Review of Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970) by Justin L — 11 Aug 2011
It takes a while for Beneath the Planet of Apes to become original and show new things, but when it does it turns out to be a little too weird but still mildly enjoyable.
The film begins where the first left off, Taylor and Nova are riding off when Taylor suddenly disappears into the Forbidden Zone. Enter astronaut Brent, who is sent to rescue Taylor but crash lands on the Planet of the Apes, just like Taylor did. Brent finds Nova and they try to follow and find him. He discovers a cult of humans that fear the Apes' latest military movements and finds himself in the middle. Tension mounts to a climactic battle between ape and man.
The acting isn't perfect, but it gets the job done. Charlton Heston has a small role as Taylor but still does good. James Franciscus is alright as Brent, he's nothing special but still works.
The ape make-up is still top notch, beside a few obvious masks that extras use. The make-up used for the people in the Forbidden Zone is pretty creep and effective.
What doesn't work is the first half which is just a rehash of the first film. It's the same thing with Brent as an astronaut that crash lands, then he has to figure out that apes rule. It also doesn't help that James Franciscus looks like Charlton Heston.
It doesn't get interesting until they get to the Forbidden Zone, but then it gets a little too weird which may alienate some people. Don't get me wrong it's entertaining, just not what you'd expect.
So besides the same plot and some very obvious social commentary, Beneath is enjoyable, it just doesn't live up the first.
Oh and the ending was great and pretty shocking.
This review of Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970) was written by Justin L on 11 Aug 2011.
Beneath the Planet of the Apes has generally received mixed reviews.
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