Beneath the Planet of the Apes | | Cast : | James Franciscus, Charlton Heston | | Director : | | | Studio : | 20th Century Fox | | Format : | Widescreen | | Released Date : | , 1970 | | DVD Released Date : | | | Language : | English (Unknown), English (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled) | | Audience Rating : | PG (Parental Guidance Suggested) | | | BUY THIS DVD FROM AMAZON |
Customer Reviews
| Rating |  | | Date | June 07, 2005 | | Summary | A Movie Reacted Too Differently by Different Viewers!! | Content
 | +++++
(Note that this review is for this movie on DVD that was released by 20TH Century Fox.)
This movie is the sequel to the blockbuster "Planet of the Apes" (1968). Essentially, it is about an astronaut named Brent (James Franciscus) who is sent on a mission to find out what happened to the astronauts who were sent on a mission (the first mission) before him.
This sequel starts off with a flashback to the concluding 10 minutes of the original movie. Doing this serves to remind the viewer what happened and for those who never saw the previous movie, to orientate them. In the final moment of this flashback, we have the two main human characters of the original movie, Taylor the commander of the first mission (Charlton Heston) and the mute woman he befriends named Nova (Linda Harrison), ride off together on horseback to the "Forbidden Zone" (a vast and barren area on this "unknown planet."). It is here that Taylor mysteriously vanishes while exploring. Nova, though horrified at Taylor's sudden disappearance, continues riding on horseback.
It is at this point that Brent's spaceship crash lands in the Forbidden Zone in the year 3955. By an incredible stroke of luck, Brent encounters the mute Nova riding on horseback and he discovers that she knew Taylor. Thus, Brent knows he's on the right track to finding him.
The movie at this point is essentially a condensed version of original movie and lasts for about 45 minutes. Brent and Nova get captured by gorilla hunters and in captivity encounter the friendly chimpanzee scientists Cornelius (David Watson) and Zira (Kim Hunter) as well as the stern orangutan High Minister of Science and Religion Dr. Zaius (Maurice Evans). Brent and Nova, however, escape and have to go underground (thus the word "Beneath" in the movie title) to evade the hunting gorillas. It should be mentioned the gorillas in this movie have become more militaristic and want to expand their land ownership into the Forbidden Zone. (Dr. Zaius will lead them.) We get an idea of the gorilla's view of humans when a general of the gorilla military named Ursus (James Gregory) says:
"The only good human is a dead human."
It is in this underground world that Brent and Nova meet human mutants who have special mind powers and worship "a souvenir from the twentieth century." Brent and Nova finally meet Taylor (who was captured by these mutants). As well, the apes have managed to penetrate this underground world. This leads to a violent and somewhat surprising ending.
Those who have not seen the previous movie should enjoy this one. It is filled with action and some good special effects. James Franciscus gives, I feel, a solid performance. Charlton Heston, even though he has limited time on-screen (about 25 minutes), also gives a good performance.
Viewers who have not seen the original movie might give this sequel a rating of (5) stars.
Those who have seen the previous movie will have some problems with this movie. Here, I feel, are some of the main problems:
(1) Brent in this sequel landed on this planet in 3955. According to the original movie, Taylor lands in 3978. In other words, Brent landed 23 years too early when Taylor was still back on Earth!
(2) Zira and Cornelius have only bit parts in this sequel. In the original movie, they had richer and more interesting parts.
(3) Roddy McDowall play Cornelius in the original movie. Contrary to what the other reviews say, he does appear in this movie during the opening flashback scene. As this sequel proceeds, David Watson takes over the role of Cornelius. I found this distracting. Since McDowall was not available, they should have written Cornelius' small part out of this movie.
(4) Dr. Zaius is not nearly the same stern and interesting high official he was in the original movie. He's more like an intellectual gorilla in this movie.
(5) The amazing music of the original movie has been replaced with the more strained music of this sequel.
(6) The fantastic ape make-up of the original movie looks like it has been replaced with masks in this sequel.
(7) The late, great Rod Serling was a screenplay writer for the original movie. You can tell he had no input in the writing of this sequel.
(8) In the opening credits, we're told that this sequel is based on the characters created by Pierre Boulle. This is not absolutely correct. There were no human mutants in Boulle's novel.
