Beneath the Planet of the Apes
Year: 1970
Director: Ted Post
Starring: Maurice Evans, James Franciscus, Linda Harrison & Charlton Heston
Runtime: 95 mins
BBFC: 15
Published: 02/02/24
Director: Ted Post
Starring: Maurice Evans, James Franciscus, Linda Harrison & Charlton Heston
Runtime: 95 mins
BBFC: 15
Published: 02/02/24
Warning: This review contains spoilers for Planet of the Apes and Beneath the Planet of the Apes
Following the massive success of Planet of the Apes in 1968, there was a desire from the producers at APJAC Studios to capitalise on the success with sequels. It seemed like easy money, and Twentieth Century Fox were also eager to jump on this golden opportunity. But why make a sequel for more money, when you could make it for less and bank on name brand to bring in just as much at the box office! Unfortunately, the Planet of the Apes IP would be raped and pillaged by studio executives over the years immediately following the success of the first film and produce four very cheap sequels that would release yearly from 1970 to 1974. The first of these sequels, Beneath the Planet of the Apes, couldn’t have strayed further from what the original film set out to achieve.
Following Taylor’s (Charlton Heston) shocking discovery that he has been on Earth all along at the end of Planet of the Apes, he and Nova (Linda Harrison) venture further into the forbidden zone where they are haunted by terrifying visions before Taylor mysteriously vanishes.
Having followed Taylor’s trajectory through space, a second ship crash lands with Brent (James Francisus) being the sole survivor. When he finds Nova wandering the wastes and discovers her connection to Taylor, he convinces her to show him where her tribe is.
Taking him back to Zira (Kim Hunter) and Cornelius (David Watson), Zaius (Maurice Evans) soon discovers the existence of another talking man.
In their attempt to capture him, Brent too discovers the truth about Earth, and also discovers an underground civilisation of humans who worship a nuclear bomb. With the apes closing in and the humans ready for the end of times, Brent must find Taylor and try to stop history repeating itself.
Following Taylor’s (Charlton Heston) shocking discovery that he has been on Earth all along at the end of Planet of the Apes, he and Nova (Linda Harrison) venture further into the forbidden zone where they are haunted by terrifying visions before Taylor mysteriously vanishes.
Having followed Taylor’s trajectory through space, a second ship crash lands with Brent (James Francisus) being the sole survivor. When he finds Nova wandering the wastes and discovers her connection to Taylor, he convinces her to show him where her tribe is.
Taking him back to Zira (Kim Hunter) and Cornelius (David Watson), Zaius (Maurice Evans) soon discovers the existence of another talking man.
In their attempt to capture him, Brent too discovers the truth about Earth, and also discovers an underground civilisation of humans who worship a nuclear bomb. With the apes closing in and the humans ready for the end of times, Brent must find Taylor and try to stop history repeating itself.
I’ll give credit where it’s due, Beneath the Planet of the Apes does expand on the original film’s story in an interesting way by introducing this underground city of mutant humans. But that’s kind of where my praise ends because everything else about this film is pretty dire.
For starters the first half of the film is basically the original film all over again. Brent crash lands, is taken to Ape City, tested on by the scientists, attempts to explain himself to Zaius who’s having none of it, and then escapes prompting the apes to hunt him. The film only becomes its own story once the mutants come along in the second half of the film and by that point it’s far too late to care.
This society also isn’t given an awful lot of explanation in what they’re doing down there. They claim to be pacifists so stay out of the way of anyone other than their own, and have methods to deter outsiders from approaching them, but were given so explanation as to how this works because it’s done using some kind of telepathy. The congregation also sing every single thing like they’re reciting prayers, and it’s impossible not to laugh at how dumb it is.
Brent and Taylor are basically the same characters and it’s even more obvious when they’re united in the final act of the film. I think I prefer Francisus’ performance because he’s generally less creepy than Heston.
Hunter doesn’t really get to do much in the film because Zira’s role is significantly minimised, and she just disappears entirely following Brent’s escape from Apex City. Watson replaces Roddy McDowell as Cornelius for this film, and he’s not only given nothing to do but he’s massively inferior to McDowell’s nuanced performance.
I think the pressure was on for Beneath the Planet of the Apes to have a huge twist ending just like the first film did, because that was what gained the first film such massive popularity. The problem is that Beneath the Planet of the Apes may just have the worst ending to a film I’ve ever seen. Honestly, if you told me that the ending was the last scene they shot and they just ran out of money mid scene I’d believe it. It just ends so abruptly and unsatisfyingly, and it genuinely feels like it’s pissing all over the first film’s legacy. Allow me to explain.
For starters the first half of the film is basically the original film all over again. Brent crash lands, is taken to Ape City, tested on by the scientists, attempts to explain himself to Zaius who’s having none of it, and then escapes prompting the apes to hunt him. The film only becomes its own story once the mutants come along in the second half of the film and by that point it’s far too late to care.
