Unrated
(Theatrical Version Rated G)
Running
Time: 1 Hour & 36 Minutes
Cast:
Roddy
McDowall-Caesar
Paul
Williams-Virgil
Austin
Stoker-MacDonald
Claude
Akins-General Aldo
Natalie
Trundy-Lisa
Bobby
Porter-Cornelius
Lew
Ayres-Mandemus
Severn
Darden-City Governor Kolp
France
Nuyen-Alma
Paul
Stevens-Mendez I
John
Huston-The Lawgiver
Directed
by J. Lee Thompson
 |
| If you would please come this way on this apocalyptic scenic tour... |
Note: Part of the "Planet of the Apes" 40-Year Evolution Blu-Ray Collection.
With
an epic title like “Battle for the Planet of the Apes,” you would think that
everything would end in spectacular fashion. Unfortunately, this fifth and final installment in the long-running
“Planet of the Apes” franchise proves to be a major disappointment and the
series ends with a whimper instead of a bang. Returning writer Paul Dehn
drafted an initial script that was intended to bring the saga full-circle and
set up the events seen in 1968’s “Planet of the Apes.” Taking place in 2004, it
had Caesar and his apes in control of 90% of the world but still facing
resistance from the remnants of humanity, who were beginning to suffer from the
effects of prolonged exposure to radiation. These humans would eventually form
the mutant cult that worshipped the doomsday device known as the ΑΩ bomb in
1970’s “Beneath the Planet of the Apes.” However, the human slaves within ape
society conspire against Caesar, killing his wife Lisa and kidnapping his
recently-born son. An angry Caesar decides to render all humans mute by
severing their vocal cords but he comes to his senses while visiting Lisa’s
grave. A gorilla named Aldo believes that he has lost his mind and shoots
Caesar dead. He installs himself as leader of the apes and battles the mutated
humans to a standstill. A ‘Forbidden Zone’ is formed in the aftermath and ends
with the status quo seen in the original “Planet of the Apes.” However, Dehn’s
script wasn’t well-received and he was pushed to the sidelines in favor of new
writers John William Corrington and Joyce Hooper Corrington, whose script had a
softer edge and was used in the final product with some minor alterations. With
a plot that lacked ambition, a disinterested cast, and bargain-basement
production values, “Battle for the Planet of the Apes” is the worst film in what has been a consistently entertaining series.
Note: The fifth film follows from the
original theatrical ending of the previous film, “Conquest of the Planet of the
Apes.” Told in a framed narrative by the Lawgiver (John Huston) in 2670,
the film flashes back to the early 21st century in a post-nuclear holocaust
world. Caesar (Roddy McDowall), after leading his fellow apes in a revolution,
attempts to live in peaceful harmony with the surviving humans in a small
village but tensions still exist between the two races. He is now married to
Lisa (Natalie Trundy) and has a son named Cornelius (Bobby Porter), named after
his grandfather. Voicing his regret of not knowing his parents, Caesar’s
assistant MacDonald (Austin Stoker), the brother of the MacDonald in the
previous film, tells him that there are recordings hidden in the archives in
the ruined metropolis now called the ‘Forbidden City.’ Traveling with MacDonald
and the orangutan scholar Virgil (Paul Williams), Caesar finds his way into the
underground catacombs of the city and learns from a recording of his parents
that the gorillas will eventually cause the destruction of the Earth.
Unbeknownst to them, there are human survivors living in the catacombs, slowly
suffering from prolonged exposure to radiation. Led by Governor Kolp (Severn Darden),
he mistakes their trespassing as an act of aggression and decides to
exterminate the apes once and for all. Meanwhile, Caesar has to contend with
divisions within ape society as a belligerent gorilla named Aldo (Claude Akins)
challenges his authority of living with the humans.
