Directed by:
Ted PostScreenplay:
Paul DehnCinematography:
Milton KrasnerComposer:
Leonard RosenmanCast:
James Franciscus, Linda Harrison, Kim Hunter, Maurice Evans, James Gregory, Charlton Heston, Paul Richards, Victor Buono, Jeff Corey, Natalie Trundy (more)Plots(1)
In the acclaimed sequel to Planet of the Apes, another astronaut (James Franciscus) crashes through the time barrier searching for the missing Taylor (Charlton Heston). The daring rescue leads to a subterranean city where mutant humans, who practice mind control, worship a weapon capable of destroying the entire planet. (official distributor synopsis)
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Reviews (5)
Escape from the Planet of the Apes already brought some dilution of the conceptual essence of the novel and the first film, although it still maintained decent visuals, quality acting, and overall spectacle, thanks to a relatively generous budget. (Actually, the budget wasn't that generous, but the sets and costumes from the first film were largely reused in the second.) This is clearly a more B-grade piece, content-wise and conceptually, reminiscent of American sci-fi films from the 1950s. Overall impression: 45%.
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Yes, this sequel definitely won't sit well with everyone; it's quite different from the first film, which is partly repeated here. However, on the other hand, I think this is something that actually further develops the ideas the first film had quite well. I still haven't read the book, but obviously, I should. I'm really satisfied with this installment; those underground people always struck me as wonderfully terrifying.
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The cult of atomic bomb worshipers was fantastic; I even spotted Dmitry Medvedev in the audience with a bottle of vodka! The only improvement is that James Franciscus has a nicer set of teeth and more defined abs than Heston; otherwise, its inherent foolishness is doomed to extinction. Even the musical "Planet of the Apes" from The Simpsons with its catchy chorus, "Doctor Zaius, Doctor Zaius," has greater artistic value.
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I am not at all surprised at the inclusion of this title in a place of honor at www.badmovies.org. The first half parasitises the famous film quite uninventively to capitalise on the Monkey Town set and the expensive make-up and costumes, but with the introduction of the 'Radioactive Fallout Society' it becomes a delightful B-movie guilty-pleasure. Telepathic torture, a worship service for the atomic bomb (“The heavens declare the glory of the Bomb, and the firmament showeth His handiwork.”), obscure masks a la Fantomas, unintentionally funny catchphrases ("Mr. Taylor, Mr. Brent, we are a peaceful people. We don't kill our enemies. We get our enemies to kill each other.") etc., all of which, while devaluing the film's famous predecessor, makes itself a superb comedy :) Charlton Heston's short (and handsomely paid) cameo is only there to make his name look good on the poster.
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It’s messy, but thankfully has its good moments. Charlton Heston is useless here, and I'm not surprised he didn't want to reprise the role. Zira and Cornelius are also useless, the atomic bomb-worshiping sect is funny and Leonard Rosenman is unfortunately not Jerry Goldsmith, although he tries to be at times.
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