The Entire History of PLANET OF THE APES: Sci-Fi's Strangest & Strongest Series

A retrospective of the entire Planet of the Apes franchise, including a look at the history and making of every Apes movie, from the 1968 original through the newest Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, including the behind the scenes conflict that reshaped the original franchise, the failed Tim Burton reboot, the incredible modern Andy Serkis trilogy, the forgotten TV shows, the many unmade Planet of the Apes movies, and a ranking of every film.
#planetoftheapes
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[@MattDraper]

How would you rank the PotA movies?

[@ginofrancejr555]

The original series as well as the current series are all time classics that 2004 Tim Burton film doesn't exist

[@RodrigoGarcia-ze5em]

There's a little mistake in the video. You say the government supported violence against african americans, but it was the regional governments who did that. The federal government was actually pro civil rights, specially Johnson and Nixon. This wasn't out of the kindness lf their hearts however, they did it because they thought civil rights would help them win more support from the younger generations.

[@carsonsmith7314]

1. The original 2. war 3. dawn 4. kingdom 5. rise 6. conquest 7. escape 8. battle 9. beneath. 10. the tim Burton remake

[@Mitcheck315]

1) War 2) Dawn 3) Escape 4) Kingdom 5) Rise 6) Conquest 7) Planet of the Apes (1968) 8) Beneath 9) Battle 10) Planet of the Apes (2001) I really think all of them are varying levels of great until Battle and Burton which I deeply dislike

[@ghosttornado]

Dawn Rise War Kingdom Planet of The Apes Escape 2001 Conquest Benneth Battle

[@BoyNamedSue4]

The scene with Koba attacking the city on horseback firing machine guns while the city burns in Dawn needs to be a heavy metal album cover

[@Soul93Taker]

"Returning to Monke"

[@leithaziz2716]

"Primal Rage: By Koba"

[@pious83]

They knew what they were doing putting that visual in slow-mo.

[@jasonmaclean719]

Pretty certain there were ManOWar fans on the writing crew👍

[@jacksonscott690]

So much of Matt Reeves “The Batman” looked just like that scene. He really likes the color orange.

[@porkksoda]

Taking issue with one clip: Taylor isn't happy about the fall of humanity; he's laughing at the absurdity and childishness of nationalism when he sees Landon plant a flag.

[@SJHFoto]

I was thinking that too

[@Anynom]

Few moments in a theater are as memorable as the audience either dead silent and/or gasping at Cesar's "NO!" Kudos for not giving it away in the trailers.

[@armandotorres8962]

I love the trailer for the second movie where it looks like the end is going the same crap of ending the trailer on a joke only for Koba to end things brutally and hardcore.

[@blankcityaudio]

Oh for sure. Sucked the air right out of the room.

[@kingsadvisor18]

You just know that the director had to fight tooth and claw with a business major in the marketing team to keep that moment out of the trailer

[@cinemaarts8795]

I wanted to get up and cheer after he said NO!

[@NostalgiNorden]

Or in youtubre comments....

[@owensreviews625]

I only recently watched the Caesar trilogy for the first time in preparation for Kingdom, but I was blown away by its quality. I’m a huge fan of the original film from 1968, and I loved how the Caesar trilogy showed the gradual decline of human society and the rise of the ape empire. Not to mention Caesar, portrayed by the immaculate Andy Serkis, has cemented himself as one of the best protagonists in science fiction. Very excited to see where things will go next following the release of Kingdom.

[@SourRobo8364]

Caesar is home

[@leithaziz2716]

"Son will know...who father was...and what Caesar did for us."

[@kingbash6466]

What I really loved about the Caesar trilogy and even in Kingdom is seeing how the apes evolve as time moves on. It went from Caesar speaking only a few words in Rise to apes having full on spoken conversations by the time Kingdom rolls around.

[@IronBeagle2003]

I like how some Apes speak more fluently while some still speak a little primitive.

