MovieChat Forums > Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970) Discussion > Not as good as I remember *Spoilers*

Not as good as I remember Spoilers

posted 10 years ago by BrickNash
11 replies | jump to latest

I remember enjoying the first 3 POTA films immensely when I was younger and the first one is just as good as ever.

I was surprised at watching this one though. Don't get me wrong I still enjoyed it but it seems much more like a very confused film.

One thing I don't get is that they hired an actor who looked, talked and acted almost exactly like Chuck Heston and then they put Heston in the movie as well. I think it would have worked better and had more continuity with just Taylor and Nova having some reason to go back to the Ape city

The Bomb stuff and the telepaths also seemed like a really forced and cheesy idea which made little sense at all and the ending was one of the most abrupt I've ever seen. Everyone dies within 5 minutes and then Taylor hits the bomb button and the film just ends?

It was still an ok watch mind you and almost worth it just to see Linda Harrison again (probably the hottest women on screen ever!) but I came away a little cold from this watch.

[–] dollvalley 10 years ago

I think I felt the same way, once they find the mutants, and the bomb, it all becomes a bit too weird like dumping an alien in Woody Allen movie.
A bit like the end of How The West Was Won, where after almost three hours of the West, you see current-day LA. It's so weird.
However, I love this movie too.

[–] Fletcherj119 10 years ago

Some of the short-comings were due to Heston. He felt that the first movie was so strong, there was nothing more you could do with it and balked at the idea of a sequel. The producers hounded him, so he reluctantly agreed to a cameo with the provision that the earth was destroyed to prevent any more sequels.
During the movie's pre-production, the studio suddenly cut the budget in half. I wonder if that was due to Heston not returning in full.

[–] kurt7825 10 years ago

heston was a selfish fool

[–] MooseNugget 10 years ago

Yeah I don't get why The Mutants wore masks. You know, other than to try freak us out when they took them off.

I think the bomb ending could have been done better as well. Having the screen go to a different color was just lame. At the very least they could have shown us a giant explosion.

[–] millsey72 (10244) 6 months ago

The movie studio wanted to sell Mutant masks at Halloween

[–] WatchingYouReadThis 8 years ago

Have not seen the other sequels (plan to try at least one more) but, as far as this film is concerned, I agree with old Hesthest. The first film gets across it's main message well, along with providing plenty of apepocalypse action.

With how much I enjoyed Taylor in the first film, I guess I wouldn't mind seeing some resolution for his character, but what would it amount to? Likely a retread of the first film. "War bad, peace good" etcetera etcetera. And with the curtain lifted, the magic gone, It's a little tough to imagine how they could further pique our interest without being too absurd.Both of these concerns prevalent in what we ended up getting, minus Taylor in the lead role.

Didn't Rod Serling submit a script that they trashed? Curious what that would be about.

As I type, Ideas are stirring.Perhaps the second film could focus on examining what early life was like and the beginings of religion, politics, a set of boundaries, a moral code. Something that started out with the intention of good ending up to corruption. Even still, feels a little too much with how greatly established that first film was

[–] wears-alan 8 years ago

Didn't Rod Serling submit a script that they trashed? Curious what that would be about.

According to Serling he didn't submit a script as he was too busy to do it. He did however discuss certain ideas about what the sequel would/could be about.

If those pen pushers up at city hall don't like it,well, they swivel on this middle digit!

[–] SoForgetIt 8 years ago

Yeah I don't get why The Mutants wore masks. You know, other than to try freak us out when they took them off.

Among other reasons, it was a metaphor about organized religion.

I think the bomb ending could have been done better as well. Having the screen go to a different color was just lame. At the very least they could have shown us a giant explosion.

There wasn't an explosion. The bomb set off a chain reaction and ignited the oxygen in the atmosphere. As Taylor specifically said in the film, it "burn(ed) the planet to a cinder".

[–] wears-alan 8 years ago

Good post
Not sure why you replied to me though?

[–] SoForgetIt 8 years ago

Good post
Not sure why you replied to me though?

Thanks.

I just went to the most recent post and posted my response there. Sometimes when you make a new response to an earlier post in the thread it ends up getting lost. Just trying to keep the conversation going is all. Same reason I went and responded to the most recent post in the thread from that guy who was claiming that Dr. Zaius was the one who detonated the Alpha Omega bomb in BENEATH. 

[–] wears-alan 8 years ago

 No probs

If those pen pushers up at city hall don't like it,well, they swivel on this middle digit!