PLANET OF THE APES (FILM COLLECTIONS) - Blu-ray review

The 1963 Pierre Boulle novel Planet of the Apes was earmarked by Hollywood very quickly after its initial publishing. However, the studios balked at some of the early scripts and were quite weary of the expenses that would have been required to keep true to the novel by depicting the apes as an advanced society. After some urging and test footage was presented to Fox featuring star Charlton Heston, "Planet of the Apes" was given the green light and the 1968 motion picture starring Heston, Roddy McDowell and Kim Hunter quickly launched a five film franchise that ended with the poorly received 1973 film "Battle for the Planet of the Apes." Heston would appear in the first two films and only Roddy McDowell would retain a starring role throughout the series, but the blitzkrieg of "Apes" pictures has established itself as one of the better loved science fiction franchises.

The franchise has been a popular property for Twentieth Century Fox when it comes to releasing large, expansive and expensive box sets. The five films were first released onto DVD as "Planet of the Apes: The Evolution" in a pricey and limited edition collection. I honestly cannot recall what the pricing of that set was when it was released, but it was much ballyhooed for the included documentary "Behind the Planet of the Apes." The price of $99.95 sticks in my head, but this may be a low number. In early 2006, the series was given a re-release onto DVD with the "Planet of the Apes: The Legacy Collection" repackaged the contents of the earlier box set for about half the price. An "Ultimate Collection" was also released for roughly $180 and contained the short lived television series and animated shows in addition to the films.

Today, the high definition generation can get their stinking paws on a very attractive and pricey Blu-ray collection titled "Planet of the Apes: 40-Year Evolution." Priced at $139.99, this new box set comes in a very large and very attractive packaging that includes a gorgeous 200 page hard bound book and five Blu-ray discs containing the films and essential supplemental materials. Fox is making the films available separately as well and purchasing them individually at $35 a pop would easily push the price beyond the relatively value-priced box set. I have some minor complaints about the packaging, but there is no denying that this is a very attractive release. My two complaints are first in the size of the box set. It won't fit easily on any DVD or Blu-ray shelf and must be placed separately than the majority of a movie lover's collection. My copy now sits with the DVD special edition of "E.T. The Extra Terrestrial" and some surviving LaserDisc titles. The other complaint I have is the rubber nubs that are used to hold the discs in place. Getting them off is easy enough, but putting the disc back into the box can be troublesome.

The series began with the very successful and landmark 1968 film "The Planet of the Apes." This film would define the modern film franchise and was the first film to successfully introduce the notion of production sequels in a manner that is familiar today. The story became a hot property in Hollywood shortly after the novel was published, but script problems and uneasiness about the required effects to bring the story to light caused delays in bringing the Pierre Boulle story to the big screen. After a number of rewrites including a Rod Serling attempt at the story, director Franklin J. Schaffner and star Charlton Heston delivered "The Planet of the Apes" to audiences with great delight and earned accolades from critics and financial success for Richard Zanuck and Twentieth Century Fox.

The Planet of the Apes

"The Planet of the Apes" finds astronaut George Taylor (Heston) and his shipmates Landon (Robert Gunner) and Dodge (Jeff Burton) surviving a crash landing. Their female shipmate died during the crash, but the three surviving men realize to survive they must seek food on the barren, but inhabitable planet. They realize that their interstellar travels resulted in time travel and they are thousands of years into the future from when they took off from Earth in the Seventies. While they know that they have crash landed in the future, they have no idea of what planet they have crashed upon. They quickly set out into the arid landscape and after some time find plant life and unusual scarecrows that suggest there is some form of intelligent life on the planet, albeit primitive. When they discover the planet's inhabitants, they find they are mute humans who are about as evolved as early cavemen.