[@lutherheggs451]

Its because the director of Kingdom wants to connect to the original Planet of the Apes. He has said in interviews that there is no reason to "reboot" the series, they could simply make the films in a way that they will eventually connect to the originals because he loves the originals so much

[@BoyNamedSue4]

When I was 12 I made a conscious effort to watch as many classic films as I could. I still remember having my blown at the ending. First film is a masterpiece. No notes!

[@SJHFoto]

I saw these films when I was a bit younger than that (7 or 8 maybe) But they weren't classic then. By that I mean that they weren't brand new, but it was in the early 80s, so they weren't vintage films like they are today

[@SnapperChannel]

Roddy McDowell’s performance in the OG films are so good even the redone ending of Conquest manages to work thanks to his delivery.

[@jacksonscott690]

Conquest is my favorite because of Roddy. He was such a great actor.

[@ComicTropes]

Interesting! I haven’t watched the last 3 of the original series so maybe I will now.

[@MattDraper]

I think Escape and Conquest are absolutely worth your time

[@thunderwarriorprods]

This is the kind of crossover I’m here for!

[@Bruce2504]

Can we expect a sequel to your "apes in comics" video? I think there used to be a Planet of the Apes series written by Doug Moench... 😉

[@NateButlerFresnoCA]

@@Bruce2504 Doug Moench wrote a TON of original Apes stories for Planet of the Apes magazine in the 70s, which was basically comix in a magazine format. Moench really expanded the Apes universe!

[@pizzawithkaas]

The first film is so great it’s unbelievable. Legit odd masterpiece

[@TheDRODOR]

The dialog is just amazing, some of the best i've ever heard

[@pizzawithkaas]

@@TheDRODOR it’s at the same time extremely pretentious and philosophical yet it never feels unfitting for the circumstances. Every interaction with dr Zaius is golden. The first lines of the film tell you everything. The script carries so much

[@TheDRODOR]

@@pizzawithkaas i wouldn't call it pretentious, it's just very theatrical, a lot of films at the time were written that way, until the 70s Actually i'm surprised we didn't get a Planet of the apes play, that would be so awesome

[@pizzawithkaas]

@@TheDRODORthat would be great yeah. It is indeed also a style from the time. Heston just encapsulated it perfectly throughout his career. I love stuff like the original star trek and twilight zone for the same big bold theatrics. I see it as a bit pretentious in a good way. The themes are unsubtle yet filled with little subtleties. Rod Serling has his fingerprints all over it.

[@maingamer6846]

Bro missed the ripe opportunity to call the video: "The History of the Planet of the Apes"

[@MattDraper]

Ripe? Like a banana??? THAT'S ANTI-APE

[@trumpsextratesticle8590]

@@MattDraper How embarrassing, even your joke replies are 'WOKE'.... SMH.

[@maingamer6846]

@@MattDraper Also, this is my Ranking of the franchise: 1. War for the Planet of the Apes 2. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes 3. Planet of the Apes (1968) 4. Rise of the Planet of the Apes 5. Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes 6. Escape from the Planet of the Apes 7. Conquest of the Planet of the Apes 8. Planet of the Apes (2001) 9. Beneath the Planet of the Apes 10. Battle for the Planet of the Apes

[@jikorijo4516]

YOU BLEW IT UP, MATT! YOU REALLY BLEW UP THE VIDEO RUNTIME! Edit: Highly recommend the comic series, Betrayal of the Planet of the Apes, by Gabe Hardman and Corinna Bechko.

[@KillerTacos54]

The reboot is one of my favourite trilogies of all time. And I absolutely loved Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes too

[@Anynom]

An hour long plus Draper video makes my day.

[@next5km]

How can someone not think Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is BY FAR the best movie in the whole franchise is beyond me.

[@mammajamma4397]

Just saw Kingdom. A LOT of it is a throwback/homage to the original movie. Like, a lot.

[@lutherheggs451]

Yeah that is on purpose. The director has said in interviews they don't need to reboot the series, these films can be made in a way that they connect to the original films. That these newer films can be made as prequels that eventually connect to the timeline of the first film.

[@NicDotNic]

One of my best childhood memories was me and my Mom binging the original Ape movies. She had watched them when she was a kid and I don't remember what made us decide to watch all of them. All I know is that my child brain was Not prepared for those films and have stayed in my mind ever since. Our favorite was always Escape.

