Planet of the Apes Movies Ranked
5. Conquest of the Planet of the Apes (1972)
Another Apes film built around a phenomenal performance from Roddy McDowall as Caesar, the sole intelligent ape in a world of humans exploiting his kind as a slave labour force.
The thematic parallels here are a little lazy – this dystopian future is America as Nazi Germany with an ape slave trade thrown in. The script isn’t the best, but it’s considerably better than that of Beneath the Planet of the Apes and gives McDowall a brilliant, almost Shakespearean final monologue. The action is pretty impressive for the time too, in a way you can only get from having loads of extras in costumes charging around and laying into each other.
Much of the film was remade into the glossier Rise as a second take on the ape uprising, but there’s certainly something about this one; visceral and appealingly rough around the edges.
4. War for the Planet of the Apes (2017)
A grand finale if there ever was one.
Referencing everything from Apocalypse Now to Lord of the Rings, this is a grand and complex conflict epic that puts its faith in nature balancing out mankind’s seemingly endless stupidity. Even after the world as we know it has ended, man finds an excuse to keep fighting, and the normally peaceful Caesar has just about had enough.
As well as the photo-real apes traversing alpine forests and snow-capped peaks, look for stand-out performances wracked with pain from Andy Serkis and Woody Harrelson, and a tragicomic turn from Steve Zahn as the parker-wearing abuse survivor Bad Ape. War for the Planet of the Apes has action, scale and spectacle in spades, not to mention closing this chapter of Caesar and his kin’s story in tear-jerking fashion.
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3. Planet of the Apes (1968)
What an experience it must have been to be at an early screening of Planet of the Apes, seeing minds get blown. This sci-fi classic following an astronaut’s exploration of a planet where apes are the dominant species still packs a real punch.
The big ideas are still provocative and hard-hitting, mercilessly criticising religious fundamentalism; creationism; totalitarianism; war and prejudice. John Chambers’ superlative makeup holds up, still allowing the Ape casts’ masterful performances (particularly the depth brought by Kim Hunter and Roddy McDowall) to shine through, the aesthetic creativity and iconic imagery remaining impressive.
The twist at the end is astounding for first-time viewers, but the clues are all there for you upon a re-watch, the film’s plotting deceptive in its intricacy and layers. Jerry Goldsmith’s instantly recognisable, eerie soundtrack keeps the story charged with energy and is among the best of his career. Ok, so Charlton Heston lights a cigar in his spacecraft at the beginning, but you can’t over-think everything!