Taylor and his men are not alone on the planet with the primitive humans. Large ape men who possess the ability to speak English appear in a hunting party to collect the primitive humans. They possess firearms and Dodge is shot and killed. They then capture Taylor, Landon and a number of the humans and take them to their society where two ape scientists Dr. Galen (Wright King) and Dr. Zira (Kim Hunter) prod and test those captured. Taylor was injured during the chase by the apes and at first is unable to speak. He is paired with the lovely primitive woman Nova (Linda Harrison) as a mate and Kira shows a great deal of curiosity with "Blue Eyes," as she calls Taylor. She introduces Taylor to her fiancé Cornelius (Roddy McDowell) and then takes Taylor to meet the ape's leader Dr. Zaius (Maurice Evans). Zaius orders Taylor to be killed, but he escapes and during the escape he regains his ability to speak and mutters "take your stinking paws off me you damned dirty ape!"

The remainder of the film focuses on Taylor wanting to escape from his prescribed death with his new mate Nova. He is tried in an ape court and Zaius tries to declare that Taylor is not fully able to speak, but can mimic words. Soon Taylor discovers that Landon has had his brains scrambled with a primitive lobotomy. With Zira and Cornelius finding a strong liking and friendship with Taylor, they orchestrate an escape for the humans and this leads them onto an adventure into the forbidden zone. The foursome are caught up to by Zaius in a cave that was inhabited by earlier man and a plastic doll is refuted as unimportant by Zaius, although Taylor argues that an intelligent and social civilization of man existed before the ape society. Taylor manages to escape with Nova from Zaius and the ape soldiers and the climactic and iconic reveal of the ruins of the Statue of Liberty is evidence that the planet of the apes is indeed Earth.

This first film is a remarkable science fiction film. It currently sits in the IMDB top 250 list for good reason. This is one of the finest science fiction films created and while the sequels certainly lacked the power, performances and storytelling of this first movie, it helped define the modern notion of a blockbuster franchise. Heston, Hunter and McDowell are all very good in the film and I'm certain that "The Planet of the Apes" would not have been nearly as successful if this threesome had not formed the nucleus of the film. Schaffner and his filmmakers deserve a large amount of praise as well. The story was reworked to make the ape civilization less tech-savvy and it works beautifully and the film was produced on a very low budget and the makeup and other effects work very well even forty years later. Schaffner would go on to make "Patton" and while that is considered his masterpiece, "The Planet of the Apes" is another career defining film.

I'm not going to go into a lot of depth and discussion of the four sequels, nor will I continue to sing the praises of this iconic first film. The story, quotes and the Earth shattering reveal are all too familiar to nearly anybody that owns a television. This is a historic film and a very entertaining one at that. The film itself is available as a separate Blu-ray disc and for those that simply love the first movie and have little to no interest in the sequels, I will suggest to you that you discontinue reading this review and move down to the technical discussion or just head out to the local video store and purchase a copy of "The Planet of the Apes" separately. For those that enjoy the campy nature of the four sequels and love all things related to the universe created by Boulle's story, the please continue as I try to move through the other films quickly an give some brief plot discussion and my thoughts on the films.

Beneath the Planet of the Apes

The first film was so successful that Richard Zanuck decided to gamble once again on the franchise after Fox had lost a great deal of money on a few major failures. He asked a huge favor from Charlton Heston and after some confusion and initial hesitation by the big star, Heston returned for an extended cameo as Taylor in a bid to capitalize on the success of the first film and earn some much needed money for the studio. Television star James Franciscus was pulled into the project to act as star of the film and director Ted Post took over reigns while Schaffner was making "Patton." Post had just previously directed Clint Eastwood in "Hang ‘Em High" and was eager to tell another story about an ape civilization. Kim Hunter, Maurice Evans and Linda Harrison all returned as well and star Roddy McDowell was absent from the first sequel aside from recycled footage; the only film not to feature the British thespian out of the five "Apes" films. The film released to strong financial success, but was not received well by critics.

In the sequel, astronaut Brent (Franciscus) is sent on a rescue mission to find Taylor. Through the miracle of science, he manages to travel the same length of time as Taylor and lands on the future Earth where the Statue of Liberty is ruins and the world is ruled by apes. It is revealed that Taylor disappeared and Nova was left without him. Brent and Nova meet and become traveling companions shortly into the film. The ape General Ursus (James Gregory) wants to kill all humans and hopes to lead a war party into the Forbidden Zone. After capture by the apes, they escape to the Forbidden Zone and there Brent finds a cave with a surviving nuclear missile and religious cult that worships it. Brent reveals to the telepathic humans in the cave that the apes are marching to war against them and Brent is thrown into a prison where he finds Taylor a captive. When Ursus arrives, a large battle breaks out and the film's big climax finds Taylor destroying the entire world while detonating the nuclear warhead.

