Conquest Of The Planet Of The Apes (1972)

Featured Audience Ratings

• xGary X

  
  The son of Cornelius and Zira is separated from his protector and confronts a world where apes have been trained to do menial labour for the human race in slavery and promotes bloody insurrection amongst his kind. The third sequel to the classic Planet Of The Apes was butchered by the… More
  The son of Cornelius and Zira is separated from his protector and confronts a world where apes have been trained to do menial labour for the human race in slavery and promotes bloody insurrection amongst his kind. The third sequel to the classic Planet Of The Apes was butchered by the studio for its theatrical release no doubt because a nervous establishment weren't too happy at the sight of bloody revolution in the name of civil rights in the USA of the early 1970s. Much of the violence ended up on the cutting room floor and a terrible "and they all lived happily ever after" alternate ending was cheaply tacked on, essentially gutting the entire message of the story. In its original form, Conquest is a stirring story of bigotry, cruelty and fascism overthrown by civil disobedience and it contains some great moments of poignant dialogue and political argument. Unfortunately, thanks to the small budget and weak, TV standard direction it concentrates on its weaknesses instead of its strengths making for a finale that's little more than a gang of men in monkey suits running around hitting each other with sticks. The new prequel, Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes actually takes the seeds of the story and make much better use of them and so although this is an interesting period piece the new film is far more worthy of your time.

• Jeff "

  
  Conquest Of The Planet Of The Apes is one of favorites in the series. I very much enjoyed the storyline of the film, and I thought it was one of the most exciting films of the series. I thought that this film could have been a great conclusion to the series; unfortunately, they green… More
  Conquest Of The Planet Of The Apes is one of favorites in the series. I very much enjoyed the storyline of the film, and I thought it was one of the most exciting films of the series. I thought that this film could have been a great conclusion to the series; unfortunately, they green lit an inferior final film. However this is a great film with a wonderful cast, a very good story and good directing. As far as the series is concerned, Conquest Of The Planet Of The Apes is a great addition, and because of its story, it's also one of the best in the series. The film is much different to the other films in the series, and I very much enjoyed the change of direction the series took with Conquest. I find this film to be quite underrated and it really is a good film despite the flack it received as an uninspired sequel. The story is good and combine that with good acting and you have a great entry in a classic franchise. The film may not be the best, but for what it is, this is a good film, and like I said before, one of my favorites in the series. Conquest Of The Planet Of The Apes is an entertaining film, and has enough thrills going for it to make it a worthwhile addition to the series. Conquest Of The Planet Of The Apes is a great sequel that is entertaining, thrilling and is one of the best sequels in the series. Director J. Lee Thompson directs a memorable film that will appeal to fans of the original Planet Of The Apes, and this film is lots of fun despite its imperfections.