[@venompower64]

Thanks for the spoiler tag! I didn't think I'd be able to finish the video.

[@williebeamen2335]

So happy you mentioned the parallel between Caesar and Moses.

[@lostlegend2197]

I will now wait for that dedicated Godzilla × Kong deep dive video now that it's on digital 😏

[@MattDraper]

Soon!

[@lostlegend2197]

@@MattDraper Can't wait! 😁👍

[@nyssiii]

I love your channel and this video literally came just as I was getting back into the films. Keep up the good work!

[@graefx]

I remember just being enamored by the visuals and effects of 2001. And I still am. The incredible make-up, the unique aesthetic and form language, the posture and physical performance of the ape actors, it really felt like a last hurrah for that type of practical prosthetic for a while. It's a real shame the random ending and everything else didn't work. I would adore to see another film with that visual production but I think we're firmly in the photo realistic ape cgi as being the inseparable identity for apes going forward and not a hybrid middle ground of human-ape physicality.

[@fernandoluna6589]

i loved those movies, even cheap looking last ones of the original series, i used to see them with my dad in vcd, the burton doesnt hit that strongly in the scify aspect or in the spectacle but is ok, the new ones are even better in so many ways, really surprising, fantastic work matt

[@organicketchup5171]

The original is one of those movies where the vibe and stories behind it are just so inspiring and compelling. It's an almost perfect product of its time, but dressed so perfectly unconventionally.

[@kayanorudog2638]

FINALLY!!!! One of my favorite KZbinrs will explain this series! Will you ever post individual videos reviewing each movie?

[@MattDraper]

I doubt it, I like doing big retrospectives like this to create a more complex portrait of a franchise

[@SJHFoto]

@@MattDraper I've only seen the original series, and the 2001 one. I probably won't watch the new ones-I don't like new movies very much

[@Toshiro93]

One of my favorite scenes from the first film is Taylor's trial, when the three judges deny all the evidence they are shown: a parody of the three wise monkeys, and the perfect representation of human stupidity.

[@johnstone2029]

Just wanted to say you do awesome retrospectives sir and I have been on an apes kick lately so seeing one of my favorite youtubers take the time to compose this made me cream my pants this morning. You sir are a legend!

[@Theemightyquinn101]

Great video. I thought i missed a lot of the apes movies from the 70's, but after watching your video i remembered watching each one a long time ago. Thanks for the fun trip down memory lane. I should go back and watch those again some time.

[@MorKmbt]

NEW MATT DRAPER UPLOAD MY WEEK IS COMPLETE

[@drogynbattlebrand5229]

I rather liked Kingdom too. It didn’t have near the emotional resonance of the trilogy, but I didn’t really expect it to. My favorite thing was how they didn’t soften Freda Allen’s character. Most movies would have had her fully befriend and join the apes at the end, but she stuck to her own agenda even if it meant destroying her friend-ish relationship with Noah. I think you’re spot on about the original sequels. Each one had something interesting to say, and how often do we get that from major franchise sequels!

[@thirdcoinedge]

I was surprised by how artful Kingdom was at moments and its thematic cohesion with the Caesar trilogy. And this coming from the director of the Maze Runner trilogy, of all things.

[@heis147]

A deep dive on the entire series sounds awesome and you always provide interesting perspectives in your analysis so I’m excited for this one!

[@mrmadfunny5507]

This is absolutely amazing keep up the great work can’t wait to see more 🔥!

[@bigpun2456]

First of all thank you for all of your content second HUGE chrono trigger fan so goosebumps on the sound quality i appreciate the quality of your stream thank you

[@johnpittsii7524]

Thanks for the amazing video Matt ❤. Going to see the new movie today

[@oscarnjboy]

Beautiful video well done. Been subbed for a while. I still smile when a get a notification from your channel. Thank you for making this.

[@MattDraper]

Thanks for sticking with me for so long!

[@madmarx7543]

Great use of Kingdom lol, every time this channel makes a pro wrestling reference it catches me off guard before I remember all the others.

