Spanning over five decades, thePlanet of the Apesfranchise is considered cinematic royalty. Each film delivers a spectacle of visual effects, makeup and costume mastery, and thought-provoking science-fiction themes. Surviving and thriving with reboots, the legacy of these films withstands the test of time as filmmakers and audiences continue the conversation about their impact. Over the fifty years onscreen, filmmakers have stayed true to honoring character names and themes that audiences of the original set of films will recognize in the modern installments and vice versa. Thesource materialcomes from French science fiction authorPierre Boulle, who published the first novel in 1963.
Formulaic, all but two film titles begin with some sort of action or adjective that clues audiences into the central premise.In everyPlanet of the Apesfeature, apes either retain the advantage over humans or are preparing to do so. The earlier installations are designed for the viewers to champion the human protagonists before shifting to the apes, whereas the modern adaptations reverse the favor toward the primate counterparts and evolutionary trajectory. ThePlanet of the Apesseries is definitely overlooked when considering options for marathons, especially considering the sheer number of movies under its banner. For those who are confused about the franchise’s chronology,here’s everyPlanet of the Apesmovie in order by release date.
10’Planet of the Apes' (1968)
Directed by Franklin J. Schaffner
Crash-landing and making a historic cinematic impression, the first-ever franchise film starred a Hollywood legend and earned two Oscar nominations andan honorary award for makeup achievement. The iconicCharlton Hestonleads a crew of astronauts who crash on a foreign planet where intelligent apes rule society with an established social and political hierarchy that leaves humans at the bottom, enslaved.
Planet of the Apesis more than an adapted science fiction film but rather a sociological commentary on class systems, oppressive treatment, and self-destruction. In an era of Hollywood epics, this film ranks among the best not only for its external themes and its imaginative movie magic but also forthat iconic twist audiences never saw coming. Groundbreaking and boundary-pushing,the originalPlanet of the Apeslaunched a cinematic franchise that would last for over 50 years, an impressive feat that keeps wowing audiences.
Planet of the Apes (1968)
9’Beneath the Planet of the Apes' (1970)
Directed by Ted Post
Thesecond film in the original five-part series,Beneath the Planet of the Apes, did not live up to the original’s legacy. The feature focuses on John Brent (James Franciscus) and his mission to find the crash survivors from the first film. Instead, he finds an underground society of mutant humans who not only survived a nuclear blast from years before but also worship an atomic bomb. As with the first, the struggle for power between the apes and humans remains, catching the newcomer in the middle.
Charlton Heston’s strategic move not to returnwas the first dominion to fall forBeneath the Planet of the Apesalongside a rushed production to release the film just one year after the original. Indeed,Beneath the Planet of the Apesis a textbook example of a sequel that only exists to cash on the original’s success. The ending is just as wild as the premise, seemingly suggesting there wouldn’t be any more stories to tell in this universe. However, that was not the case for sci-fi filmmakers of the era.
Beneath the Planet of the Apes
8’Escape from the Planet of the Apes' (1971)
Directed by Don Taylor
Following the apparent path ofBeneath the Planet of the Apes, the third film also operated on a rushed timeline with a much lower budget than its foundational counterpart.Escape the Planet of the Apesdives further into the sci-fi genre by introducing time travel for two primate characters from the preceding films. Before their world is destroyed, Zira (Kim Hunter), Cornelius (Roddy McDowall), and their baby, Milo (Sal Mineo), escape and travel back in time to 1970s America, where they become experimental test subjects after the humans discover their intelligence and capabilities.
With its more character-driven plot and navigated approach to science fiction themes of the time,Escape the Planet of the Apesreceived a warmer reception from critics than its predecessor.Escape the Planet of the Apesis a departurefrom the original premise,closely following the same formula as the modern movies where apes are the subject of scientific queries, leading to an uprising or escape attempt. It showed the franchise’s willingness to experiment, hinting at its self-aware nature, too.
Escape from the Planet of the Apes
7’Conquest of the Planet of the Apes' (1972)
Directed by J. Lee Thompson
For the 2000s audiences,Conquest of the Planet of the Apesintroduces a name that is now synonymous with the franchise. In a world after the events ofEscape Planet of the Apes, the tables have turned, and the apes have been enslaved. Hiding his identity for twenty years, Caesar (Roddy McDowall), the son of the late Zira and Cornelius, begins organizing a revolution to free apes and overthrow humankind’s rule.
Conquest of the Planet of the Apesmisfires in its executionof social commentary on prejudice and oppression that the original film delicately portrayed. The obviously low budget is also a disservice to the film’s grand ideas, resulting in a disappointing entry that hinted at the downfall of the series.Conquest of the Planet of the Apesreceived rotten reviews, but McDowall’s return to the franchise as Caesar is highly regarded in the franchise legacy.
Conquest of the Planet of the Apes
6’Battle for the Planet of the Apes' (1973)
The final chapter in the original five-part series,Battle for the Planet of the Apeswasn’t exactly a blockbuster sendoff. The very obviously low-budget film takes place a decade after Caesar led the revolution freeing the apes, and a nuclear war wiped out the humans. Now, he attempts to lead both species to coexist, but a cult of humans and a militant gorilla named Aldo (Claude Akins) hatch their own plans to regain control over the other species.