• David L

  
  In Escape From the Planet of the Apes, Cornelius and Zira arrived from the future and had a child, one who was destined to destroy the future of human civilization. To protect her child from human treachery, the baby chimpanzee was switched with a normal zoo chimp by his mother, and… More
  In Escape From the Planet of the Apes, Cornelius and Zira arrived from the future and had a child, one who was destined to destroy the future of human civilization. To protect her child from human treachery, the baby chimpanzee was switched with a normal zoo chimp by his mother, and grew up under the protection of his benevolent human master Armando, the extravagant sideshow circus entertainer ironically played by Ricardo Montalban from Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. Having been given a taste of freedom by the compassionate Armando, the talking simian chimpanzee Caesar (played by Roddy MacDowall who had the unique opportunity to play the son of his character Cornelius) becomes disillusioned when Armando brings him into the city only to learn that his ape brothers and sisters have become "domesticated" after a plague brought back from space in the year 1983 wiped out every dog and cat on the planet. Because of their adept intelligence and human-like faculties, the apes quickly became trained to serve their "superior" human masters. In 1991, human civilization is controlled by an oppressive authoritarian government fearful that a race of talking apes will inevitably rise up and destroy human civilization as foretold by the arrival of Cornelius and Zira. Now the apes have supplanted humans as working class slaves distinguished by the two dominant ape species... the smarter chimpanzees wearing green worker overalls and the stronger and more aggressive gorillas in red, not unlike the delineation between white and blue collar human laborers. When Armando and the son of Cornelius witness a cruel public display of torture against a helpless ape worker, the emotionally enraged talking simian lets loose his tongue and makes the fatal mistake of publicly shouting out an obscenity against the human oppressors. Armando, accepting the responsibility for the outcry, is taken into custody for questioning after he helps Caesar flee capture. The fugitive ape conceals himself by infiltrating a cage of "immigrant" ape orangutangs imported from Indonesia and is taken to a worker conditioning center where apes are harshly trained to become subservient to human domination. He is soon sold at a slave auction to the Governor's assistant MacDonald, who ironically is an Afro-American. MacDonald brings him before the Governor, played by the melodramatically camp Don Murray, who suspects that he is indeed the talking ape that they are searching for and is given the opportunity to name himself by choosing a name randomly from a book. The intelligent ape points to a name which not only surprises but confirms the Governor's suspicion and thus, Caesar is born. Caesar is put to work in an operations center where he can be closely monitored. When Caesar overhears that his master Armando was killed trying to flee interrogation, he becomes outraged and communicates non-verbally with his ape brethren to be defiant against their masters and the seeds of discontent are sown. Caesar organizes the apes into an uprising against their human captors that erupts into a full-blown ape revolt akin to Che Gorilla --- a sly reference to the Cuban revolutionary guerrilla leader Che Guevara for which Caesar emblematically bares an uncanny symbolic resemblance to and has even been parodied as such in pop-culture. Roddy MacDowall gives a rousing and unforgettable dramatic performance that surpasses his characterization of Cornelius in the three previous Ape films. Conquest of the Planet of the Apes explodes into a riotous and violent action packed climax that inevitably sets the stage for the entire Apes Saga and the birth of The Planet of the Apes. Conquest is the fourth film in the series and it is my second favorite. It is brutally violent and was the first Apes film to earn a PG rating after explicit scenes of graphic violence were cut. It is filled with so many socio-political themes that are just as relevant (if not more so) today as they were back in 1972. While the ape revolt was patterned directly after the 1965 Los Angeles Watts Riots, it could easily parallel the racial Alabama and Chicago civil protest riots of the 50's and 60's or the L.A. riots of the 90's. It's themes of working class oppression not dissimilar to the current issue of Immigration Reform which saw demonstrations of protest in major cities across the country by tens of thousands of immigrant workers who perform low-paying laborious and menial jobs that middle-class American workers think are socially beneath themselves by right of entitlement, as exemplified by the scene where Caesar witnesses the temperament of a snobbish blonde woman having her hair done in a salon by a chimp named Zelda and throws a tantrum when she messes it up which just nails the self-centered materialistic attitudes of our upper and middle social classes perfectly. The Government is portrayed as oppressive and paranoid and is an interesting examination of how the need for social constructs like Ape Management (i.e. Homeland Security) can easily deteriorate into an oppressive state of authoritarian control. Conquest is a political-charged cautionary allegory of how society breeds contempt.

• Aaron N

  
  Caesar: Where there is fire, there is smoke. And in that smoke, from this day forward, my people will crouch and conspire and plot and plan for the inevitable day of Man's downfall - the day when he finally and self-destructively turns his weapons against his own kind. The day of… More
  Caesar: Where there is fire, there is smoke. And in that smoke, from this day forward, my people will crouch and conspire and plot and plan for the inevitable day of Man's downfall - the day when he finally and self-destructively turns his weapons against his own kind. The day of the writing in the sky, when your cities lie buried under radioactive rubble! When the sea is a dead sea, and the land is a wasteland out of which I will lead my people from their captivity! And we will build our own cities in which there will be no place for humans except to serve our ends! And we shall found our own armies, our own religion, our own dynasty! And that day is upon you... now!

• Everett J

  
  I've been told by numerous people that as the "Planet of the Apes" series goes on it gets worse and worse. I happen to disagree. I think this is the best installment of the first four. This is basically the story of Caesar, the ape child of Cornelius and Zira from… More
  I've been told by numerous people that as the "Planet of the Apes" series goes on it gets worse and worse. I happen to disagree. I think this is the best installment of the first four. This is basically the story of Caesar, the ape child of Cornelius and Zira from the first 3 movies. He sees apes being used as slaves and starts a revolution to over take man. The concept and story is pretty simple, and very well done. Made in 1972, it's cool to see it's take on the future(as the movie is set in the crazy futuristic year of 1991). The new movie "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" looks like a re-imagining of this movie, and I think that's the best choice. This is really the best way to restart this franchise for a newer audience. I'm glad I've gone back and discovered this great series of films, as they hold up fairly good almost 40 years later.

• Ken S

  
  The civil rights movement through the lens of a sci-fi apes revolt in the streets movie. Really really interesting and fully of a lot of insanity (and silliness)

• Conner R

  
  I really don't care what anyone says, I feel that this is the best movie in the series next to the original and certainly just as powerful. The set design, costuming, make-up and effects are all at their best and presents us with a very believable and scary future. Roddy… More
  I really don't care what anyone says, I feel that this is the best movie in the series next to the original and certainly just as powerful. The set design, costuming, make-up and effects are all at their best and presents us with a very believable and scary future. Roddy McDowall's performance as Caesar is undoubtedly the most impacting element of the movie, giving off a sort of Malcolm X quality. This says so much about civil rights and equality in general, being the most political of all the series. We all knew that the apes would eventually take over, but the how and the why is so much more interesting. You still question a possible salvation in this, which is great. The idea that we can change the future is a wonderful concept to explore.