Heston had wanted the film to end with a major explosion destroying the planet of the apes and the filmmakers had hoped this would be a shocking ending to rival the first film. Looking back, perhaps it would have been fitting if all the apes had indeed perished and the series ended after this second film. While it does have some entertainment value, it cannot compare to the very strong and impressive original picture. Heston doesn't seem excited to be part of the production and the entire storyline feels hokey. Kim Hunter and others that return are still good in their roles, but this lesser story and the unusual plot focused around the telepathic humans just lacks the power of the original. "The Planet of the Apes" established the concept of a blockbuster franchise and "Beneath the Planet of the Apes" quickly details that you can make money based upon an IP, even if it isn't very good. Sequels are historically ineffectual and this film was the prototype.

Escape From the Planet of the Apes

The second picture in the series proved profitable. However, it ended with the entire world being destroyed and created a difficult situation to provide a continuation of the series. Charlton Heston died in the second film and would have refused to return for a second sequel. However, the powers that be at Fox were quick to formulate a plan to keep their profitable science fiction franchise afloat and conjured up a story to bring back some of the main characters from the first two films. They also managed to cover for the lack of Heston in the third picture by once again adding Malcolm McDowell to the cast. The third film is marginally better than the second and this is almost entirely due to the work by Hunter and McDowell. Director Don Taylor became the third director in as many films and began a trend of directing lesser sequels to notable first films and went on to direct "Damien: Omen II."

This third film reintroduces Zira (Hunter) and Cornelius (McDowell) as main characters. While the planet of the apes was destroyed by a nuclear explosion, these two highly intelligent apes managed to figure out the technology of Taylor's previously destroyed and sunken space ship and repair it for space flight. Along with new ape Dr. Milo (Sal Mineo), the three were able to achieve space flight just before Taylor nuked the planet. Their trip sends them back in time to the Seventies; just after Taylor left. There they are first treated in a manner similar to how they treated Taylor, but they are soon accepted as celebrities. Zira is tricked into becoming drunk and revealing that the apes destroy Earth and soon they become a menace to society. The apes are quickly placed into danger after Cornelius kills a man and it is revealed that Zira is pregnant. They escape captivity and find safety in a circus run by Armando (Ricardo Montalban). They two are killed, but it is revealed that Armando has kept their baby safe and given the new name of Caesar.

"Escape from the Planet of the Apes" is a camp classic. It shows many of the themes from the first film in a role reversal for the apes Zira and Cornelius. That helps make the story a slight better tale than the first sequel, but much of the allure of this third film in the franchise is in the campy nature in which the two apes become celebrities in the Seventies. It provides a lot of humor and for much of its running length, "Escape from the Planet of the Apes" becomes a comedy and this is easily the more light-hearted of the five films; at least until the shocking end when the two beloved characters are brutally removed from the series. I've never been one to feel that this movie is a classic in the same manner as the first film, but it is easily my second favorite "Apes" film and can make for a nice escape from reality on a cold night.

Conquest of the Planet of the Apes

After the third film, Kim Hunter decided to call it quits and didn't return. Her character was dead, but so was Roddy McDowell's. However, the British actor had become the voice of the "Apes" series and he was given a new role in this fourth entry in the franchise. "Escape from the Planet of the Apes" was a successful film, but it had brought the series to then-present day Earth and the story ended with the shocking deaths of the kind hearted Zira and Cornelius. This didn't stop Fox from continuing their cash cow and J. Lee Thompson became the fourth director of an "Apes" film and writer Paul Dehn carried on his duties of finding new and mildly interesting ways of keeping things going. Thompson is best remembered for directing "The Guns of Navarone," and I'm not sure what drew him to this next iteration of the "Apes" franchise.

