PLANET OF THE APES - Tier List

The Planet of the Apes saga has spanned 55 years and 9 movies, with a 10th just on the horizon, and to give you all my thoughts on every single one of them, we’re gonna tier them all!
If you like what I do here and want to show your support, be sure to hit the like button on this video, subscribe to the channel and hit that notification bell so you can stay up to date on all things Apes.
Enjoy the video!
Intro - 0:00
Planet of the Apes (1968) - 1:28
Beneath the Planet of the Apes - 4:52
Escape from the Planet of the Apes - 8:48
Conquest of the Planet of the Apes - 12:56
Battle for the Planet of the Apes - 17:21
Planet of the Apes (2001) - 20:32
Rise of the Planet of the Apes - 24:09
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes - 27:18
War for the Planet of the Apes - 30:53
Outro - 37:07
#planetoftheapes
Music:
-"Main Title" by Jerry Goldsmith
-"Chipper by Kevin MacLeod
All Planet of the Apes footage is property of Disney/20th Century Studios.
Instagram: / ap3nation

[@NinjaSquid4EVR]

I love escape from the planet of the apes so much. It’s so goofy I can’t help but love it. The events that needed to happen in order for the premise of the movie to work are so unbelievably insane. 3 apes travelled to the desert, found the ship in the middle of a lake, managed to pull the ship out of the lake, managed to fix, fuel and launch the ship into space right before the world blows up, and managed to end up going into a wormhole that brings them back in time. And the best explanation they have on how they managed that is “well this other ape who dies 10 minutes in was pretty smart so”. It’s so so stupid. But I adore it for that.

[@mikegleed5842]

😂👍

[@titanosaurdy9493]

I find caesar so sexy hes so hot

[@nutyyyy]

The absurd goofy comedy of having the ape characters back in the early 1970s so just so perfect despite how completely stupid it was. If you consider how dark the first two films were, it's a great shift in tone.

[@Heyoo414]

I'm a War truther. I love Dawn a lot, but ever since I saw War, I can't imagine it not being the best. It's perfect. What a film

[@Ape-Nation]

Agreed

[@lex_rodriguez]

Blue Eyes being killed so early cheapend the film for me. Maybe if it had been on-screen I would have been more satisfied with the story telling, but lumping his death in with Cornelia felt so lazy. I honestly would have preferred if Ceasar had died and if we had followed Blue Eyes. This isn't even me saying Blue Eyes was my favorite character either (he isn't even my second favorite), but personally, it hinders the film for me since it is a trope I loathe.

[@TENGUTREY]

That "NO"was revolutionary on its own

[@JosephDickersonUX]

Met Andy Serkis with my son last year. Stood in line to get his autograph for three hours. Told him that I cried like a baby when Caesar died. Of course I had to get a him to sign a Caesar photo.

[@Ape-Nation]

Love that! Glad you both got to meet Andy.

[@edwardbloecher4563]

Did you guys get a picture with him? I love doing that when I meet favorite celebs like that. So cool that you got to meet him.

[@JosephDickersonUX]

@@edwardbloecher4563 Nope, photo ops were completely booked before we got there, and he was supposed to be at a panel but stayed late to make sure everyone got his autograph.

[@brettkimura]

What was his personality like? Awesome like Caesar?

[@JosephDickersonUX]

@@brettkimura He was supposed to be on stage for a panel but he was super late to make sure very single person still in line got a personal experience/interaction with him. So, yes, awesome.

[@Bluetonium_19]

Personally it’s War. Not only is it my favorite of the apes movie’s but it’s one of my favorite film’s ever made! the story, cinematography, score, the different types of beautiful nature scenery in it and the character’s as well. Overall such a flawless and masterful film imo.

[@mikegleed5842]

War is Humanity's last breath

[@zachperry9960]

It is absolutely foul that Andy Serkis didn’t get an Oscar for Caesar. Literally the best performance from an actor I have ever seen

[@Ape-Nation]

Agreed!! One of the best actors working today.

