Battle for the Planet of the Apes (1973)
Starring: Roddy McDowall, Claude Akins, Natalie Trundy, Severn Darden, John Huston
Director: J. Lee Thompson
Synopsis: Four sequels later, the Ape saga finally turns full circle.....dullsiville
Reviewed by: Omar Khan

"worst" Time Out

"least effective" Creature Features

"substandard" Maltin's

 "totally exhausted" Blockbuster Video

 "little tension" Video Movie Guide

 

This fifth and final instalment in the original Planet of the Apes series arrived barely five years after the groundbreaking original. Set in the year 2670, it continues directly from the events of Conquest of the Planet of the Apes, with Caesar now leading the fledgling ape civilisation he fought so hard to establish. Determined not to repeat mankind's mistakes, Caesar strives to create a society in which apes and humans live together as equals.

Unfortunately, not everyone shares his vision.

Within the ape community itself, the gorillas have begun to feel marginalised and believe they should determine their own destiny rather than submit to Caesar's idealism. Meanwhile, beneath the surface, a colony of mutated humans has somehow survived the radioactive aftermath of what must presumably have been World War IV. Led by a bitter and vengeful commander, they patiently await the opportunity to reclaim their former dominance and remind the apes that mankind—not simians—was once master of the planet.

The inevitable conflict erupts as both sides fight to shape the future, though the entire story is presented as a flashback narrated by an elderly ape who reminds his listeners that true harmony between humans and apes remains an aspiration rather than a reality.

The premise is not without potential, but the film is almost entirely bereft of fresh ideas. Worse still, it seems uncertain what it actually wants to say. Once again we are presented with the familiar moral lessons about tolerance, prejudice and coexistence—worthy themes, certainly—but ones that had already been explored far more effectively in the previous three films.

By this stage the series had clearly exhausted both its creative inspiration and, judging by the production values, much of its budget.

The film frequently resembles a routine 1970s made-for-television production, complete with flat direction, uninspired staging and an overbearing musical score. In an effort to inject some excitement, director J. Lee Thompson builds towards an extended battle between humans and apes, but the climax proves surprisingly lifeless. What should have been the film's highlight becomes a laborious exercise that is about as exciting as watching an egg boil.

The performances do little to improve matters. Roddy McDowall once again brings dignity and conviction to Caesar, but he is surrounded by performances that often feel oddly exaggerated. The sagely orangutan is particularly irritating, while General Aldo, the villainous gorilla, spends most of the film bellowing rather than acting.

The entire production exudes fatigue. Everything feels second-hand, from the recycled themes to the uninspired storytelling, and by this point there was clearly nowhere meaningful left for the original series to go. In many ways, it was just as well that this proved to be the final chapter.

Fatigued, stale and thoroughly anaemic, Battle for the Planet of the Apes attempts to disguise itself as a thoughtful message movie for an intolerant world, but emerges instead as a confused and rather inept exercise in pseudo flower-power philosophy. It fails as an action film, fails as a thriller and, most disappointingly of all, fails to deliver its moral message with any conviction.

The result is a muddled mixture of half-formed ideas that never coalesce into anything particularly engaging or relevant. Directed with remarkable lack of inspiration by J. Lee Thompson, this is a sad and deeply disappointing conclusion to a series that had begun with one of science fiction's greatest achievements.

Ironically, the television series that followed was scarcely any worse than this rather sorry farewell to the original Planet of the Apes saga.