Conquest of the Planet of the Apes
Year: 1972
Director: J. Lee Thompson
Starring: Roddy McDowell, Ricardo Montalban, Don Murray & Hari Rhodes
Runtime: 88 mins
BBFC: 12
Published: 13/02/24
Director: J. Lee Thompson
Starring: Roddy McDowell, Ricardo Montalban, Don Murray & Hari Rhodes
Runtime: 88 mins
BBFC: 12
Published: 13/02/24
Warning: This review contains spoilers for Escape from the Planet of the Apes
Beneath the Planet of the Apes, and Escape from the Planet of the Apes had both been commercial successes thanks to their low budgets and franchise appeal so Fox and APJAC studios were in no desire to slow down, though the forecast for the franchise wasn’t good. Each film had brought in significantly less than the one before it, and so even with continued budget reduction the franchise was nearing its demise. Writer Paul Dehn whom had been on board for all of the sequels formalised a finale for the story that could act as a full circle of sorts, allowing the franchise to effectively loop on itself forever. Able to do it effectively in two films, the Planet of the Apes franchise would start its final descent towards its bitter end.
For eighteen years the son of the time travelling apes, Zira & Cornelius, has been kept secret and safe by travelling circus showman Armando (Ricardo Montabalbán).
In this time, due to a disease brought back by the apes, all domesticated pets have died, causing humanity to adopt apes as their new pet of choice. With their rapidly developing mental capabilities, apes are now being treated as slaves and workhorses for the human population. Upon discovering this, Zira and Cornelius’ son, Caesar (Roddy McDowall) sows the seeds for an ape uprising against their oppressors.
Similarly, to Escape from the Planet of the Apes, the story to Conquest of the Planet of the Apes is actually pretty decent when you look at it on paper. But also, like Escape it completely fumbles its execution.
Conquest arguably manages to be the only sequel to try and capture the same kind of ethical ambition and complexity as the original 1968 film. It doesn’t reach those same highs, but it does at least try which is more than I can say about basically any of the other Planet of the Apes sequels.
For eighteen years the son of the time travelling apes, Zira & Cornelius, has been kept secret and safe by travelling circus showman Armando (Ricardo Montabalbán).
In this time, due to a disease brought back by the apes, all domesticated pets have died, causing humanity to adopt apes as their new pet of choice. With their rapidly developing mental capabilities, apes are now being treated as slaves and workhorses for the human population. Upon discovering this, Zira and Cornelius’ son, Caesar (Roddy McDowall) sows the seeds for an ape uprising against their oppressors.
Similarly, to Escape from the Planet of the Apes, the story to Conquest of the Planet of the Apes is actually pretty decent when you look at it on paper. But also, like Escape it completely fumbles its execution.
Conquest arguably manages to be the only sequel to try and capture the same kind of ethical ambition and complexity as the original 1968 film. It doesn’t reach those same highs, but it does at least try which is more than I can say about basically any of the other Planet of the Apes sequels.
There are two massive hurdles that stop Conquest from being a better film though, and they are the pace and budget.
Whilst the story and the writing is generally pretty strong, Dehn’s biggest problem is his inability to create a well-paced narrative. The opening five to ten minutes is a series of monologues delivered by Armando to Cornelius which recap almost the entire events of Escape, and then also explain in painstaking detail what’s happened in between films to get humanity to this point where it’s using apes as slaves. It’s such a drag, and I understand that the explanation of what’s happened between films needs to happen but there had to have been a more organic way to explain this rather than a series of expository monologues. Things continue to move slowly and what is a story about fuelling the fires of an uprising instead seems to suddenly end up at the climax without much in the way of build-up. The final thirty minutes or so is an extended action sequence of sorts where Caesar and the ape slaves turn on their human masters and take on the police. This is a great sequence, and whilst the action is certainly a little dated looking it irks for the most part.
