Planet of the Apes (1968)
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An astronaut crew crash-lands on a strange planet in the distant future where apes have evolved into the dominant species.
The story
After a near-light-speed space voyage, an astronaut crew crash-lands on a mysterious planet in the year 3978. The survivors find themselves in a desolate wasteland where they encounter a society of intelligent, speaking apes. In this world, apes are the dominant species, while humans have been reduced to mute primitives. The mission commander, Taylor, is captured and taken to Ape City, where he must navigate a complex social structure and a strict caste system to survive and uncover the truth about the world he has landed on.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Astronauts Taylor, Landon, and Dodge awaken from hibernation after their ship crashes in 3978. They travel through a wasteland and find an oasis of primitive humans. During a raid by gorillas, Taylor is injured and captured. He is taken to Ape City, where he is cared for by chimpanzees Zira and Galen. He discovers a society where apes rule and humans are treated as vermin. Taylor is eventually joined by a woman named Nova. He is forced to prove his intelligence to the ape leadership, specifically the orangutan Dr. Zaius. After being castrated and nearly lobotomized, Taylor escapes with Zira and Cornelius to the 'Forbidden Zone.' There, they find the wreckage of his ship. In a cave, Cornelius shows Taylor evidence of a previous human civilization. Taylor eventually discovers the remains of the Statue of Liberty, realizing the planet is actually Earth, devastated by nuclear war.
- First release year
- 1968
- Runtime (minutes)
- 112
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Franklin J. Schaffner
- Writers
- Michael Wilson · screenplay; Rod Serling · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Charlton Heston · George Taylor; Roddy McDowall · Dr. Cornelius; Kim Hunter · Dr. Zira; Maurice Evans · Dr. Zaius; James Whitmore · President of the Assembly; James Daly · Dr. Honorius; Linda Harrison · Nova
- Genres
- science-fiction; adventure
- Themes
- social commentary; de-evolution; humanity's legacy
- Tone and mood
- eerie; unsettled; epic
- Setting
- A desolate, post-apocalyptic Earth in the year 3978.
- Premise and plot tags
- post-apocalyptic; time dilation; space exploration
- Source material / true-story basis
- 1963 novel by Pierre Boulle
- Franchise connections
- Planet of the Apes
- Reception
- The film was well received by audiences and critics, and is widely regarded as a classic.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 86% · scale: percentage · review count: 96; Metacritic · score: 79 · scale: 100 · review count: 14
- Awards and nominations
- Academy Award · Best Costume Design · Nominee
- Production trivia
- The film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry in 2001.; The film's score is known for its avant-garde compositional techniques and 12-tone music.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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