Originally based on the novel by French author Pierre Boulle titled Le Planete des singes, the very first Planet of the Apes movie was a huge success. The original film has gone down in cinema history as one of the most iconic films of all time. Since the original film’s success, several sequels and reboots have been made trying to capitalize on that initial success.
Some of these movies were absolute duds that didn’t come close to living up to the original. Others were so good that they surpassed that original movie. Nine films in total, this film series has had its fair share of serious ups and downs. Here is every single Planet of the Apes movie arranged in chronological order.
Planet of the Apes (1968)
This is the movie that started it all. Starring Charlton Heston as astronaut George Taylor, the movie opens when he lands on a strange, uncanny planet. Taylor is horrified to find out that this planet is actually ruled by an extremely intelligent race of apes. Humans, on the other hand, have a seriously diminished mental capacity who simply serve as animals and pets of their ape overlords. Basically, it is a reversal of the roles that apes and humans have in the world Taylor comes from.
This film won several impressive awards for its masterful storytelling. It received great financial success as well, becoming a blockbuster success upon its release. It is an absolute classic in film history. Several lines from the film remain incredibly iconic to this day, such as, “Get your hands off of me you damn dirty ape!” Perhaps the moment that truly cemented its legacy was the last second reveal of the movie.
Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970)
The follow up to the original classic was Beneath the Planet of the Apes. Compared to the original, this film did not come close to living up to the original’s greatness. Starring James Franciscus with Charlton Heston returning in a supporting role, it was an utter failure at capturing what the first film was all about.
Although it was an absolute success at the box office, Beneath the Planet of the Apes was lambasted by critics. Many of the sequel’s dretractors described it as childish and absolutely missing the point.
Escape from the Planet of the Apes (1971)
Escape from the Planet of the Apes was the most critically acclaimed of the original five sequels to the initial Planet of the Apes film. While the original movie showed Taylor traveling from the present to the eponymous Planet of the Apes, in this movie the characters Cornelius and Zira used his spaceship to travel back in time to 1973.
This film did the job better than any of the other original sequels of replicating what made the original so great. Reversing the situation by sending the apes to the past was a clever twist that kept things very interesting and refreshing.
Conquest of the Planet of the Apes (1972)
The third sequel to the original movie, Conquest of the Planet of the Apes shows the rise of Caesar, who is a sort of mythological figure and savior who is said to bring about the actual Planet of the Apes. In this new world of 1991, a spaceborne illness has wiped out cats and dogs, leading to apes becoming humans’ new pets of choice.
Hoping to begin a movement and lead a revolution to free the apes, Caesar frees a large number of apes and begins a plan to free more. While this film was quite original in its story, it was very average in its execution. It had minimal success.
Battle for the Planet of the Apes (1973)
The final film in the original series, Battle for the Planet of the Apes showed Caesar and his forces finally winning their freedom. Towards the end of the movie, Caesar decides to end the vicious cycle and spare the humans. Instead, the two races live together as equals.
Battle for the Planet of the Apes was the lowest-grossing film in the entire series. Acclaimed film critic Roger Ebert described the film as “the last gasp of a dying series.” Although the idea of Caesar’s revolution would later be rebooted to much more success, this initial attempt fell flat.
Planet of the Apes (2001)
The Tim Burton-directed reboot of the franchise had a lot of hype going into it. Many thought that this would be a worthy sequel that displayed great filmmaking but sadly, this did not turn out to be the case.
This Mark Wahlberg starring film was absolutely destroyed by critics upon its release. Although many technical aspects such as the makeup of the apes were praised, the actual storytelling of this movie was left wanting. It had a unique and clever ending twist that did a great job of living up to the original without copying it. Unfortunately, that wasn’t enough to save this movie.
Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011)
The first film of the latest Planet of the Apes trilogy, Rise gave a very unique spin on the series. One of the greatest aspects of this trilogy that started in Rise of the Planet of the Apes was the motion capture technology. Andy Serkis used motion capture to play the protagonist Caesar. The sheer emotion displayed by Serkis matched with his character’s chemistry with James Franco made this film a must-see.
Critics gave the film positive reviews, praising the performances and screenplay. Everyone was excited to see where the franchise would go next.
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014)
The second film in this series improved upon the already great first movie. Andy Serkis’ performance got even better. The motion capture technology also continued to improve. While the apes may not have been exactly lifelike, their performances felt absolutely real which helped the audience connect to these animal characters emotionally.
This sequel showed the ape population continuing to grow more organized and self-conscious, while the human population drew closer to extinction. What really makes this series stand out from the rest is that the self-conscious apes are played with enough nuance and emotion to make them just as great of characters as the humans in the movie.
War for the Planet of the Apes (2017)
The final film in this Andy Serkis trilogy is by far the best. It may, in fact, be better than the original 1968 classic. This film’s absolute mastery helped cement the Andy Serkis Planet of the Apes trilogy as one of the greatest trilogies in both the sci-fi genre and in film history. Not one of these three films is even close to a disappointment.
Andy Serkis’ performance is deserving of an Oscar in this film. Unfortunately, due to the fact he was performing motion capture, his last time as Caesar was overlooked by the academy. Nevertheless, his portrayal of Caesar as a burdened leader and Moses figure was truly captivating.
