Classic science fiction film starring Charlton Heston as an astronaut stranded on a planet where apes rule and humans are slaves/brutes hunted for sport and used for medical experimentation.  The proceedings move along at a fairly steady pace thanks to Franklin Schaffner’s able direction.  Ground breaking makeup work by John Chambers and a pun-filled, satiric script by Rod Serling.  This movie caught the public’s imagination and four sequels, each weaker than the last, were spawned as a result.  Very striking beginning to this film as Heston is the last astronaut to enter hyper sleep and the space ship passes through star fields [More]
“Beneath the Planet of the Apes” is my favorite sequel in the ape picture cycle.  Charlton Heston, “Taylor” and his companion, “Nova”, continue on their quest to find an Eden on the scorched planet away from the dominant species apes they have more than had their fill of following the telling of the first Ape movie, “Planet of the Apes”.  The two end up being imprisioned by a mutant race of humans living among the nuclear war shattered ruins of New York city.  The mutants worship a doomsday bomb that comes in to play later on in the movie. Enter  James Franciscus as [More]