Planet of the Apes
2 Oscar Nominations·National Film Registry
Rent/Purchase
Astronaut Taylor crash lands on a distant planet ruled by apes who use a primitive race of humans for experimentation and sport. Soon Taylor finds himself among the hunted, his life in the hands of a benevolent chimpanzee scientist.
What critics thought
Greeted with generally strong reviews on release — though not without dissenters who found it silly — Planet of the Apes has only grown in stature over the decades and is now widely treated as a classic of the genre. The tension critics kept returning to in 1968 was whether its social commentary elevated or encumbered the adventure, with most concluding the two coexist better than expected.
“It is no good at all, but fun, at moments, to watch.”
Renata Adler·The New York Times
“much better than I expected it to be. It is quickly paced, completely entertaining, and its philosophical pretensions don't get in the way”
Roger Ebert·Chicago Sun-Times
“A triumph of artistry and imagination, it is at once a timely parable and a grand adventure on an epic scale.”
Kevin Thomas·Los Angeles Times
“the script "at times digresses into low comedy", but "the totality of the film works very well”
Arthur D. Murphy·Variety
Genres
Adventure, Sci-Fi
Cast & Crew
DirectorFranklin J. Schaffner
StarringCharlton Heston, Roddy McDowall, Kim Hunter, Maurice Evans, James Whitmore
ComposerJerry Goldsmith
Planet of the Apes
2 Oscar Nominations·National Film Registry
Astronaut Taylor crash lands on a distant planet ruled by apes who use a primitive race of humans for experimentation and sport. Soon Taylor finds himself among the hunted, his life in the hands of a benevolent chimpanzee scientist.
What critics thought
Greeted with generally strong reviews on release — though not without dissenters who found it silly — Planet of the Apes has only grown in stature over the decades and is now widely treated as a classic of the genre. The tension critics kept returning to in 1968 was whether its social commentary elevated or encumbered the adventure, with most concluding the two coexist better than expected.
“It is no good at all, but fun, at moments, to watch.”
Renata Adler·The New York Times
“much better than I expected it to be. It is quickly paced, completely entertaining, and its philosophical pretensions don't get in the way”
Roger Ebert·Chicago Sun-Times
“A triumph of artistry and imagination, it is at once a timely parable and a grand adventure on an epic scale.”
Kevin Thomas·Los Angeles Times
“the script "at times digresses into low comedy", but "the totality of the film works very well”
Arthur D. Murphy·Variety
Genres
Adventure, Sci-Fi
Cast & Crew
DirectorFranklin J. Schaffner
StarringCharlton Heston, Roddy McDowall, Kim Hunter, Maurice Evans, James Whitmore
ComposerJerry Goldsmith
Rent/Purchase