[@hilltoptanks2975]

Yeah too right. I recently rewatched them all, his facial acting is astounding

[@Nimajneb42069]

Kibbel as koba gave arguably the best supporting actor performance of that year too.

[@themilkywayuniverse6962]

Battle: You’re having a laugh! He does what I do! Dawn: But better 🦍 🦧

[@ctvahl]

When I was a little boy in the early 70s I was a huge Planet of the Apes fan. Roddy McDowell came to Seattle to preform in a dinner theater. My grandmother somehow got a hold of him and told him he was my favorite actor for playing Cornelius. He invited me and my mom to come see the play he was in and met him afterwards. He paid for everything and I met him after the play. He was the nicest man I ever met. How often do you get to meet your idol as a kid. I have loved the new movies and think Roddy McDowell would have been proud of them.

[@Ape-Nation]

Love that!! Glad you got to meet him, and for sure, I think he would have loved the new movies as well.

[@A_YouTube_Commenter]

Awesome. He was also Peter Vincent in Fright Night. I love that guy.

[@edwardbloecher4563]

So cool! I am 55 now so we were close in age but I never met any of the stars. Good for you! 👍

[@dillonfisher7615]

The Serkis trilogy is an absolutely perfect execution of a movie reboot in my opinion.

[@Ape-Nation]

Agreed

[@movieforge01]

Rise changed everything for me. I loved the originals before but Rise flipped everything over. I rewatched the originals after watching Rise with a totally different appreciation. It was like watching them for the first time again.

[@shaqtus4376]

Dawn is beyond the shadow of a doubt my favorite Planet of the apes movie ever. Everything about koba down to his theme song is excellent, the story is incredible, the cinematography and the nature shots, the vibe… everything about it

[@Darthmaul1019]

One of the best things about War is simply that it was an amazing closing chapter to a trilogy. So many trilogies sputter out on the third entry, Spider-Man 3, X-Men the Last Stand, Alien 3 and so many others. The fact they made it a great end to the trilogy feels like a miracle in and of itself. With that said, however Dawn is the best film I've seen of the franchise

[@p.j9785]

Never Diss spiderman 3 like that again

[@Darthmaul1019]

@@p.j9785 Spider-Man 3 isn't as bad as many make it out to be, but it is a big step down from the previous 2

[@MJK151]

The uncut version of Conquest is VERY violent, if you haven’t seen it.

[@Ape-Nation]

The uncut version is awesome and definitely better! I actually saw that one first and didn't see the theatrical cut until years later.

[@AndyMFX505]

Have to directly shout out Karin Konoval and Terry Notary. My one flaw with War that Rocket wasn’t on that hill with Caesar and Maurice at the end.

[@Ape-Nation]

Never thought about that, but definitely agree

[@seanjones180]

Can't argue with this list really good shout.. BENEATH is a tricky one innit.. Because some of it is SO iconic you think "wait was that from the first one one or the second" like urko for example.. Also the ending is pretty great.. Very tarantino actually.. Basically a bloody mess where everybody dies horrifically. "you bloody bastard"

[@Ape-Nation]

Agreed! It's a messy movie, but there's so many things to like!

[@seriousnesstv7902]

So glad this channel came out and I’m glad it’s growing! Keep up the good work man!

[@Ape-Nation]

Thank you!!

[@seriousnesstv7902]

@@Ape-Nation You remind me of these other channels like Star Wars theory and Alien Theory , glad to see we have someone for the Apes franchise now :)

[@Mars-87]

16:16 the reason why things progressed so much faster was because when Cornelius and Zira went back in time they actually brought a virus with them. The virus that killed all cats and dogs. Because of them arriving in the past and creating a new timeline the virus happened nearly 500 years earlier so basically in the original timeline it took about 500 years before things really started to go sour

[@nutyyyy]

I think honestly the later films don't really work with the original. It's clear in the original that humans annihilated themselves with nuclear weapons, and then apes took over. It doesn't need to be overly explained.