This society also isn’t given an awful lot of explanation in what they’re doing down there. They claim to be pacifists so stay out of the way of anyone other than their own, and have methods to deter outsiders from approaching them, but were given so explanation as to how this works because it’s done using some kind of telepathy. The congregation also sing every single thing like they’re reciting prayers, and it’s impossible not to laugh at how dumb it is.
Brent and Taylor are basically the same characters and it’s even more obvious when they’re united in the final act of the film. I think I prefer Francisus’ performance because he’s generally less creepy than Heston.
Hunter doesn’t really get to do much in the film because Zira’s role is significantly minimised, and she just disappears entirely following Brent’s escape from Apex City. Watson replaces Roddy McDowell as Cornelius for this film, and he’s not only given nothing to do but he’s massively inferior to McDowell’s nuanced performance.
I think the pressure was on for Beneath the Planet of the Apes to have a huge twist ending just like the first film did, because that was what gained the first film such massive popularity. The problem is that Beneath the Planet of the Apes may just have the worst ending to a film I’ve ever seen. Honestly, if you told me that the ending was the last scene they shot and they just ran out of money mid scene I’d believe it. It just ends so abruptly and unsatisfyingly, and it genuinely feels like it’s pissing all over the first film’s legacy. Allow me to explain.
So, the apes find the underground mutant civilisation and begin to kill all of them, and the mutants plan to detonate the nuclear bomb they worship. Brent and Taylor rush to stop this but Brent is quickly and unceremoniously shot dead, and Taylor is mortally wounded.
This next part is so bad that I just can’t understand how someone wrote this, and how everyone at the studio thought it was fine. Whilst dying Taylor’s body falls onto the detonator, exploding the nuclear bomb, which it turns out is somehow powerful enough to cause the entire planet to blow up. As the screen fades to white a voiceover says this: ‘In one of the countless billions of galaxies in the universe, lies a medium-sized star, and one of its satellites, a green and insignificant planet, is now dead.’ Then the credits roll.
I watched Beneath the Planet of the Apes for the first time about fifteen years ago, and I did not remember a single thing about it going into this rewatch, but oh my god, I really hope I can forget this ending again because I was stunned speechless. Not only do they kill off this film’s protagonist unexpectedly and without any kind of gravitas, but they’re also kill the protagonist of the last film in a similar way just seconds later, and then use his falling dead body to detonate a nuclear bomb powerful enough to destroy the planet. Who wrote this garbage? I was writing better stories when I was five! It’s insultingly bad and in all the awful films I’ve seen I’ve never had such a visceral and appalled reaction to the way they’ve ended them as I have with this.
Whilst Planet of the Apes is a classic that hasn’t aged as well as I might like, Beneath the Planet of the Apes is a disgrace of a film. It copies the homework of its big brother verbatim for its first half, and then its second half fails to give any meaning to what we’re seeing, and then the ending just spits in your face, douses itself in gasoline and lights the match.
None of the Planet of the Apes sequels are worth seeking out, but unless you are a big fan of self-flagellation then ignore the existence of Beneath the Planet of the Apes.
This next part is so bad that I just can’t understand how someone wrote this, and how everyone at the studio thought it was fine. Whilst dying Taylor’s body falls onto the detonator, exploding the nuclear bomb, which it turns out is somehow powerful enough to cause the entire planet to blow up. As the screen fades to white a voiceover says this: ‘In one of the countless billions of galaxies in the universe, lies a medium-sized star, and one of its satellites, a green and insignificant planet, is now dead.’ Then the credits roll.
I watched Beneath the Planet of the Apes for the first time about fifteen years ago, and I did not remember a single thing about it going into this rewatch, but oh my god, I really hope I can forget this ending again because I was stunned speechless. Not only do they kill off this film’s protagonist unexpectedly and without any kind of gravitas, but they’re also kill the protagonist of the last film in a similar way just seconds later, and then use his falling dead body to detonate a nuclear bomb powerful enough to destroy the planet. Who wrote this garbage? I was writing better stories when I was five! It’s insultingly bad and in all the awful films I’ve seen I’ve never had such a visceral and appalled reaction to the way they’ve ended them as I have with this.
Whilst Planet of the Apes is a classic that hasn’t aged as well as I might like, Beneath the Planet of the Apes is a disgrace of a film. It copies the homework of its big brother verbatim for its first half, and then its second half fails to give any meaning to what we’re seeing, and then the ending just spits in your face, douses itself in gasoline and lights the match.
None of the Planet of the Apes sequels are worth seeking out, but unless you are a big fan of self-flagellation then ignore the existence of Beneath the Planet of the Apes.