Eroberung vom Planet der Affen

Taking place some 18 years after ESCAPE FROM THE PLANET OF THE APES, this fourth chapter in the consistently entertaining series is another good one that benefits from an extra strong performance in the chimp makeup by Roddy McDowall. The actor now assumes the challenging role of his own son, Caesar; or rather, the now-grown, angry but clever offspring of Zira and Cornelius, who survived his own assassination attempt at the climax of the previous movie.

It's now the year 1991 (no, not the same '91 that we all experienced, but actually an altered version for the "next" time it comes 'round, having been changed by the arrival of Zira and Cornelius and their events of ESCAPE). The world has become different due to a mysterious virus brought back to Earth from the astronauts (maybe Zira & Cornelius themselves from their future?); as a result, dogs and cats have become extinct while apes increase in stature and rate of intelligence and ability to learn. To replace their lost pets, a business called APE MANAGEMENT (which I presume to be a franchise throughout the world) has been established to train gorillas, chimpanzees and orangutans to serve humans in their homes, as waiters, sweepers, bed-makers, and general servants.

Ricardo Montalban is good as a kindly circus owner who brings Caesar into this new environment, but the young chimp must be careful not to reveal that he is actually the notorious talking ape who threatened humanity two decades earlier. Yet, as Caesar becomes increasingly angrier by the acts of bondage he witnesses among his fellow primates, he launches a full-scale riot to overthrow the community and bring humans to their knees. He is motivated by an all-consuming hatred and wages bloody war as the first step, possibly, to world domination on other continents.

And that's just the point - some viewers say that the battle in CONQUEST is on such a relatively small scale that they can't see how the apes would, or could, "take over the world". But if you pay close attention, the vengeful Caesar only considers this encounter "a beginning", not an all-out apocalyptic defeat of all of mankind in one night! It's easy to gradually come down on this series as it goes along, pointing to the obvious lower budgets and so forth, but director J. Lee Thompson does a great job utilizing the futuristic look of the real-life Century City Complex to pull off a feeling of a city out of tomorrow.

I won't deny that more money could have made this film even better (God knows the pull-over ape masks for the extras are certainly obvious), but I feel it's McDowall's energetic and intense performance that elevates this to a higher level than its budget alone would allow. Don Murray as the evil governor is perhaps a little too theatrical, but Severn Darden is quietly contemptible as his more reserved assistant, Kolp (who would return in the next and final chapter of the saga).

Reportedly, preview audiences found the original ending too violent, so McDowall was called in to loop more "humane" lines of dialogue over some non-matching closeups for the movie's official release. It would be great to see a restored version with the actual ending one day**. But even as it stands, CONQUEST OF THE PLANET OF THE APES has more than enough action, humor and drama to make it a winner considering it's a fourth sequel.

**EDITED UPDATE -- In 2008, a Blu-ray Special Edition was released which featured, for the very first time, the "original" version of the movie. It features several gruesome, bloody, and violent moments which were cut out of the Theatrical Version. Also restored was the more downbeat ending. My review stands for either version of CONQUEST, but die-hard fans of the series really owe it to themselves to check out the "Unrated Cut"! *** out of ****

Conquest Of The Planet Of The Apes is actually a good movie. One could argue that it's a case of good writing in the face of a pathetically low budget, ala Star Trek. The "future city" in the film was actually a then-new business complex in L.A., on the verge of completion. The producers lucked out and got permission to shoot there. This was good, because the studio had alloted said producers a ridiculously low budget, something like 1.7 million dollars, to make the movie. The tiny budget especially shows through in the special effects and the props: check out the "authenticator", used to make Ricardo Montalban's character tell the truth to the goverment heavies, which looks like a dining room hanging lamp with a blue bulb inside. Money problems aside, Conquest Of The Planet Of The Apes is still entertaining, and makes some pointed observations about real-life society in the process. Just overlook the only-in-'72 turtlenecks, afros and push-button phones with the cords removed. :-).

When the future looks bleak, it's very bleak! In "Conquest of the Planet of the Apes", it's like the 18th century only more primal. The slaves are not humans, but apes(Gorillas, chimpanzees and orangutans) not only they are made into slaves, they are also taken over society's workforce by a tyrannical governor. The last surviving talking Caesar(Roddy McDowell) would be the chose one to rise above tyranny. Unknown o most of the crew Caesar is the only chimp who speaks. The reason for this kind of treatment to the apes, they are pets! They replaced the dog and cat, because of a strange plague that claimed the regular domesticated animals. Another reason for such actions is when the circus owner (Ricardo Montalban) sees the horror of everything, and he sacrifices himself to avoid further interrogations. Since Caesar is the hope for all apes, they rise up and gain the upper hand on Man. It's like when the slaves revolt against their masters, the pet revolt against the master who abuse it. We all hate slavery, but when it's not humans owning one another, ti doesn't seem to matter. This scifi movie isn't all stereotypical, it's just have their way of showing the evils of slavery, that's all! 2.5 out of 5 stars!

These movies are a mixed bag to say the least and it doesn't pay to scrutinise several incongruities...but they are enjoyable none the less.

Conquest for the Planet of the Apes, the fourth in the series, covers the 'pre-history' of the first movie, where the apes first start to gain some ascendancy in the world of humans. And like the first movie (and to a lesser degree the second) it actually strives to make a social statement AND does a decent job. Parallels are drawn between the apes struggle against slavery to humans and the struggle for civil rights of black people in America with the ape riot scene intended to imitate a famous riot in the sixties. The point is well made considering the censorship restrictions on violence and the touchy nature of the underlying subject matter - a topic well discussed today but not overtly talked about in 1972. The result is daring, well-made (the riot is stunning) and well-meaning, but sometimes a little clumsy.

Some fairly elementary things are overlooked, as well, such as the fact that in the first movie the apes were evolved by 2000 years thus excusing their very human bearing, but here, in the 'future' of 1991, they are just supposed to be apes with clothes on...doesn't quite work.

All in all, though, an entertaining film and a good showcase for Roddy McDowall's real acting abilities. 7 out of 10.

This movie, CONQUEST OF THTE PLANET OF THE APES (1972) could easily have been discarded. It really didn't live up to the legacy that is the PLANET OF THE APES. A much weaker, cheaper production that doesn't hold the audience's attention for very long.

A very Dystopian, bleak future is what this film has to offer. An authoritarian Governor in the year 1991 has made apes into slaves and brutality between apes and man is a common everyday occurrence.

After torturing the future leader of the apes, Cesar leads a revolt against his human captors and wins out in the end.

Starring: Roddy McDowall, Don Murray, Ricardo Montalban, Hari Rhodes and Natalie Trundy.