Review of Conquest of the Planet of the Apes (1972) by Justin L — 11 Aug 2011

The fourth Apes film is probably my favorite sequel to the original, it's darker than any film in the series and has the best performance by Roddy McDowell.

It's the near future and apes have become domesticated and turned into work slaves. But along comes Caesar, son of Cornelius and Zira who died in the third film, who sees the cruelty of the humans and leads an ape rebellion against the human oppressors, which leads to the birth of the planet of the apes.

Roddy McDowell steels the show as Caesar. He has a great commanding presence and has great movement that really makes him look like an ape.

This movie is much darker than any installment, but that helps move the dark story of an ape rebellion against humans.

I like the apes cloths of red and green which looks cool when they're running through the night.

I think the lower budget worked in giving it a grittier tone instead of the clean polished look. The movie may be a little bit slow but once it gets moving it gets good.

I would have liked the movie to have it's original ending instead of the edited ending, because it feels forced.

In all, a powerful entry that stays in vein of the original, although there's not much humor to be found here.