At this point, the story was getting very long in the tooth, but the Dehn scribed story introduced Roddy McDowell as Caesar, the son of his previous character. You could say there was a family familiarity between father and son. Years have passed since the death of his parents and apes have miraculously evolved and are now trainable and look far more like man than those which were previously seen in zoos and circuses. It is 1991 and society has changed. Pets have all died and the surviving apes became the servants of man. They become slaves. Caesar is the companion of Armando (Montalban) and Armando keeps Caesar from speaking or revealing that he is the son of Zira. The film progresses and it is revealed that Caesar can indeed speak and a revolution begins and ends the film with a large fight between man and ape and Caesar showing both aggression and compassion.

This fourth film's point of interest is the manner in which it poses the question of how one could affect time by traveling back in it. The history of the apes that was revealed in the first two films is clearly changed by the Cornelius and Zira returning to Earth. The film strives to bring the story full circle and tie the events of the previous film and the first film together by moving forward and not in reverse. This provides a little curiosity to the plot and story, but in all reality, the series was already tired when "Conquest of the Planet of the Apes" debuted in theaters. Watching this and the final entry in the franchise are more like guilty pleasures now and this movie's entertainment value exists only because of the existence of the previous films. You really need to love the series or Ricardo Montalban to appreciate this film.

Battle for the Planet of the Apes

Director J. Lee Thompson and Roddy McDowell returned for the fifth and final film. "Battle for the Planet of the Apes" is typically regarded as the worst reviewed film of the series and was created on a shoestring budget in a final feeble attempt to cash in on the success of the strong series name. Touted as ‘The Final Chapter,' "Battle for the Planet of the Apes" deals heavily with race and attempts to tie in all events from the previous four films to create a time continuum where the storyline comes full circle. Veteran actor John Huston appears in the film as the Lawgiver and aside from his presence and that of McDowell, "Battle for the Planet of the Apes" was composed of mostly unknowns.

The story takes place many years after the rebellion started by Caesar in the fourth film. Apes have now taken over most of world and only small pockets of humanity exist after a nuclear war. This can explain why the Statue of Liberty existed in ruin at the end of the first film. Caesar (McDowell) has become the ruler of the apes, although the character shows very little difference in age from the previous film. He attempts to create a peaceful society where humans teach apes how to speak and they coexist, but General Aldo (Claude Akins) would rather kill all humans and cares very little for learning. Eventually, Caesar is talked into travelling to the ruined city to find a tape of his parents by MacDonald (Austin Stoker). The city is occupied by mutated humans and led by Governor Kolp (Severn Darden). This visitation by Caesar and MacDonald leads Kolp against the apes where Aldo is more than ready for a full scale war against the humans.

"Battle for the Planet of the Apes" is definitely a guilty pleasure. The film possesses the lowest score on IMDB with a poorly reviewed 4.9 and is deservedly so of this low score. The film places a lot of emphasis on race and uses MacDonald as a figure to discuss slavery. These cultural undertones could have been explored and used more effectively, but it leaves "Battle" feeling like it is cashing in on the Blaxploitation of the early Seventies. Roddy MacDowell has his performance down perfectly after playing an ape in four films, but he does seem tired of the role and doesn't lend a particularly exciting performance. In fact, he comes across as bored and considering how dull this fifth and final film is, I cannot blame him for feeling as such.

Video:

The five films of the "Planet of the Apes: 40 Year Evolution" box set are all provided in 2.35:1 widescreen and mastered using the AVC MPEG-4 codec. The overall image quality of the five films is very good and I would suggest that they indeed do improve upon the previous DVD releases, however, the films typically get a little cleaner and more detailed as the series progresses and none of the films in particularly could be called reference material. Each film looks fairly clean and the amount of film grain present provides a very film-like experience that should please those that enjoy grain and is low enough to not frustrate those that are annoyed by the presence of the familiar foe of clarity. Detail and coloring are typically strong across the spectrum. The mastering are clean and I don't recall too much in the way of digital artificing or serious flaws from the source materials. I've certainly seen better catalog titles, but the "Planet of the Apes" series has never been particularly impressive in visuals and I was generally very pleased with how this set turned out.

