Planet of the Apes
By Logan Wright
The film world is awash with mad professors and bad science. And is anyone taking any notice? Hardly. Never fear though - the Null has been paying close attention and is here to bring you critiques of new and classic movies from a scientific (and unlikely) standpoint.Quick run down
Released: 1968
Directed by: Franklin J. Schaffner
Starring: Charlton Heston, Roddy McDowall
On with the show
Set in the year 2500, this film classic tells the story of a crew of space travelers who wind up on an unknown planet. After awaking from an artificial hibernation, our hero, Colonel George Taylor, soon learns that his spaceship’s crash landing is the least of his troubles.
It quickly becomes apparent that Taylor, played by Charlton Heston, is among the last few surviving members of the human race.
Taylor and his crew were sent on a space expedition in 1972 aboard the Icarus, a hi-tech spaceship capable of near light speeds and housing pods that allow its passengers to hibernate for over two thousand years. The lengthy nap does prove to have some unsavory side effects, however. Women age by two thousand years and die, whereas men seem to develop bushy, but otherwise well-groomed and charming beards.
The film is called Planet of the Apes for a reason though, and Taylor is eventually captured by a group of curiously advanced simians. Despite being amazed by his captors, he seems to regard their command of English as totally logical. Chimp psychologist (literally – she’s a chimp), Dr. Zira, on the other hand, is fascinated by Taylor and takes a keen interest in the human subject.
Opposing Dr. Zira is Dr. Zaius, an orangutan who is unapologetically anti-human and wants Taylor castrated. Those familiar with the ongoing animal testing debate will notice that Planet of the Apes leaves the audience with a number of pressing moral questions. Why does Taylor, who smokes like Mt. St. Helens early on in the film, have no withdrawal symptoms? How could a toy doll last two thousand years, show hardly any signs of aging, and still function like the day it was bought? Oh yeah, and should we experiment on monkeys?
So is it worth a watch?
This film is entertaining throughout and the ending is routinely called “one of the greatest movie endings of all time”. If you can overlook the Hollywoodian science, Planet of the Apes is an aged but still classic science fiction film worthwhile for its cultural relevance alone.
The verdict:
7/10
Certainly worthy of a large popcorn and kingsize hot dog, but we're not convinced you should go the whole hog and foot the bill for an ice cream as well.
The Null's sophisticated movie rating system.
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If this had you pondering flick science, why not try:
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