A franchise that is celebrated for its makeup and special effects,Battle for the Planet of the Apesis a clear miss with visually lacking prosthetics compared to the four previous features. It’s a disappointing movie for audiences and critics as it hobbled through commentating on franchise-formulaic themes like destiny versus free will and species hierarchy.This would be the final time audiences would see McDowall as the iconic primate on the big screen, but he didn’t stay too far away from the role, asthePlanet of the Apestelevision seriesarrived one year later.
Battle for the Planet of the Apes
5’Planet of the Apes' (2001)
Directed by Tim Burton
Three decades after the first installment appeared,Tim Burton’sPlanet of the Apesearned a rotten reception on all fronts despite its best efforts to reboot for 21st-century audiences. A severely miscastMark Wahlbergstars as Captain Leo Davidson, an Air Force astronaut in the year 2029 who crashes on an uncharted planet where apes, led by General Thade (Tim Roth), are the dominant species and humans are the subject of oppressive treatment. With the help of Ari (Helena Bonham Carter) and other apes who oppose Thade’s ideologies, Leo leads a rebellion to overthrow Thade and recover Leo’s ship.
Not quite to the level ofMystery Science Theater 3000rotten sci-fi, but not exactly the blockbuster audiences were hoping for,Planet of the Apesremains a solo installation. It had all the right ingredients: a prolific director, a star-studded cast, well-respected source material, and movie magic makeup, but it stumbled at the finish line. Its now-iconic ending remains highly divisive, trying its best to match the 1968 original’s wow factor but failing.
Planet of the Apes
4’Rise of the Planet of the Apes' (2011)
Directed by Rupert Wyatt
In yet another groundbreaking performance byAndy Serkis,Rise of the Planet of the Apesintroduced modern audiences to the franchise protagonist, Caesar. Cared for by scientist Will Rodman (James Franco), a chimpanzee named Caesar (Serkis) exhibits magnified intellectual and emotional intelligence after he is exposed to an experimental Alzheimer’s drug that Will is testing. After he attacks a neighbor while attempting to protect Will’s father, Charles (John Lithgow), Caesar is sent to a primate sanctuary where he stages an ape uprising following cruel treatment from the facility’s uncaring staff.
Rise of the Planet of the Apesis a dominant example of a successful rebootthat strays from the original franchise’s otherworldly premise. Even though Caesar’s existence is a disruption to the system and a status quo revolution, he’s inherently good and yearns for a peaceful existence, which is an obvious threat to those in power. While Caesar and his inevitable reign are a byproduct of human scientific evolutionary intervention, he’s still a hero worth rooting for at the expense of humanity.
Rise of the Planet of the Apes
3’Dawn of the Planet of the Apes' (2014)
Directed by Matt Reeves
Refusing to fall victim to the sequel curse and arguably a better film than the first,Dawn of the Planet of the Apesgave audiencesthe best villain in theApesfranchiseand one of the most underrated movie villains ever. After the ape uprising, a devastating outbreak of Simian Flu decimates civilization, and the apes believe the humans are gone until an unexpected confrontation sets both species on high alert. Caesar allows a small group, led by Malcolm (Jason Clarke), into the dam to restore power to the survival camp below, but fellow ape Koba (Toby Kebbell) refuses to believe the human’s seemingly well-intended efforts and sets off a chain of events pitting them against one another.
Koba’s horrific past of psychological and physical abuse at the hands of man taints his ability to trust Caesar’s judgment and the group of survivors. His actions are the catalyst for the remaining movies in the franchise, pitting apes and humans against each other for control of their shared existence.Dawn of the Planet of the Apesis the most complex of the modern installments, with audiences rooting against the apes and for the humans, despite being a franchise centered around a non-human protagonist.
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
2’War for the Planet of the Apes' (2017)
An action-packed closing chapter for Andy Serkis’s Caesar,War for the Planet of the Apespositions the franchise hero on a much darker pathway in his final clash with humanity. Considered a war criminal by the humans after the events ofDawn of the Planet of the Apes,Caesar suffers an unimaginable loss and leaves his clan behind to seek out theruthless, rogue Colonel J. Wesley McCullough(Woody Harrelson). As the viral outbreak mutates, stripping humans of their ability to speak, the Colonel intends to wipe out apes to ensure humanity survives.
Conflicted, Caesar’s journey is introspective as he battles with emotions of revenge that clash with his foundational belief that apes and humans can coexist without disruption.War for the Planet of the Apesmarked a pivotal change in the series, with evolutionary ideologies that would lie dormant until the next installment. The epic conclusion gave not only Caesar a proper sendoff but one for Serkis as well. If the series had ended here, it would’ve been a worthy and powerful conclusion.
War for the Planet of the Apes
1’Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes' (2024)
Directed by Wes Ball
Taking place generations after the events of Caesar’s final stand inWar for the Planet of the Apes, Noa (Owen Teague) sets out to rescue his family after a rival clan raids his clan and takes his family prisoner. Noa is joined by Mae (Freya Allen), one of the few humans who have regained their evolutionary intelligence and ability to speak, who is sought out by the tyrannical leader responsible for taking Noa’s family, Proximus Caesar (Kevin Durand).
The latest in the franchise features the latest advancements in CGI with unparalleled motion capture performances from the entire cast.In this installment, there are themes of evolutionary hierarchy and oppressive ideologies, causing audiences to root for humankind in some form while also rooting for a certain class of apes to prevail.Initiating another rebootwhile picking up where the 2010s trilogy left off,Kingdom of the Planet of the Apescrossed box office milestones, signaling there’s still room for more dystopian blockbusters.
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes
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