[@christianmanka3884]

To me it goes: 9- Beneath 8- Reboot 7- Battle 6- Escape 5- Conquest 4- Original 3- Rise 2- War 1- Dawn

[@travischeramie]

I just love this franchise, I think about these movies way too much! Thank you for the video, subscribed!

[@Ape-Nation]

Thanks for watching!!

[@isaaclee3788]

I just stumbled upon your channel and now I am joining your ape nation by subscribing. I love the Planet of the Apes movies, Dawn being my favourite, and I'm so exited for Kingdom when it comes out. I like your videos, and our minds think alike about every Planet of the Apes movie. Keep uploading my bro!

[@Ape-Nation]

Thanks for watching, welcome aboard!

[@alexandermacdougall7873]

New subscriber. Love your take on all the Apes movies to date. They pretty much fall in line with my own opinions. Been an Apes fan since I was 6, I'm 60 now and never get tired of the franchise. I prefer the original 5 when it comes to rewatching. The new ones are better in almost every way though,I will admit that. I just didnt grow up with them, its a nostalgia thing for me. Theres a fun factor in watching the older ones that i dont find in the newer movies. Keep up the great videos!

[@maplestreetmovies]

Amazing video!! Glad to have discovered your channel! One note I’ll say on Caesar’s death: you mentioned it was convenient he died right when they got to their new land. I actually dont see it that way. I think if Caesar gave in, he could’ve died in the snow, or at any point in the journey. His last battle of his life was his fight to stay alive. His will to live. He fought so he could get his people “home” safely. When they arrive and he sees everyone is okay, he knows he can now “move on” and “let go.” His people are alive and well, he’s confident they’ll be looked after, and only then he knows he can move on. Again, amazing tier ranking!

[@CNTconnoisseur]

HELL YES. I've been anticipating this video! I know your channel is new, and not too big. I just wanna say, I wish you already had a Patreon that I could donate to. You're the real deal, bro.

[@Ape-Nation]

Thanks!! No idea if I'll ever start a patreon (or if this channel will ever grow enough to warrant one) but I appreciate that!

[@Zippee2020]

Great video, thanks for uploading it. I pretty much agree with all tiers but I’d be a bit kinder with beneath the planet of the apes. It wasn’t up to the standard of the first movie but expanded on the POTA universe a lot and had a phenomenal ending. Keep the content coming I’m loving it!

[@nomadictimbo9185]

Really enjoyed that dude. I first watched the 1968 original 32 years ago. Totally captured my imagination and blew me away and still love it today! Amazingly!! (and i still can't believe I'm saying this, but I ended up liking "Dawn" and "War" even more than the original which really highlights the incredible achievement of the new trilogy. The trailer for "Kingdom" looks fantastic too! It's a shame Matt Reeves and Michael Giachinno are no longer involved, but i still have good faith that the new film will deliver the goods. Here's my tier list: "Planet of the Apes (1968)" - S "Beneath" - D "Escape" - B "Conquest" - C "Battle" - D "Burton version" - D "Rise" - A "Dawn" - S "War" - S Top 3 - 1. "War" 2. "Dawn" 3. Original 1968

[@Mrproplaysperson]

Wow, what a great tier list! Also i just Started watching the planet of the apes movies about a month back, i watched the modern trilogy and oh my god i love it so much it was perfect! I realy need to see the original one!

[@jordn1]

All good. I just wouldn't have placed anything alongside the original in tier A. The iconic place the first film, on concept alone, will never be repeated.

[@Adrian-cc7mb]

Love your vids man🙂

[@Ape-Nation]

Thanks!!

[@BenRai2k]

I love Escape, even though the first half is so comical, it soon turns really dark, and every time I watch it, I somehow hope it changes and ends happy. The death of Zira and Cornelius is so depressing!

