Escape from the Planet of the Apes

• Directed by Don Taylor
• May 26, 1971
• Based on characters created by Pierre Boulle

Cornelius and Zira flee through time to the 20^th century where they face fear and persecution.

Some have called Escape from the Planet of the Apes the best of the sequels. I think it is mostly tied with its predecessor for that honor and may even be a very small step below Beneath. The story has much less to say and is much more about highlighting things of the era. It touches on the negative view of boxing as well as women’s liberation but it is much more “Look at this!” than anything else.

Time travel firmly takes center stage here to explain everything from Taylor being in the far-flung future to why Brent may have been dispatched to how the apes get to the past. The first film was a little more grounded since the passage of time was due to real world science and not more fanciful elements.

The short-lived character of Dr. Milo (Sal Mineo) gives enough of an explanation that you buy what they are selling here but it does not necessarily jive with information provided in the first two films. Then again this was done in a time before watching films (or anything) at will was possible and it was much easier to ignore elements for the purposes of an individual film.

I do feel that the character of Dr. Milo was killed off to early. Admittedly he ultimately had to die for the story. Otherwise his presence for too long in the movie would have made the story itself longer as well as complicated the ultimate finale. He just seems to disappear within the first 10 or 20 minutes. Just enough time to explain how they got there which could have been done by any character from the human side. He would have certainly stretched events out and complicated the situation but really I found the character just interesting.

Escape from the Planet of the Apes is a little better than 90 minutes. It does not feel like it though. So much is going on. Each scene has something happening that moves things forward either a little or a lot. They waste no time in this movie.

The movie opens with quite a bang. Considering repairs to the ship and Milo figuring out it all out occurred off camera, the initial reveal of Cornelius (Roddy McDowall), Zira (Kim Hunter), and Milo was rather shocking and quite effective. It also quickly inverted the situation of the first two films.

In Escape the couple chemistry between Cornelius and Zira shined. McDowell and Hunter worked good in the first film together, but they really felt like a genuine couple here. Cornelius was the one that tempered Zira’s passion while Zira gave Cornelius the passion that he needed to proceed rather than try to sit comfortably in whatever situation he found himself. They complimented one another.

What drives this story is a few minor slip ups here and there by Cornelius and Zira. Those misspeaks feel less organic and more forced in order to speed things along. And I hate that! It is lazy writing whenever done. Zira is an intelligent character but fumbles things far too easily for my tastes. She may be headstrong and forthright but not stupid despite a strong desire for honesty.

Cornelius also appears to have a great deal of information on real history rather than what the general population believed based on the Sacred Scrolls. Dr. Zaius gave him a smidgen after the original but based on dialogue in this movie Cornelius was shown/told everything in a matter of hours since the events of the first two are very close in time. He took in a great deal of info in a period. That is in addition to conspiring with Milo and deciding to flee future Earth. Huge decisions based on a great deal of knowledge in less than a week.

Despite being a quickly made sequel this is a very good story that is largely character driven. These aren’t two dimensional but rather sophisticated individuals. You could see where Zira or Cornelius or even Dr. Milo were coming from. You understand the views of the government officials Dr. Otto Hasslein (Eric Braeden) or even Dr. Lewis Dixon (Bradford Dillman). His colleague of Dr. Stephanie Branton (Natalie Trundy) though is a little bit basic. She’s there mostly to react or be sympathetic than she is to actually do anything. 

This film definitely leaves the viewer with the sense that there will be a sequel. There is no token ending here. There is no definitive finale where you have to wonder how they’re going to make another movie. You know based on the closing moments what’s to come. The last movie ended with the destruction of the Earth and death of all characters. How do you come back from that? This ends with a talking monkey baby.

The tone of the film is alternately fun and serious. There is the humor derived from Cornelius and Zira interacting with modern society. That is in contrast to the fear and danger presented by the government and their struggle to answer this information about tomorrow. The President (William Windom) takes the stance that Cornelius and Zira should not be harmed because they have not done anything while Hasslein is more pragmatic admitting that the future may not be guaranteed at this point but doing nothing is inadvisable.

While not as good or meaty as its predecessor, Escape from the Planet of the Apes is still a good film. It’s entertaining and it at least makes an attempt at being about something. I think if you liked the first two this one will be right up your alley.