[@tettehbotchway]

So well put. Nice. Really enjoyed this.

[@joelbonalesrevuelta63]

You're one of my all-time favorite KZbin artists, keep up the amazing work! Also, bonus points for using the backing track for Cody Rhodes' theme song in a section of the video!

[@ChipDamageMike]

The music at the end…you just get it man. Amazing video!

[@PvtJoker22]

Matt, I knew this vid would be another banger as soon as I noticed the needle drop of '600 AD' from Chrono Trigger over the behind-the-scenes/ background info of the OG Apes films.

[@ninjaconsultantsixshot]

Dr. Milo in Escape is in a way the Boba Fett of the Apes series because in the Boom Studios comics he’s a mad scientist who spent years exploring the Forbidden Zone and is responsible for repairing Taylor’s ship and saving Cornelius and Zira only for him to die on film.

[@ogami1972]

Quality work, well done. Subbed.

[@Darkgreenfangirl]

Well I now know what franchise I'm gonna watch next. This was a great video !!

[@danberner]

i cant believe it but hearing cody rhodes theme in the background while talking about kingdom pops

[@thehonk3899]

I was expecting the three in the top three, but I was not expecting the order Matt put them in. A surprise to be sure, but a welcome one!

[@KKAkuoku]

Hip hop hooray, a new Matt Draper video today!!

[@noman6041]

Wow! Thank you, Matt!

[@dodgerthedudeoriginal]

Damn, this king drops an hour video? Go king

[@davidrubin2967]

Your best episode yet!!! Appreciate your unique take on the pop culture your fans adore

[@Russell1982]

A few weeks ago I was thinking how much I’d love to see you do a video on the original planet of the apes franchise, in the same spirit as your Godzilla retrospectives (which I’ve watched multiple times now), and here it is. It really didn’t disappoint. As a huge fan of the original films I loved hearing your take on it. Also, that ending with the Simpsons clip was perfect. 😊

[@POPCULTRONIC]

Great work, thanks,

[@SteveHulkUK]

Great video, thanks! 👍

[@FriendlyNeighborhoodGeek99]

Love this franchise so much such a unique concept wish people would talk more about the very few video games tho lol great video!

[@MattDraper]

I believe the channel Stoked will be doing a video on the games so go check them out, they’re a great friend of mine

[@FriendlyNeighborhoodGeek99]

@@MattDraper Thank you for the suggestion!:)

[@jamesabernethy7896]

Oh look... a retrospective on Planet of the Apes... haven't seen any of those lately! Only joking, it's great to see how different creators present these movies. I've seen all the movies relatively recently apart from the original sequels. Retrospectives like these are great way to restructure what I can remember about those movies. Listened to the audiobook version a little over a year ago, different characters to the movie and some major differences, yet parallels all the way through. What I have least exposure to was TV series. I was midway through typing 'I was too young to see it the first time around' but when I thought about it I wasn't even born. I was never aware of repeats when I was younger. Great presentation with your typically warm and friendly style.

[@karthebest5155]

I was ambivalent about this franchise beyond "heh funny monkey" but this video has now made me want to watch every movie made (not counting the tim burton movie and battle)

[@kayjaygran3683]

I love how you used the CronoTrigger music. Tuned me in even more

[@TheManInBlueFlames]

The remake really wasnt that bad! The new twist was just as good and impactful! Rise for me is one of the best alongside Dawn.

[@lukeevans5427]

I would love to see you do a retrospective on Scream, Child’s Play, or Hellraiser!

[@MattDraper]

All of these WILL happen

[@almishti]

I've seen the OG PotA so many times but it always hooks me in and feels fresh. Nice choice for #1 = Escape! I always get a man-crush on Ricardo Montalban in that one. :P

[@harrisonbloom816]

Watching this video has made me realize I need to rewatch these movies! I saw all the movies years ago but I can barely remember the finer details about them, and I remember really not liking Escape. Curious to see what I might appreciate about it more now that I’ve grown up a bit

[@Chandasouk]

*hoots excitedly* Draper...videos...strong

[@blueravenfire]

another well done review on a film series. i have seen all of the recent planet of the apes, including kingdom and i can agree these movies are some the best in terms of sci-fi storytelling. i haven't seen the original film series yet aside from the first movie, but seeing your review wants me to check them out.

