Return to the Planet of the Apes (1975)

Return to the Planet of the Apes (1975)

13 episodes, approx. 30 minutes each.

An animated TV Series that borrows characters from some of the previous Planet of the Apes live action productions but is nevertheless its own thing, requiring no prior franchise knowledge.

The ape-world is more technologically advanced than we'd seen before, with concrete buildings, televisions, and automobiles with internal combustion engines, putting it closer to Pierre Boulle's original 1963 novel than any of its film or TV predecessors had come.

The means by which the three human astronauts — 

Jeff Allen (Austin Stoker), Bill Hudson (Tom Williams), and Judy Franklin (Claudette Nevins) – get to the titular 'planet' is similar to how it was for Taylor and Brent in Films 01 and 02, respectively.

The relationship that the trio of astronauts have with chimpanzee scientists Cornelius (Edwin Mills) and Zira (Philippa Harris) is reminiscent of how it was with the human-sympathisers and Taylor, making it feel like some kind of parallel timeline.

Planet of the Apes: Visionaries (2018)

Planet of the Apes: Visionaries (2018)

Author: Dana Gould (based on a screenplay by Rod Serling) | Illustrator: Chad Lewis | Page Count: 138

"It's a machine. The whole damn thing's a machine. Sophisticated and very ingenious... But always with the possibility of error."

A comic book based on Rod Serling's screenplay of the first Planet of the Apes movie, itself based on author Pierre Boulle's original La Planète des Singes (1963) novel, aka Monkey Planet. Serling's story was modified before being filmed, in part because it was a little too extravagant for the production team's budget, but much of what made it onscreen is present in the text, albeit occurring in a setting that's far removed from the pre-industrial one featured in the famous movie.

The main protagonist is US astronaut John Thomas, whose exploits take a similar path to that of Taylor in the movie, but his personality is very different.

What's most interesting about the book is the ape society, which is somewhat analogous to that of NY, circa 1950-60s. There are still social divisions between the three different ape types, but the hierarchy is less pronounced, so they work together a lot more closely than they did onscreen.

Planet of the Apes (2001)

Planet of the Apes (2001)

Dir. Tim Burton

Replace the image you have of Charlton Heston with Mark Walberg. Things are already bad, but they get much worse. Read on.

In an interesting first act, Walberg flies directly into danger to rescue his favourite space-chimp and, because no good deed goes unpunished in film, crashes in a studio backlot decorated with foliage. Soon after it becomes Marky Mark and the Monkey Bunch and the two-hour running time feels like ten hours.

The Ape City is more advanced than what we'd seen before in live action PotA films. Visually, it looks good (and the apes like to look good too, as evidenced by the barber shop). The resident kids even play basketball in the street! That's the kind of evolution we understand.

Planet of the Apes: TV Series (1974)

Planet of the Apes: TV Series (1974)

14 episodes, approx. 47 minutes each.

A spin-off TV series of the popular movie franchise. For info on the five original movies see HERE.

The human population can talk. It's a departure from the norm but it makes sense for dramatic purposes. Before getting upset about such changes, it's worth considering that the first Planet of the Apes film was set in the year 3978. The TV series is set sometime during or after the year 3085 (it's never specifically stated). That leaves a possible 893 years between series and film, ample time for mankind to forget how to speak for any number of reasons.

Alternatively, and this is my own preferred stance, the series can be considered as a separate entity, as simply another telling of the original 1963 Pierre Boulle novel. The reason I feel that approach makes more sense is because it avoids a number of other small inconsistencies with the films.

Planet of the Apes: The Original Films (1968-73)

01. Planet of the Apes (1968)

Dir. Franklin J. Schaffner

The original Apes movie that started the hairy ball rolling is the best of the lot.

Charlton Heston is our guide. He's Taylor, the everyman; albeit an everyman who can pilot a spaceship, has a cynical disposition, a will of iron and some well-groomed chest hair.

He and three other crew members are testing a scientific theory about time dilation aboard a US space shuttle. But something goes wrong, and they crash-land on the titular planet.

The story, based on Pierre Boulle's novel La Planète des Singes (1963), isn't just sharp social commentary (including powerful observations on such topics as the crippling consequences of having a government that places science and religion in the same bed, and the murky moral waters that too much pride can place a people in), it's also cold, hard science fiction that holds a mirror up to modern life, showing self-evident truths that, despite having been made in the late 60s, are still a part of how we live today.