"Planet of the Apes" itself looks clean enough, but this is the film most riddled with a little film grain and contains a few blemishes that were culled from the source materials. While detail is good, there are a few moments that are softer than usual and I noticed this was most prevalent when the lighting was low. The second film, "Beneath the Planet of the Apes" is a slight improvement over the first film and is a little cleaner and more detailed than the first picture, but it still contains a few flaws from the source materials and some softer moments where detail drops. "Escape from the Planet of the Apes" improves even more upon the previous two films and is very clean and detailed. The cityscapes and urban backdrops provide a nice amount of detail. "Conquest of the Planet of the Apes" seems to take a step back from improving and suffers because of the many dark scenes in the film. However, coloring is very good. "Battle for the Planet of the Apes" shows a little inconsistency, but it is capable of the most detailed imagery of the box set and the underground scenes show poor shadow detail and black levels.

Audio:

The age and quality of the source materials are a hindrance to the audio of the "40 Year Evolution" box set as well. Each film is mastered with an English 5.1 DTS HD Master Audio soundtrack that is clean, but limited in its range and usage of the rear surrounds. This new mix is a little louder than previous DVD releases and does sound a slight bit cleaner, but this is simply one of those series of films that will never be able to compete with the sound of a modern blockbuster without a massive remastering effort that would probably cost far more than it would be worth. Regardless, "The Planet of the Apes" and its four sequels sound clean on Blu-ray and I would consider it an upgrade over the previous box sets. I found the first three films to be cleanest, but through the sound dropped off a bit during the final two films, but this is mostly due to hokey sound design. Dialogue, other than some poor ADR recording, sounds quite clean through all five films.

Extras:

Disc 1: The Planet of the Apes

The first Blu-ray disc is chocked full of bonus features and gives an example of just how much data can be squeezed onto a singular 50GB Blu-ray platter. The Lawgiver opens up the disc with an announcement of the special features contained on the disc. The first of five menu options to Play Feature with Lawgiver Introduction (:24) is provided when you first attempt to play the film. It doesn't take long to grow tired of the Lawgiver. The commentary tracks are included. The Commentary by Actors Roddy McDowell, Kim Hunter and Natalie Trundy, and Makeup Artist John Chambers is a collection of comments from each of those credited and is recorded ‘Criterion Style' where each person was recorded separately. There is a good deal of dead space in this commentary track. I found this to be a tough listen. The Commentary by Composer Jerry Goldsmith has sparse comments from the composer about his score and is another tough listen with too much dead space, but is probably the more entertaining of the two commentaries. A Text Commentary by Eric Greene, Author of Planet of the Apes as American Myth provides some nice tidbits about the film as a subtitle and should be played concurrently with one of the audio commentary tracks.

Two features included utilize Blu-ray technology to further the viewing experience of the film. The Science of the Apes BonusView (38:53) uses Profile 1.1 picture-in-picture capabilities to provide interview segments and making of footage while watching the film. Thankfully, Fox has also provided a means to watch all of these video snippets through the special features menu and you can play them all together or select them individually. The information is quite nice and I found it a little more enjoyable to just watch them through the menu in one chunk of time. They work nice in a PiP for those with 1.1 capabilities. The Beyond the Forbidden Zone Adventure Game is a favorite of the CGI Lawgiver. This is a graphical overly that has the film play behind it. You make selections to pick a path on the virtual board game and then have a timer to quickly answer trivia questions as you try to win the game. You can collect items and other things and this is a fun way to waste some time and easily the best interactive game I can remember on a DVD or Blu-ray release.

More typical supplements vary in quality, but help fill the first disc. A Public Service Announcement From Ansa (6:06) is a mock PSA from the space agency featured in "Planet of the Apes." It is fun and a wonderful vintage look at the humor and sensibilities of the time. I enjoyed it. Evolution of the Apes (23:37) is up next and this documentary looks at the film's portrayal of apes as an alternate reality and the genesis of the story and the cultural undertones of the story. This is a good way to spend a half an hour as it gives good background to the story. Impact of the Apes (11:39) looks at how the first film became the first big franchise in Hollywood history and helped write the rules for effective science fiction. The Galleries of the Apes contains seven image galleries to scan through. "The Ape," "Interactive Pressbook," "Advertising," "Lobby Cards," "Makeup," "Costume Design Sketches," "Props" and "Behind the Scenes" are the contained galleries.