• Anthony L

  
  The first of two prequels, Conquest has some really good ideas and a brilliant ending but just isn't as good as the originals.

• Michael G

  
  At this point (the 4th movie in the series) any semblance of the original series is gone--and with it any sense of logic. (I'm just going to get this out of the way here, but why the hell would you keep something that could beat the living shit out of you as a pet?) So, retarded… More
  At this point (the 4th movie in the series) any semblance of the original series is gone--and with it any sense of logic. (I'm just going to get this out of the way here, but why the hell would you keep something that could beat the living shit out of you as a pet?) So, retarded logic aside, Conquest of the Planet of the Apes isn't that bad. It's always funny to watch older movies vision of the future after its come and gone and Conquest's version of the future was no exception with everyone wearing all black in their 1984 society. All that nonsense aside the movie's not too bad with the exception of the disjointed free-for-all ape revolution toward the end. Some great imagery included, Conquest brings the series full circle where it should have ended.

• Lafe F

  
  An ugly movie. Apes are integrated into human society, first as pets, and then as servants. The apes revolt and start an ugly war against the humans. It shows how it all happened and led to the first film's existence. It seems to parallel some real-world human rights issues. I… More
  An ugly movie. Apes are integrated into human society, first as pets, and then as servants. The apes revolt and start an ugly war against the humans. It shows how it all happened and led to the first film's existence. It seems to parallel some real-world human rights issues. I didn't enjoy the direction it was going - humans losing.

• Jason S

  
  Not as good as the others but still and interesting movie.

• Dann M

  
  Conquest of the Planet of the Ape plays a little fast and loose with the series continuity, but still manages to deliver an exciting and action packed adventure. Roddy McDowall and Ricardo Montalban return and deliver great performances once again. Set in a dystopian future, an ape… More
  Conquest of the Planet of the Ape plays a little fast and loose with the series continuity, but still manages to deliver an exciting and action packed adventure. Roddy McDowall and Ricardo Montalban return and deliver great performances once again. Set in a dystopian future, an ape revolution gives rise to the Planet of the Apes. The script is pretty strong and challenges its audience with questions of predestination and social inequity. For a forth film in a series, Conquest of the Planet of the Apes delivers a remarkably fresh and exciting sci-fi adventure that's as provocative and thrilling as ever.

• Dillon L

  
  The third sequel to the only good film in the series. It tries to say something about humanity but seems very unfocused. A throwaway installment overall.

• Cameron J

  
  The chimpocalypse has begun! Well, maybe not yet, but the animal-costumepocaylpse just hit us like a retarded bear on steroids. Seriously, I was waiting for the shocking closer where the apes have won, the White House is in ruins, and we zoom in on the Oval Office as the dramatic… More
  The chimpocalypse has begun! Well, maybe not yet, but the animal-costumepocaylpse just hit us like a retarded bear on steroids. Seriously, I was waiting for the shocking closer where the apes have won, the White House is in ruins, and we zoom in on the Oval Office as the dramatic music swells, then dies, and just before we cut to black, the president's chair turns to reveal our new overlord: Barney the Dinosaur. Hey, as crazy as this film is, I was expecting that, but I'm glad that they didn't go that route, because this series is dated enough without contemporary times turning an arguably - and I mean very arguably - horrifying conclusion like that into a satisfying one, because at least it wouldn't have been Obama. Uh oh, now I'm worried about "Rise", because that means that all of the horror and tensity is going to be replaced with joy, because the chimps taking over would only mean that we would get a more competent leader. Oh, who am I kidding? If anything, this film is pumping me up even more for "Rise", because I can't wait to see how they're going to make sense out of the ridiculousness that is this premise, because lord knows that this film didn't do it. The screenplay isn't so much overly far-fetched or stupid, but rather manipulative to an exaggerated extent. Many of the human characters have become so, well, dehumanized to the point of being so cliche to the point of being entirely unbelievable. You're rooting for the apes all the way through, and since the questioning of whether or not they will win has been done away with, you need to have some compassion for both sides in order for there to be tensity. The humans are so exaggeratedly despicable that tensity dies on its feet, and it doesn't help that the people we are rooting for feel a bit underdeveloped. Still, although tensity in the action is a bit down, at least something exciting is happening, because when we're just dealing with what exposition there is, the film is uninteresting. Well, about as uninteresting as a film about a talking ape building a rebellion can be, especially one where the score gets a tad annoying and sometimes so unfitting to a certain scenario that you just can't help but wonder just what in the world they were thinking. Yes, the film is as spotty as any other weaker "Planet of the Apes" installment, but although it's imperfect, this installment still has plenty of strength and quality behind it, even in the emotional department. Tensity is rare, as most inhuman behavior by our human antagonists is too exaggerated, but when it gets to be believable, you do feel some sense of tension and sympathy for our ape characters. There's no investment in the enemey to produce tensity, but there is emotional investment in our protagonists, and although their uprising is also a bit exaggerated, they still summon your sympathy, making the reasonably solid action, as well as that pretty awesome ending that much more satisfying. Of course, what, or more accurately, who carries this film is Roddy McDowell as everyone's favorite simian rebel. No, but seriously though, McDowell gives such an emotional and layered performance as Caesar, really playing on the motivation and struggles of the character, but also exposing his own bit of brutality, and although you can't fully feel tension when Caesar overdoes it, seeing as you hate the humans too much, McDowell still does a fine job at showing the horrors of vengance and uprise. There is a notable scene where Caesar makes a heartbreaking discovery that finally destroys his faith in humanity and cries, then screams in rage. Sure, the apes mask isn't all that convincing, and seems even more fake considering that said mask filters McDowell's heavy breathing, but McDowell - even behind that silly costume - still establishes such a compelling and meditative atmosphere, and as his emoting builds towards that powerful, heartbreaking scream, you really get a deeply insightful and climactic look into his pains and motivation that's so intense, that he not only fully defines the humanity in the Caesar character, but all but fully defines the humanity in the entire race that we've been following for four films. Although this film does accomplish the task of meeting, or at least being very close to the level of its predecessors, it accomplishes the task of serving as a satisfying first stage in the road to the world we witnessed in the beginning. With the beginning of the chimpoca-I mean animal-cotumepocalypse told, we're left looking back at the experience with little tension, due to the overly exaggarated generalizing of the antagonistic humans to the point where we lose all faith in them as real people facing the end of their rule, but what believable antagonistic behavior there is establishes sympathy in our protagonists, or anti-heroes, if you will, and Roddy McDowell's powerful, complex performance furthers the emotional resonance needed to make "Conquest of the Planet of the Apes" a generally enjoyable first step towards the iconic world we've come to know and love. 2.5/5 - Fair

