care of all that, wouldn't it?
The way this one ends seems to indicate a doomsday scenario after Taylor (Heston) shows up once more, and it would seem there would be no justification for another three sequels, but I'm not up enough on my 'Planet' lore just yet to know how it all transpires. Still, I thought this was a fairly entertaining entry in the series of films, so I'll be on the lookout for the others as time goes by.