There are two very different endings. The theatrical where Caesar stops his fellow apes in their killing spree, claiming human life is equal to theirs and should be valued. Or the ‘extended’ ending which instead sees Caesar and his army succumb to their bloodlust and murder every human they come across. Personally, I prefer the latter ending, it may be bleaker, but I think seeing Caesar transform from this freedom fighter into a bloodthirsty warlord is a much more interesting take on the whole thing.
To be fair to McDowall, he gives the best performance of all the Planet of the Apes films here. Having played Cornelius in the original film and Escape from the Planet of the Apes, his shift to Cornelius’ son for this film would have been challenging in its own right but he works to the scripts strengths and really embodies the powerful leader Caesar is becoming.
Whilst the story and the writing is generally pretty strong, Dehn’s biggest problem is his inability to create a well-paced narrative. The opening five to ten minutes is a series of monologues delivered by Armando to Cornelius which recap almost the entire events of Escape, and then also explain in painstaking detail what’s happened in between films to get humanity to this point where it’s using apes as slaves. It’s such a drag, and I understand that the explanation of what’s happened between films needs to happen but there had to have been a more organic way to explain this rather than a series of expository monologues. Things continue to move slowly and what is a story about fuelling the fires of an uprising instead seems to suddenly end up at the climax without much in the way of build-up. The final thirty minutes or so is an extended action sequence of sorts where Caesar and the ape slaves turn on their human masters and take on the police. This is a great sequence, and whilst the action is certainly a little dated looking it irks for the most part.
There are two very different endings. The theatrical where Caesar stops his fellow apes in their killing spree, claiming human life is equal to theirs and should be valued. Or the ‘extended’ ending which instead sees Caesar and his army succumb to their bloodlust and murder every human they come across. Personally, I prefer the latter ending, it may be bleaker, but I think seeing Caesar transform from this freedom fighter into a bloodthirsty warlord is a much more interesting take on the whole thing.
To be fair to McDowall, he gives the best performance of all the Planet of the Apes films here. Having played Cornelius in the original film and Escape from the Planet of the Apes, his shift to Cornelius’ son for this film would have been challenging in its own right but he works to the scripts strengths and really embodies the powerful leader Caesar is becoming.
The budget is a big problem though and the film massively suffers because of how strapped for cash they clearly were. Made with just $1.7 million a lot of stuff took a hit to get the film finished on such small funds. Most obvious are the costumes. The simian outfits and makeup have always been excellent, but aside from Caesar you can really see some shoddy craftsmanship at work. Mouths that don’t move properly, clumpy patchwork of fur, some of the extras in the background look like they’re just wearing wigs and face paint. It’s a bit of a mess really.
The sets also look drab and lifeless. A lot of them are re-used with some shuffling around or quick restyling of certain assets to pass as different areas. Plus, the whole thing looks like all colour has been drained from it, with only the apes jumpsuits offering any kind of colour.
The third Planet of the Apes sequel may have a great story to tell but it’s let down by the way it’s told and because of the shoestring budget the filmmakers had to work with. Whilst McDowall does his best to salvage the whole thing, it’s not enough to mask the glaring shortfalls the film has in almost every area.
Had this been given twice the budget it had (which still wouldn’t have been a lot) then Conquest of the Planet of the Apes probably could have been a fairly decent film. As it stands it’s a bit boring and cheap looking. But it may scratch an itch for those looking for a return to Planet of the Apes more ethically conscious roots.
The sets also look drab and lifeless. A lot of them are re-used with some shuffling around or quick restyling of certain assets to pass as different areas. Plus, the whole thing looks like all colour has been drained from it, with only the apes jumpsuits offering any kind of colour.
The third Planet of the Apes sequel may have a great story to tell but it’s let down by the way it’s told and because of the shoestring budget the filmmakers had to work with. Whilst McDowall does his best to salvage the whole thing, it’s not enough to mask the glaring shortfalls the film has in almost every area.
Had this been given twice the budget it had (which still wouldn’t have been a lot) then Conquest of the Planet of the Apes probably could have been a fairly decent film. As it stands it’s a bit boring and cheap looking. But it may scratch an itch for those looking for a return to Planet of the Apes more ethically conscious roots.