The one thing that “Battle
for the Planet of the Apes” does right is retain the allegorical elements that
made the series so popular in the first place. Led by Aldo, the gorillas are
similar to race supremacists who believe it is their right to rule since they
are the strongest. By the end of the film, the apes’ most sacred law that
forbids them from murdering one of their own has been broken and Caesar
discovers that perhaps apes and humans are not so different after all. There
are some discussions of destiny vs. free will and whether it is possible to
change the future but ultimately, it all ends up being inconsequential. I did
appreciate the ambiguous ending with a shot of a single tear from a statue of
Caesar, begging the question whether it was of joy or of sadness. Apparently,
producer Arthur P. Jacobs made it clear to returning director J. Lee Thompson
that the tone would be very different and ‘appeal to families.’ The goal was to
‘simply [have] a kid's science fiction film’ with ‘no real political
implications,’ which accounts for why the script feels like an afterschool
special and lacks any real ambition. Some of the dialogue is poorly written,
especially when Aldo repeatedly yells, ‘We...want...guns! Guns...are...POWER!’
Much of the energy of the series has been drained as the film limps toward the
end credits with its bargain-basement appearance, succumbing to the effects of
working with a paltry production budget. The ‘battle’ between the apes and
Kolp’s forces is laughably bad, as the same explosions are shown from different
angles. I find it hard to believe that the apes, wielding nothing but assault
rifles, manage to beat back the humans but even their firepower is lacking,
consisting of three motorbikes, a school bus, and a jeep with a cannon. The
ape’s village lacks a lived-in quality and look hastily thrown together by the
production team. Even the famed makeup by John Chambers looks cheap as the
mouths often barely move and the extras are reduced to wearing simple masks.
Roger Ebert aptly describes the film as ‘the last gasp of a dying series, a
movie made simply to wring the dollars out of any remaining ape fans’ and that
‘anyone who hasn't had enough apes after the first four in the series has
probably, by now, gone ape all by himself.’
Roddy McDowall reprises his role as
Caesar but he, like the rest of the cast, appears disinterested. As General
Aldo, Claude Akins is reduced to reciting three-syllable sentences. Severn
Darden returns as Kolp, the only actor who seems to be trying as he chews the
scenery as a power-mad human leading the remnants of humanity. Paul Williams is
fine as Virgil but it’s hard not to laugh as he speaks and his mouthpiece
barely moves while John Huston is wasted as the Lawgiver.
“Battle for the
Planet of the Apes” arrives on Blu-Ray as a single release or part of the ‘40-Year
Evolution’ box set that includes the theatrical and extended cut which restores
a subplot that provides a better connection to “Beneath the Planet of the
Apes.” Picture quality benefits from a brighter look compared to the previous
film and features some nice detail, especially the exterior shots. Scenes
taking place in the catacombs however look grainy and the shadows tend to
overwhelm. All in all, it does not look too good or bad and is decidedly
average. However, the audio comes off as cheap and many sound effects,
especially during the battle, just blend together in one loud mess. Special
features consist of only a seventeen-minute behind-the-scenes featurette that
touches on a variety of topics from the film’s themes to the diminishing
production budget.
Released on June 15, 1973, “Battle for the Planet of the
Apes” received negative reviews and currently holds a 38% on Rotten
Tomatoes—the lowest rated out of all the films. Despite its paltry $1.8 million
production budget, it did relatively well at the domestic box office with $8.8
million or $45 million adjusted for inflation. While 20th Century Fox could’ve
commissioned for a sixth film, the
studio thankfully had enough sense left to stop. The franchise lived on in a
short-lived television series on CBS in 1974 and a Saturday morning cartoon in
1975 but it wasn’t until 28 years later in 2001 that “Planet of the Apes”
returned to the big screen, although it was not quite what the fans had in
mind. “Battle for the Planet of the Apes” had the potential to be an epic end
to such a venerable series but its watered-down script and the lack of a proper
production budget led to a final product that was a major letdown, going out
with a whimper instead of a bang.
Final
Rating: 2.5 out of 5
“We
still wait, my children. But as I look at apes and humans living in friendship,
in harmony and at peace, now some 600 years after Caesar's death, at least we
wait with hope for the future.”
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