[@joshhuntermovies]

I’d go: 1. Planet of the Apes 2. Dawn 3. War 4. Rise 5. Kingdom 6. Escape 7. Conquest 8. Beneath 9. Battle No I don’t wanna watch the Tim burton one

[@themilkywayuniverse6962]

You nailed it with the Dawn one

[@ShuggsComicsandStatues]

Good Video..Planet of The Apes for Me, its why Roddy McDowell is My Favourite Actor

[@jermainehaslam5634]

Dawn is definitely my favourite, I think Koba is the best villain in the franchise overall and the stakes are at their highest for the apes. It does the best job in my opinion of showing how miscommunication can lead to devastating consequences and the apocalyptic feel of the film with the sets is just outstanding, great job on the video.

[@Ape-Nation]

Thanks for watching!

[@MJK151]

Great list!

[@Ape-Nation]

Thanks!

[@xjudson]

agree completely and I'm old enough to have seen the original series in the theater and many times since. The newest series though are my favorites. the human acting under cg is revolutionary and inspiring. one of the best origin series ever and I look forward what come next.

[@rangerrobfmb6342]

Great video loving your content and your channel! Video idea/request I would like to make. Maybe a video talking about all the pop culture references of planet of the apes that are out there. Example: The Simpsons the planet of the apes musical

[@Ape-Nation]

Oooh good call, there's so many parodies and other material to cover!

[@themilkywayuniverse6962]

Can’t wait to see your next one Stay awesome and God bless Simios Juntos Fuertes

[@Dr._Nope]

I've never seen any of the other Planet of The Apes movies, but the Andy Serkis ones were absolutely brilliant! I am in love with them!

[@julianaharebin8442]

love alll aps moves!!!!!

[@stebaer]

This is a very good follow-up on all of The POTA films to date & as well as beyond. But my most favorite aspect of The POTA films is the little or not known peace time from "Battle" The 5th installment of the original 5 film movie Series of which both begins and ends with an Ape Lawgiver telling the story to an Equal Society of both Humans and apes and in conclusion with him saying "And we still await that one fateful day when The Earth will be Destroyed."Then next it goes to the Statue of Caeser crying happy tears and because of a misquote on the cover of Issue #1 of POTA:Blood of The apes of The 4-issue mini-series they were then just as annoyed by me as they were glad to have me there to correct them and so then they did the following 4 issue mini-series of POTA:The Forbidden Zone to clear this up by having it take place in another village along with the other stuff that didn't agree from the start of #1 of their regular Series there at Malibu Graphics. Also see my letter of Praise for this in there letters column in Protectors #16 which ends as Stephen "Steve" and because I was in a rush to get it out and the rest would be as follows with G. Baer a.k.a."Ste"

[@Rayyman]

I saw conquest in the theaters. I actually saw all 5 in a marathon back in the 70s

[@jonnywyattgreengreen3301]

Original planet of the apes is prefect in everyway. Classic scenes with Jerry Goldswith masterpiece score , the scene when seeing the Apes is simpy amazing. The ending is most twist at the end .Unlike any other film . Beneath is good follow up .In the days 0f 1960s Hollywood didn't made follow up to movies .The biggest disappointment from Beneath was Roddy didn't want made it .20 Century fox used the set for Hello dolly for Beneath underground set . I will give my thoughts on Escape, Conquest and Battle soon .

[@computerkid1416]

Great tier list, I would also put Rise in S tier as well, though.

[@Superdm64]

Escape is my second favorite of the original series, what a lot of people don't know is that it actually adapts a lot of aspects of the original novel that didn't make it into the 68 film, just with the roles reversed

[@zachpeterson8341]

Rewatching the series myself. Always loved them as a kid.

[@FunAfter52]

Great video. I'm a huge fan of the original series and have always been since a kid. I read the book, watched the TV series, and so on. I have to say though that my favorite movie apart from the original is Conquest. May not be perfect, but I've seen that one many, many times over all of the others. Tim Burton's world was interesting, but just okay. I saw it at the theater with some guy friends. The next one, I only watched half of the movie and haven't seen the last two at all. I will say that I'm not a fan of CGI in movies even if it is my favorite series of all time. But after watching this video and seeing how you ranked them, I promise to watch them and give them another try. Thanks.