• Christopher J

  
  Rating : ★★★★ What a great sequel for planet of the Apes. I really enjoyed this film as it is a very solid revolution story. Whilst Escape was a good character driven film, this film, whilst character driven too actually includes some solid… More
  Rating : ★★★★ What a great sequel for planet of the Apes. I really enjoyed this film as it is a very solid revolution story. Whilst Escape was a good character driven film, this film, whilst character driven too actually includes some solid action sequence that built on all that was good in Beneath. Twenty years after the murder of Zira and Cornelius, their child Caesar who is portrayed brilliantly by Roddy McDowall, rejoins the world from hiding in a circus. He finds a society where apes are kept as pets performing menial tasks, and often mistreated. When his guardian Armando is killed, Caesar organises a revolution. Now this chapter was essentially like a new series of Apes films as there are no characters that you can relate to from previous films except for Milo but in Escape he was just a child. Despite this fact, the new characters are well presented and Caesar is a solid character for the lead role. This chapter touches on matters such as slavery in a very deepening factor. It is the main premise of the film on how the Apes have replaced cats and dogs as household pets but are treated in a far more brutal manner. It also gives the feeling of the Apes being in a concentration camp which is unsettling. The action is very good in this film with the final half hour being one long action packed riot of the Apes rising up and fighting back against their captors. It gives a very good origin to the planet of the apes series and is interesting in knowing that despite the social order of the early apes films with the gorillas as the militant police like figures, orang-utans as the politicians and knowledgeable apes and then the chimps as the scientists and doctors, the very first uprising was actually lead with a chimp at the head of it (Caesar). I found this to be pretty interesting. This was a pretty solid apes film overall and I am interesting in seeing the final film in the series now after the great cliffhanger and I can only guess what it will be from the title alone. Caesar's final speech of the film is brilliant and very inspirational in a dark sense. The speech is delivered phenomenally by McDowall and it's definitely his best performance in the series yet. The film might not be for all but it was a good film for the series. Inferior to the original but much better than Beneath the Planet of the Apes and inches past Escape from the planet of the Apes as my second favourite in the franchise so far.

• Marcus W

  
  Caesar has grown up amidst a futuristic (1991) world, where apes are slaves because all the cats and dogs are dead, and humans still wanted pets. Anyway, as the only intelligent ape, he sees enough and decides to lead the apes against their human oppressors!! It's not bad, but in… More
  Caesar has grown up amidst a futuristic (1991) world, where apes are slaves because all the cats and dogs are dead, and humans still wanted pets. Anyway, as the only intelligent ape, he sees enough and decides to lead the apes against their human oppressors!! It's not bad, but in truth the recent reboot did this particular story so much better.

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