The Archives of the Apes features a number of items. The Original Makeup Test with Edward G. Robinson (1966) (9:34) is a vintage featurette that shows off the first appearance of the ape makeup from the film and some concept artwork along with a brief overview of the story. Charlton Heston appears in this short film. Roddy McDowell's On-Set Footage (20:14) is a collection of behind-the-scenes home videos that shows the actor and his droogs hanging out while making the film. There are some very nice moments contained here. The Dailies and Outtakes (No Audio) (19:50) is another sizeable collection of video material from the making of the film and contains footage not seen in the film. Sadly, there is no audio, but the title fills us in on that dirty little secret. The N.A.T.O. Presentation (1967) (10:30) is a collection of scenes from the film used to promote "Planet of the Apes." The Vintage Planet of the Apes Featurette (1968) (4:42), the Teaser Trailer and Theatrical Trailer are other vintage items used to promote the picture.

The heavy hitter of this first disc is the Behind the Planet of the Apes Documentary (2:06:44). This item was contained on a sixth DVD for the original box set release of the series and was sold individually for a period of time. This is absolutely one of the finest full length documentaries ever created for a film series. It is a must watch for any fans of the series. The documentary looks at the five films, the television series and the cartoon series. Everybody from Charlton Heston to Roddy McDowell (who served as host) lent their time to this incredible documentary. Many great stories about the making of the film, bonus footage and other elements are crammed into this solid feature. "Behind the Planet of the Apes" has been updated with Interactive Features where you can view timelines and other pertinent information to the series. It is a movie unto itself. The Behind the Planet of the Apes Promo (2:19) is included as well and was used to sell the single disc release of the making of documentary. Twentieth Century Fox has kindly provided it as part of the box set and helps make the first Blu-ray disc the most feature-filled Blu-ray platter to date.

Disc 2: Beneath the Planet of the Apes

After the feature packed first disc, the second Blu-ray platter almost seems like a disappointment in comparison. The disc again boots up to the Lawgiver and his spiel and this is continued with the Play Feature with Lawgiver Introduction (:24). The actual features begin with the Leonard Rosenman Isolated Score Track 5.1. Next up is From Alpha to Omega: Building a Sequel (22:10) and this talks about the great success of the first film and the desire to produce a follow-up to the 1968 science fiction classic. Sequels weren't overly popular when this film was produced and the documentary captured my interest instantly as it educated me to the fact that "Hello Dolly" was a financial dud. This documentary gives a nice look at Hollywood politics and what went on to produce a sequel. The Theatrical Trailer and five Galleries for "The Ape News," "Interactive Pressbook," "Advertising," "Lobby Cards" and "Behind-the-Scenes complete the bonus offerings for this Blu-ray disc.

Disc 3: Escape from the Planet of the Apes

"Escape from the Planet of the Apes" was the ‘lightest' film of the series, but the special features are not the slightest. The film provides the option to Play Feature with Lawgiver Introduction (:26) and I have to admit that the third time I sat through this brief summary, I was already tiring of its inclusion. It really does not add much to the film aside from showing somebody could make a CGI Lawgiver. The Jerry Goldsmith Isolated Score Track 5.1 is the first feature under "Special Features." The first stand-alone feature is The Secret Behind Escape (16:04) and it discusses how Fox needed to find a clever way to continue the franchise and it looks at some nice behind-the-scenes footage and shows everything in 1080p high definition video. Don Taylor Directs Escape from the Planet of the Apes (7:46) is a vintage collection of footage showing Don Taylor doing what a director does. This short collection of behind-the-scenes shows that we'll watch old home movies of people directing if given to us. The Theatrical Trailer, an Advertising Gallery and the Behind-the-Scenes Gallery finishes up the supplements for the third film.