Those who previously viewed this movie might give this sequel a rating of (2.5) stars.
My rating of this movie will be an average of the two above ratings and will be shown below.
Finally, there is a sequel to this sequel called "Escape from the Planet of the Apes" (1971). It is available on DVD.
In conclusion, this is a sequel that will be reacted too differently by different viewers. Those who have not seen the original movie should enjoy this movie!!
*** ¾
(1970; 100 min; widescreen)
+++++
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| Rating | | | Date | May 25, 2005 | | Summary | "The only good human is a dead human" | Content
| I hate to tell my age but I saw this in the 70's when it was under
rereleased in the "GO APE" festival. And as with the original this
sequel gets better with each viewing Also for a low budget film it
still had great set designs & the cast which includes most of it's
star players from the first on a minus note they lost McDowell's
"Cornelius" but on the plus side you get James Gregory as "General
Ursus" who adds a great hammyness and for my money probably one of
more memorable characters in the series. Most follow ups rarely do
justice when matched up to thier precessor but I feel that the film
did answer the question of what was beyond the "forbidden zone"
and you can't beat that final solution ending voiced by the one
and only Paul Frees. |
| Rating | | | Date | March 18, 2005 | | Summary | EXCELLENT | Content
| Sorry guys (the three other reviews) you don't know what you're talking about. I'm assuming that you three are the types who LOVED the new planet of the apes compared to Heston's real Planet of the Apes right? Beneath is a damn good film, period. I suppose you could give it 4.5 stars because it isn't as good as Part I, but COME ON! Beneath is a good film!! If you like Planet of the Apes, I can not see how you won't enjoy this, the end is almost as good as the original one! OK, enough. If you like Apes, watch this, if not, skip it. |
| Rating | | | Date | March 03, 2005 | | Summary | Blockbuster original deserves cheapo sequel? | Content
| Getting past those awfull halloween cheap masks they put on the xtras in this film, I dont know why they didnt invest more in this movie and follow up the originals tour de force with more insight into the ape/human paradigm. Why did they turn Dr Zaius, Minister of Science, Defender of the Faith, Keeper of the Terrible Secret, from a sly and crafty player into a handwringing kvetch who marches with the brainless General Ursus to his grave beneath the planet. Didnt he worry what kind of human artifcats they might come across in the forbidden zone?
And why did they send someone to find Taylor?Im sure he would have been written off long gone without any contact. And what were the odds he would land in Taylors time and dimension rather then say General Thades.
And advanced as the Mutants were they didnt seem to care that a fellow homo sapien had arrived in their city from earths past with full mental capacity and the ability to speak normally? All they cared about was the apes plans, they could have tapped the knowledge that Taylor and Brett brought with them so as not to call in the Alpha/Omega resolution. But all they did was torture their minds. Well thats mutants for ya
Roddy Mcdowell was unable to appear as Cornelius in this one ape movie and im sure he is not sorry.
this could have beem something great.
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| Rating | | | Date | June 21, 2004 | | Summary | Schlock--but good fun nevertheless | Content
| Sort of a silly follow-up to the brilliant 'Planet of the Apes', which if you read the Boulle novel you'll realize that for once the movie is actually better than the book. But as far as 'Beneath' goes, it's a must-have for the true Apes fan--if only for the fact that Taylor (Heston) and Zaius (Evans) are still principal characters. However, the story is pretty stupid, the script even worse, and the apes are no longer frightening predators but blundering fools whose skulls are too thick for their own good. This film lacks the dark and foreboding mood of the first 'Apes' film, and instead goes for schlock. Plus, the one glaring error in the beginning (for all you true 'Apes' fanatics) is that Brent (Franciscus) actually lands on the planet in 3955, which is 18 years BEFORE Talylor (Heston) and his crew even got there (3973). So Brent would have had a lot of free time on his hands. And the end is equally as flawed, as the Earth is destroyed by the human mutants--which would seem to sound the death knell for any more sequels. But apparently Zira and Cornelius escaped in Taylor's ship before the Earth was blown to bits (although there's no hint of this throughout the whole of Beneath), which leads to 'Escape from the Planet of the Apes'.
Be that as it may--'Beneath' is still terribly good fun!! |
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