Imagine if you will a world in which humanity answers to an animal master...that's just what Rod Serling did when he adapted Pierre Boulle's 1963 novel Planet of the Apes into a screenplay. While Serling's original draft was later reworked by screenwriter Michael Wilson the film maintains the eerie prescience that distinguished the most memorable episodes of Serling's iconic Twilight Zone. Much like its small screen predecessor the film uses the tropes of science fiction to explore difficult questions surrounding technology, religion, war, and human nature itself that continue to resonate today. Enter the the middle ground between light and shadow, between science and superstition...an area which we call The Planet of the Apes.
The story begins when American astronaut George Taylor and his three colleagues land on an alien planet in the year 3978. Upon landing the crew learn that one of their colleagues died during the trip, leaving the remaining three to navigate their new home. Soon after landing, they encounter other humans who are primitive and mute. Worse yet, they are stunned to learn that the humans are hunted and enslaved by an advanced civilization of talking apes. The astronauts are then separated when they are captured by the apes who mistake them for their primitive counterparts. In the ensuing struggle Taylor is shot in his neck, leaving him unable to speak. He is then placed in captivity and studied by chimpanzee scientists Zira and Cornelius, who are attempting to prove their theory that apes evolved from humans. Impressed by Taylor's intelligence, the pair soon become his advocates, but encounter resistance in the form of their superior, authoritarian orangutan Dr. Zaius. When Zira and Cornelius' studies on Taylor call the science and religion that the apes' society is founded upon into question all three are placed into direct conflict with the state and in imminent danger.
With its lurid title and outlandish premise, casual viewers could easily mistake Planet of the Apes for a sci-fi B movie; but what a mistake that would be. The film takes viewers on a dark journey not through the jungles of an alien planet but instead into the darkest depths of human nature. Through its exploration of Taylor's interactions with the apes' society the film casts such pillars of human society as class structure, religion, and politics under unflinching scrutiny. In this way, the film uses the world of the apes to hold up a dark mirror to our own culture, exposing how irrational, tribal, and self-destructive our 'advanced' civilization actually is. The film's depiction of Dr. Zaius' single minded pursuit of accepted science particularly resonates after nearly three years of the populace being subjected to the mantra 'follow the science'. Similarly, his ruthless efforts to stop Zira and Cornelius' research eerily mirrors the ways in which media and governmental agencies colluded to destroy the work and careers of dissenting physicians and scientists. The film's devastating final reveal also proves nothing short of visceral as the threat of nuclear war dominates the headlines. For a sci-fi adventure that will get your pulse racing and your mind reeling book a ticket to the Planet of the Apes.
The film takes viewers on a journey that is out of this world thanks to the stellar work of its cast. Linda Harrison completes the herculean task of conveying innocence, vulnerability, longing, and warmth without uttering a single line of dialogue as Taylor's fellow captive turned love interest, Nova. The actors portraying the apes turn in equally astounding performances, particularly given the demands of their prosthetics and makeup heavy costumes. Roddy McDowell tempers Cornelius' dedication, intelligence, and skepticism with his desire to be accepted within the apes' society. Kim Hunter portrays Zira's determination, idealism, and free spirit with aplomb. Together, the two showcase a chemistry that is nothing short of adorable. Maurice Evans makes for a compelling villain as the ruthless Dr. Zaius, who will stop at nothing in order to protect his society from the threat of mankind. Charlton Heston turns in one of the most iconic performances in his extensive career in his portrayal of the ultimate stranger in a strange land, Taylor.
At once a rousing futuristic adventure and a dire warning for the present, Planet of the Apes makes for viewing that is truly out of this world. Through its at once thrilling and thought provoking script the film spurs the imagination while raising vital questions that continue to resonate today. The uniformly superb performances brilliantly bring the diverse array of characters and the societies in which they live to vibrant life. Go ape with Nova and Taylor in Planet of the Apes.
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