[@richardmacaulay8861]

Excellent. I agree with everything except I would switch Rise and War. With that, excellent analysis.

[@M66GUS]

Interested to know where you'd put the TV Series? If memory serves, it felt like Battle, but I'd probably put it in Tier C. Keep up the good work.

[@Ape-Nation]

It's been over a decade since I've seen it, but I remember thinking it was fun! Probably B or C tier.

[@herbertholland924]

I loved the ending to 2001 Planet of the Apes. I don't know why people are confused about it. He assumed that he was going back to the past, but he went further into the future instead. I liked that the Apes had developed into a world much like our own. It got me excited to see a sequel that was akin to Escape, but with a Human in a technologically advanced Ape world.

[@Spongebrain97]

I saw a video breaking it down and that ending is just really convoluted and was made in order to one up the ending to the 68 film. The 2001 film establishes that the planet Mark Wahlberg is on is not future Earth and is a totally different planet. Alright sure but when he goes through the worm hole at the end, he finds himself in the future and crash lands. Why does the ape's planet look exactly like Washington DC? Logically there wouldn't be an exact replica of the Lincoln Memorial but with General Thade's face. Again it's the ape planet, not future Earth so the society wouldn't look like a human earth society. And theres also the question of why the worm hole that Mark went back into sent him to the future ape planet when previously he was sent to just a different planet. That implies he went into a different wormhole and not the same one at the beginning of the film. So yeah it's confusing and convoluted.

[@mckeldin1961]

I think your ranking of the original series is spot on (I'd personally swap Escape and Conquest... but that could be because Escape is the only one I didn't see in the theater as a child/adolescent). Beneath is clearly subpar, but I'll always have a strong affection for it because it was the first of the series I saw (yes, that means the great twist at the end of the original was spoiled for me... c'est la vie ;) ). I saw the original about six months after seeing Beneath when both movies were brought back as a double feature. I don't know how I missed Escape -- I knew about it, and wanted to see it, but when you're 10 years old you're pretty much relegated to what your parents are willing to take you to see (I saw it for the first time on its CBS television premiere in 1973). Conquest was the first of the films that got my younger brother involved... we were both engrossed. I was semi-aware of the real present-day turmoil this movie was referencing and in some ways this movie was the beginning of my political education. The only thing I can say about Battle is that it elevates Beneath by comparison... :) I was so disappointed by Tim Burton's remake that I've totally avoided the most recent "franchise." But your strong recommendations have me wanting to backtrack and get caught up now! One interesting social note: for the four of the original five that I got to see in the theater, I was dropped off (with a friend... or my brother) by my parents who were 100% comfortable with their pre-adolescent kid sitting in an auditorium without parental supervision (as were the parents of the friends who accompanied me).

[@Ape-Nation]

The new movies have pretty much nothing in common with the Tim Burton film. It's a totally new story that borrows a lot of ideas from the original series but in a new with lots of great storytelling, characters, visuals and acting. I hope you enjoy them!

[@rrsaga]

Rod Serling is a legend who keeps inspiring new legends today

[@Ape-Nation]

Serling is one of the greats

[@AndreBouwer-cl1by]

Fine... I'll rewatch the POTA franchise again

[@Ape-Nation]

Do it!!

[@zaklevine7796]

Good vid

[@Ape-Nation]

Thanks for watching!

[@zaklevine7796]

@@Ape-Nation also I really love Ur channel

[@tylerstadt8719]

Beneath is still my favorite. Love the underground scenes! The lawgiver bleeding is still amazing! Probably my favorite franchise of all right next to the lord of the ring movies

[@A_YouTube_Commenter]

Same. It is straight up jarring. Between psychic mutants worshipping a nuke and the apes invading the Forbidden Zone, Zaius gloating, "Where is your god,NOW?"over slaughtered mutants. Some crazy stuff.

