Review of Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970) by Kevin R — 02 Aug 2011

Beware of the beast man for he is the devil's pawn.

John Brent has been sent to a planet to recover a missing space vessel and its captain, Colonel George Taylor. He discovers a planet inhabited by apes. As he investigates the missing Colonel he is informed of an amazing story and of the Colonel escaping to the "forbidden zone." John heads into the Forbidden Zone and discovers what's left of the human race as they prepare to attack the apes. Which side will John take and will he ever discover what happened to the colonel?

"The only good human is a dead human.".

Ted Post, director of The Human Shield, 4 Faces, Nightkill, Good Guys Wear Black, Magnum Force, and Hang 'Em High, delivers Beneath the Planet of the Apes. The storyline for this picture initially seemed identical to the original movie and then transitioned to a weird science fiction plot. The makeup, action sequences, and acting remained better than average and the cast includes Charlton Heston, James Franciscus, Kim Hunter, and Maurice Evans.

"They're marked for target practice.".

They are in the process of airing the entire run of these movies on cable this week in anticipation of the recent remake. I have only seen the original and will be watching these sequels for the first time. I can tell you that I hated the direction they went with the humans and these run of films with this picture. The telekinetic powers seemed a bit ridiculous and unneeded. The apes continued to be presented well and interesting but the end and humans were a bit disappointed. I recommend skipping this picture.

"We're a peaceful people. We don't kill our enemies. We get our enemies to kill each other.".

Grade: C-.