[@RodrigoGarcia-ze5em]

The way riots are portrayed in conquest is interesting, as it matches the pov of many civil rights leaders and public figures at the time. Riots were seen as evil but a byproduct of unfair and repressive policies. Rioting was also seen as an evil by many civil rights leaders like Bayard Rustin because they helped fueling anti civil rights arguments. Comic book writer Stan Lee, who was known for his pro civil rights attitude, made the same argument as Rustin in a Captain America story called "Crack-Up on Campus!", in which Captain America gives a speech in support of civil rights and protesting, but makes clear that rioting will only help the enemies of civil rights.

[@zombie42080]

Top 5 Franchises for me, Loved the new Kingdom, the slow World building is right up my alley. I wouldn’t mind some comics bridging the gap between War and Kingdom. Great job as always.

[@tornapart]

FINE! You convinced me! I m gonna watch all the old ones 😅

[@MABlackMetalGuitar]

I’m usually not much of a sci-fi fan but this has got me interested in seeing the original movies.

[@BaldBoiLeaf]

I loved watching the old ones when I was a kid, they blew my mind

[@tristentomlin8613]

Now this makes me want to go watch the franchise!

[@SpookyouKnowIt23]

Absolute legend ending the video with the PoTA Simpsons Musical

[@nicknite7475]

I felt like I was in a video game during that scene with the ape (forget which one) commandeered the tank & took over the turret, going balls to the wall! That was a fuggin' great scene!

[@thebr41n]

Me and my friends watched Planet of the Apes during a vc on discord. I'd not expect how engrossed we would become in the movie, the visuals are fantastic and even tho we had all previous knowledge of the movie it was wild to have that be our first real viewing of it. Masterpiece of a movie, truly that was indeed a "The Planet of the Apes"

[@raylehtinen6245]

The Saturday morning cartoon series (My fave as a kid) Return to the Planet of the Apes (1975-76, NBC) is actually the most faithful filmed adaption of the original Pierre Boulle novel.

[@ricardoms2072]

NGL I love Burton's movie. It's so fucking funny dude

[@gavinquirke-yv5oo]

Man, I never knew that so much of the OG saga influenced the reboot!!

[@richardstevenjones]

Do you ever deal with the other media associated with the franchises? There was a series of comics from Marvel after the first apes movies, and a magazine format from Marvel/Curtis Magazines. It would be interesting to see those discussed as well.

[@josephkolar3443]

Have you read any of Jack Kirby’s Kamandi: The Last Boy on Earth comics? DC lost the license to Marvel so Kirby was instructed to make his own knock off without having seen the movie. It’s a really fun post apocalyptic adventure with intelligent apes, dogs, rats, tigers and more.

[@jensablefur155]

Outside of Battle and the attempted reboot in 2001, the Planet of the Apes movies are such a great quality movie series and franchise. Rise, Dawn and War is second only to Lord of the Rings as my favourite movie trilogy. It's weird how there isn't really a wider fandom surrounding them as they're far better than Star Wars has been since the 1980s.

[@Meerkat5]

Playing Cody Rhodes Kingdom during the spoilers for Kingdom of The Planet Of The Apes is hilarious 😂

[@TevyaSmolka]

I love planet of the apes the original is a classic and the ceaser trilogy is in 2011 to 2017 with dawn rise and war was freaking fantastic in my opinion.

[@dfailsthemost]

Watched all five of the originals in one day once. Solid day.

[@SirSmoldham]

This is an unkillable franchise. The first movie marathon I ever saw was the re-release of the first 3 films. I caught the original as a child at the drive-in when it came out. Pierre's original concept is brilliant. I read the book after seeing "Bridge on the River Kwai" realizing what a departure it was from that triumph. Even Tim Burton's reboot tried a variation of the novel's original ending. Great consolidation and I look forward to future developments.