[@edwardbloecher4563]

The first time I saw Battle for The Planet of the Apes was 1970 something lol on CBS late Night Movie, yes that was a thing lol. Anyway I actually thought it was a made for tv movie because it was so similar to the tv series. I think the first movie is my favorite of the original films but I love em all.

[@Nicolas-jo5bw]

Putting Escape ahead of conquest is kinda crazy lol awesome list

[@Ape-Nation]

I get it, but I just loooove Escape so much

[@goojo173]

I’m just getting into Planet of the Apes. I’m curious, what’s the deal with Return? I’ve never heard about it until now, and I can barely find anyone talking about it.

[@Ape-Nation]

Return is the animated series from the 1970s. Haven't seen it yet, but planning on watching and reviewing it eventually. I've heard good things about it!

[@flooglebinder3493]

Talking of movie scores for the CAESAR trilogy, I still think WAR should have ended under the tree with the 3-note motif from RISE at the top of the trees Even though they were different Directors and music scorers, it would have bookended this trilogy much more powerfully for me Great rating table 👏👏👏

[@Dehzeyy]

Up until 2 days ago I had never seen any other planet of the apes movies besides the 2001 reboot and that movie left such a sour taste in my mouth as a child, that in I never gave the originals or the new trilogy a chance. But oh boy am I glad I changed my mind and watched them. The new trilogy is some of the most underrated movies of all time.

[@SerialExperimentsLuis]

Escape is spot on, I think it’s either the best or 2nd best in the OG series other than the original

[@Tony_Pesta]

Koba is such a fantastic villiain in part because his presence is still massively felt in War despite him being "defeated" in Dawn. He looms over Ceasar in a way that doesn't feel forced at all

[@MayosMovieMayhem]

1) Beneath 2) Planet 68 3) Conquest 4) Escape 5) Battle 6) Dawn 7) Rise 8) Kingdom 9) War 10) 2001

[@Ape-Nation]

Beneath at 1 is wild, but I respect it

[@DanielKolbin]

one of the series of all time

[@TheRoswell57]

I love your site.

[@Ape-Nation]

Thanks!!

[@granthillberry8175]

Escape is def my fav!!!!

[@orinanime]

Uuumm... "when he's taking other people's properties and making them Tim Burton-ized, I don't think it works well." ... "I'm personally a big Batman Returns fan!"

[@Ape-Nation]

His two Batman films are the exception to the rule lol

[@orinanime]

@@Ape-Nation I like a few Tim Burton movies. But I think 89 works because he had more collaboration with people who didn't align with his views. Different screenwriters and producers who didn't agree with him on everything. I honestly can barely tolerate Returns, because it's such a grotesque perverse utterly nonsensical Tim Burton movie with a Batman label slapped across it. He had too much creative control with the 2nd movie.

[@6ixintheStix]

Really love your reasoning and overview of the new trilogy. It’s so true just how incredible 2 & 3 is. Really hope they nail the 4th one next year. I’m dying to go back to that universe🦍🦧🖤🙏🏾

[@WaTsNoTgUdD]

great video. for my list: throw 68 in A and flip conquest and escape. i have my reasons but everything else is the same as yours

[@darioscomicschool1111]

Those where so cool Movies. I saw those Movies as a Teen.

[@ProfDrBaum]

Yesterday I wanted to watch the OGs with a friend who had never seen them in preperation for the new one. I was like yeah lets watch the OG its bad sequel and the weird third one. Little did I know there where to more after that that I had never seen or heard of.

[@christianmanka3884]

Will you ever cover the 5 telemovies or just the show in general??? I love the franchise but know VERY little about that series and wish I knew more.

[@Ape-Nation]

Yep! Planning on reviewing the TV shows after Kingdom comes out

[@christianmanka3884]

@@Ape-Nationdope! Looking forward to it!