Disc 4: Conquest of the Planet of the Apes

The fourth film, "Conquest of the Planet of the Apes" features both the Theatrical Version (86:41) of the film and an Unrated Version (87:22). The disc boots up and allows to select the preferred version and switching is again possible from the "Special Features" menu. The only differences I could spot in the Unrated Version was a moment in the film where Caesar discovers what electricity can do, but there are purportedly a few more brutal moments during the climactic final battle between ape and man. The Play Feature with Lawgiver Introduction (:21) has the quick synopsis and for those can have not decoded the scroll, the first number is the year the film was made and the second number is the number of the film in the series. For instance, this is the 72nd scroll, 4th chapter.

A small number of bonus materials are included for the film. The Isolated Score Track 5.1 DTS-HD of the Tom Scott score is available for this film only if the unrated version of the film is selected. It makes sense that they would not want to branch the audio or include two isolated tracks for a variance of 41 seconds. Riots and Revolutions: Confronting the Times (20:42) looks at the ‘disturbing mood' of the fourth film and how it relates to the violence and social unrest in society during the beginning of the Seventies. This is a very nice documentary that looks at the racial tensions of the time and how the series has related to race and equal rights. A Look Behind the Planet of the Apes (1972) (13:42) is a vintage featurette with Ricardo Montalban introducing and the film how the first film created the notion of a cinema-based franchise. J. Lee Thompson Directs Conquest of the Planet of the Apes (1:11) is a vintage clip of behind-the-scenes action showing the director give actors some direction. The Theatrical Trailer and some Galleries are included.

Disc 5: Battle for the Planet of the Apes

"Battle for the Planet of the Apes" is the second title which includes both an Extended Version (96:26) of the film and the Theatrical Version. The biggest inclusion in the longer extended version is the subplot featuring the Omega missile that should be familiar from the second film. There are a number of other longer scenes and I find the extended version to be slightly superior than the notably shorter theatrical cut (86:32). As is the case with every other disc in the series, the CGI Play Feature with Lawgiver Introduction (:27) is included. They really didn't add much value to the box set, but it is extra material aside from the briefest introduction to the film that was humanly (or apely) possible.

The disc contains a few bonus materials that pertain to the fifth and final film. The Isolated Score Track 5.1 is available only while watching the extended version and contains the Leonard Rosenman score without any dialogue or sound from the film. End of an Epic: The Final Battle (16:34) is a very brief look at the making of the final installment of "Planet of the Apes." The film was scaled back and did not do its wonderful title any justice. These are nice little supplements, but the fifth film is certainly the lesser of any of the five. The Theatrical Trailer and four Galleries are also included. The galleries pertain to "San Simian Sentinel," "Interactive Pressbook," "Advertising" and "Behind-the-Scenes." I enjoyed navigating newspapers and such and having the text appear in larger text for me to read and enjoy.

Closing:

I've always enjoyed "The Planet of the Apes" and found a guilty pleasure kind of love for its four sequels. The first film is a remarkable piece of science fiction history and one of the more memorable of Charlton Heston's films. This is one of those rare films that stand up well considering its age, budget and visual effects. The four sequels aren't quite as powerful or entertaining, but they hit a nerve and proved to be profitable and "The Planet of the Apes" defined the modern blockbuster franchise and produced sequels at a time when nobody thought sequels were a particularly good idea. Some people will loudly proclaim that Richard Zanuck should have though as much when he greenlit the four sequels for this film, as they do tarnish the original some and have characters that make Jar Jar Binks look reputable. Still, I enjoy watching them.

The new "Planet of the Apes: 40 Year Evolution" box set arrives on Blu-ray to bring the apes to the modern times of high definition. The sight and sound are slight improvements over the previous incarnation of the series on DVD and "Planet of the Apes" has come to a point where there is not a lot of room for improvement as the source materials simply do not allow it. It would be feasible to completely remaster every frame, but I don't know how much more they can push this series. The first disc of the box set is an awesome Blu-ray and for those that do not want to pay the somewhat hefty price for this set, that would be a great investment. For those, such as I that have a fascination with the entire series, "40 Year Evolution" is the finest box set ever produced for the five film series and contains the wonderful "Behind the Planet of the Apes" feature. The extras are generally very nice and I enjoyed spending a week on "The Planet of the Apes."