[@jljl7]

Dat chrono trigger music hits so good

[@MrPink-qf1xi]

I need to watch the Escape after rewatching the OG.

[@PopCultureguy]

Hello Matt Draper great retrospective on planet of the apes it's awesome keep up awesome content as always here my's ranking of the films some the order are sillier to yours expect number one happy to see escape is number one for you but anyway have good week and here's my ranking 1.Dawn of the Planet of the Apes 2.Planet of the Apes (1968 film) 3.Escape from the Planet of the Apes, 4.War for the Planet of the Apes, 5.Conquest of the Planet of the Apes, 6. Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, 7.Rise of the Planet of the Apes, 8.Battle for the Planet of the Apes , 9.Beneath the Planet of the Apes, and 10.Planet of the Apes (2001 film)

[@graemewilson7975]

Phenomenal and often excellent analogy movie series with flaws. Great reboot series ...

[@TheWaynos73]

One thing i say Burton’s movie does have going for it is the makeup. Oh god its so good. General Thade and Attar look absolutely incredible and i prefer that look of the apes rather than the cgi of Ceasar in the new films.

[@ginofrancejr555]

Awesome retrospective you have to rank PoTA along with alien predator star wars and star trek along with dune as those classic sci fi franchises

[@CyrissSmith-jq4dk]

I just rewatched the first nine movies and watched the new movie and the two TV shows for the first time. I think that the sequels to the original and live action TV show are underrated people should watch those more

[@picahudsoniaunflocked5426]

The music in Apes 1 deserved a mention.

[@brandonulloa2970]

Was I the only one who thought they heard Cody Rhodes theme? At 47:09

[@mandalorianhunter1]

I honestly saw it and the references since I was young, but I didn't truly get into it until the 2010 movies.

[@TheMissingLink2]

The Chrono Trigger music is appropriate for this.

[@louriv3]

The sweet Chrono Trigger music, chef’s kiss

[@RebelCauseFilms]

I flipped for Tarzan Boy

[@cinemaarts8795]

Another aspect that isn't talked about with the reboot trilogy is it's music, all three scores are underrated. I wish some of Patrick Doyles work made into the other films. That being said Michael Giacchino's score, especially for War is some of the most moving music of recent times. My favorite piece of his might be Apes Together Strong when Nova restores Caesars broken spirit and his tribe reassuring him that they'll get through this dark time together. It's one of the few times I almost choked up in a theater.

[@Entertainer13]

Original Series: "Long, complex analysis, explaining the good, the bad, and the follow up" Current Series: "Long, complex analysis, explaining the good, the bad, the possible future" Burton Movie: "Let's explain this quick and get out of here" Love it haha

[@lutherheggs451]

The Tim Burton movie is far from anything resembling terrible. Its not perfect, but its not in any universe awful. They also wanted to make the original movie a futuristic type city with the same types of things as the Burton movie but didn't have the budget and it was cheaper to make it more primitive.

[@AzraelWolf-vr4ku]

This is my favorite 1# Sci-Fi movie.

[@TommyStonebraker]

Playing Kingdom by downstait is an inspired choice for the Kingdom Review.

[@BlueJaguarRanger]

Now I haven’t seen the original ending of Conquest, so the things I’m about to defend might be in the original, but I actually like the theatrical ending. It enhances questions about where this timeline is going that we’re raised in Escape. The records that Cornelius dug up indicate Caesar said “No” in regards to his oppressors. But in Conquest, it’s Lisa who says “No” to Caesar. This throws things off a bit, and makes us ask if this world is heading towards the same future. Have things been changed? Or have millennia of records fragmenting and oral tradition evolving resulted in the story being garbled? Who’s to say? It makes us wonder about fate and free will in more subtle ways than a lot of time travel stories do.

[@TheTCWay]

Anyone know the name of the track of music at 01:34? Its gonna drive me nuts...

[@MattDraper]

Corridors of Time from Chrono Trigger

[@TheTCWay]

@@MattDraper That it! Fantastic video btw

[@micshork]

I love the classic series. To me the franchise is as important to classic science fiction cinema as Star Wars.