[@ebransc09]

1. The Musical All others tied last

[@Able406]

Can you do a video on the animated series? Love that show

[@Ape-Nation]

I'm gonna do the live action show first, but I'll get to the animated series eventually!

[@mauritja00]

You should do a tier list of the villains someday!

[@Ape-Nation]

Planning on it soon!

[@mariojeromechavez6663]

I enjoyed Dawn n War for the similar reason. N I admire the First one and Escape to

[@OldManPiccolo]

I enjoy all of the Apes films but here's my ranking from favorite to least favorite ( again, I like them all ) #1. Dawn #2. Original #3. Escape #4. Conquest #5. War #6. Rise #7. Beneath #8. Battle #9. Tim Burton Apes film.

[@orinanime]

I'd love to see you cover the two TV shows and the book.

[@Ape-Nation]

Reviews for both will be coming later this year!

[@orinanime]

@@Ape-Nation awesome!! I wish I owned the live-action TV show, but I missed the initial release and stupidly didn't buy it when it dropped in price. And now it's way above my price range.

[@ItheauthorityI]

War is my personal favorite, and I love how you mentioned the soundtrack. It is so next level in that film. It's a small nitpick, but I don't believe Nova entering the base was a plot hole. Plot holes directly contradict established rules. Nova is small, she could simply have just not been seen by coincidence. It's not an impossibility or even that far-fetched. They simply choose not to show us. Now, if we saw the Colonel notice her, shrug, and go about his business that would be a plot hole because it contradicts what we know about him. I just feel like people use "plot hole" too liberally.

[@Ape-Nation]

I think "plot contrivance" is a more accurate word for it. It's just super convenient to the point of being obvious to me.

[@robertlauncher]

Nuance may be the word you’re looking for. As a Christian, the original never came off as anti-religious, but anti-foolishness founded on religion. Zaius may be a narrow minded guy, but he’s far from one note. He is clever, well spoken, concerned with how a radical idea could change their society. He even has a legit point about how dangerous humans can be. There’s layers to the discussion. If this specific entry in the storyline was done today, I imagine Zaius would just say a few catchphrases for his followers to chant while his only motivation is to be evil.

[@JosephDickersonUX]

My son is introducing a friend to the Apes films. He is gonna skip Battle and the Burton film, and that is the right decision. Ironically I met Michael Clark Duncan IRL before his passing on a plane, and have chatted with Paul Williams as well. Apes. Together. Strong.

[@z00pac]

I feel like the Burton film is worth like half a watch just to see the incredible makeup. Definitely not worth sitting through the whole thing though

[@Ape-Nation]

I would say he should at least watch Battle since it's still a part of the original story, but that's just me.

[@user-gz6hp7ef6w]

I’ve really come around to liking the Tim Burton movie. The make up effects alone make it worth rewatching. I’d go so far as to say they’re the best I’ve ever seen, not just in POTA movies but across all movies. Tim Roth is electric. His villain performance is honestly hard to beat. He really gives it 100%. Wahlburg lets the thing down with a very generic performance, his character hasn’t got much to it either. As far as its themes, it’s a bit more shallow than the original but it brings up a few interesting ideas. Overall there’s just too much about it that I like for me to not become a fan of it. I think people should revisit it .

[@Ape-Nation]

I wouldn't call myself a fan overall, but it's got its strengths for sure, and definitely agree on the make-up!

[@RogerMcCoy]

You didn't mention it, but I know in my heart that Battle was really saved from F tier by "Ape shall not kill Abe."

[@doomslayer2930]

I'd put Burton Apes in C Tier in my opinion. It just sits in between the old and current franchises.

[@taker68]

I'd put Battle higher, I liked it well enough. To me, Aldo does have a point to him. He's the extreme on the ape end that the mutant humans are on the human end. "Ape shall not kill ape" was a big phrase that lasted among fans. I felt War of the POTA was a let down after the previous 2 films. Not bad but seemed like they had covered everything already. That whole trilogy wants to show how such a situation could come about without a nuclear war. How apes got smart, humans got dumb, civilization fell in a way that means sense. Nuclear war would kill off apes too so a man made disease gets it done. One assumes Kingdom will gets this series up to the level the very first film was at or close to it.

[@Texasdex84]

I’d just quibble with the CGI quality thing just a little bit- when they put a lot of moving characters in the frame at once it does start to look a bit fake to me. Especially the opening hunt in Dawn

[@dylancooper3690]

In BATTLE, Virgil says: "This armory's been my home for 27 years."

[@Ape-Nation]

It's been a couple years since I've seen it so I'll look for that next time. Honestly though that just makes it even more confusing to me 😅

[@dylancooper3690]

@@Ape-Nation agreed

[@heterosapien]

Not a lot of folks know that the 68' movie was a brain child of Rod Serling who changed the story of Boulle's book.

[@Ape-Nation]

Yep! I've always viewed it as a 2 hour long episode of The Twilight Zone, and he's the biggest reason why.

[@lex_rodriguez]

Dawn is the franchise's peak for me. Part of me wants to say War, but that is mainly due to the visuals and music - overall the story felt like such a down step from the previous films. Dawn had the best villain in the franchise and the best use of its supporting cast - treating everyone like characters, not plot devices (like War does). As far as sequels go, it's on par with Empire Strikes Back for me.

[@Ape-Nation]

I prefer War, but I totally get it!

[@dylancooper3690]

Do you think Caroline in RISE eventually succumbed to Simian Flu?

[@Ape-Nation]

Will did, so yes I think she likely did too

[@theriseoflordmasterstarscr9036]

I'm sure this is when you might not care about but you also forgot to add the planet of the apes live action series that happened back in the day I never seen it personally

[@Ape-Nation]

This list is just for the movies, but I'll be doing a review for the live action show sometime next year!

[@RenePeraza]

For the Caesar trilogy, they should have named them first 'Dawn', then 'Rise', finally 'War.'

[@3reecasoromeo281]

All of the “bad guys” have reasons to feel the way they do. Also they are extremely accurate in what happens

[@intuitivehealer91]

War for the planet of the apes was very emotional for me too. Its because I loved Caesar so much. He becomes more emotionally intelligent than humans and can see the bigger picture, powerless to the process! Almost like a Jesus type leader with his wisdom and compassion/love, touched with that necessary ruthlessness to survive less intelligent beings and their struggle for power/survival out of fear, very tough watch this film was. Going to watch kingdom tonight in Cinema, I hope they honor Caesar's legacy!

[@RosaHernandez-vy4dm]

🎯👍

[@TennoHaki]

Nova got in because she’s a child and was not noticed because of her size and Caesar didn’t happen to die right when they got there he fought to live until he seen they were in a safe place that they could call home.

[@dylancooper3690]

Where do the apes get all their horses from? In 9 movies thus far, that's never been explained.

[@thearmyguns]

Tbh i imagine they either just domesticated them or grabbed them from farms, the ones that survived that is, because we see them riding horses in Dawn

[@artamussumatra6286]

My take : Planet, Beneath, Conquest S. I love all three of these, and they hold up very well imho. Battle C. (it’s ok, but I actually like the TV series better.) Escape F.(Sorry, good acting granted but really implausible premise, and dumb script.)

[@Krisbcream1]

I like war of the planet of the apes but having blue eyes die right in the beginning after he had such an amazing arc in Don was a letdown

[@Cynara2468]

"What a wonderful day"

[@rampantrambling8178]

The ending of 2001 is straight out of the book. The earlier you leave one planet and hit the rift the later you will arrive on the other planet, the later you leave the earlier you arrive. So in the future of the apes planet, when they invent space travel, they arrive earlier in time than whalberg and become the dominant species on earth. Its still a bad movie, but its a smart pick to switch up the twist ending.

[@rampantrambling8178]

Movie is still missing the second twist of the book, that the whole story is being read by apes on a ship and they think it's hilarious that humans could ever speak 😂