With the reputation the series has received over the decades, it is easy to forget just how impactful Planet of the Apes truly was. The film spawned a franchise of several films, a live-action series, and an animated series. The film was unlike anything had ever seen before and is still known as one of the best science fiction movies. The sequels are largely hit and miss, but the recent trilogy skyrocketed the series to new heights. From Heston to Serkis, here is every movie in the Planet of the Apes franchise ranked.
9. Battle For The Planet Of The Apes (1973)
The final few Planet of the Apes movies were essentially prequels to the first movie. Battle shows the days after the nuclear war that essentially leveled the planet and allowed the apes to rise as the dominant species. Roddy McDowall plays Caesar, the Ape leader who wants nothing more than for Apes and humans to coexist. This plot was sampled for later films Dawn and War, although they are different enough to not be considered remakes. This movie was the lowest-grossing Apes film to date and killed the movie series for the first time. Most critique the film for being boring above all else. The movie set out to make it more family-friendly, but in the process, forgot to add in the things that made the series great.
8. Planet Of The Apes (2001)
Whenever a movie wants to make it clear it isn’t a straight retelling of a previous film, the term re-imagining is thrown around. This term was coined by Tim Burton when he described his addition to the Planet of the Apes franchise. That is a decent way to describe it, as this Planet of the Apes movie tells the basic plot of the first film but in a vastly different way. Mark Whalberg plays Leo Davidson, an astronaut who trains chimps for space travel. After his favorite chimp is lost in an electromagnetic storm, he heads in after her. When he emerges, he finds himself on a planet run by talking apes, and humans are treated as slaves. The film is a poor recreation of the first, and many place it among Tim Burton’s worst. The movie failed to relaunch the franchise, and Fox would sit on a new take until 2011.
7. Beneath The Planet Of The Apes (1970)
The first sequel sees astronaut Brent as he lands on the planet in search of Taylor, the main character from the first film. Like Taylor before him, he soon learns the planet is run by apes, and humans are mute slaves. Brent finds himself deep underground and stumbles across a tribe of telekinetic humans that worship a nuclear missile. Once he finds Taylor, the two must stop the mutants from killing the apes and destroying the planet with the bomb. The movie leans way more into science fiction than the first film did and hammers home the “humans are bad” message of the first in a far less subtle way. While it still has its fans, many agree this movie pales in comparison to the first and ignores the book the original was based upon.
6. Conquest Of The Planet Of The Apes (1972)
The series was always dark in tone, but here is where the Planet of the Apes franchise truly began to become bleak. Having survived the attack that killed his parents, Caesar (series mainstay Roddy McDowall) hides who he is as apes are being horribly mistreated by humans. After his caretaker is killed, Caesar begins an uprising against the humans. This plot is essentially the same as 2011’s Rise, although the latter is not considered a full remake. This movie is still a fan favorite and is a great middle-ground between the first Planet of the Apes movie and the sequels.
5. Escape From The Planet Of The Apes (1971)
The opening of this film reveals that Cornelius and Zira escaped Earth before it was destroyed in Beneath the Planet of the Apes. This film shows them arriving in the present day, where humans are still in charge, and apes don’t talk. While mostly a charming fish out of water story that turns dark quickly. The ape couple learns the humans plan on experimenting on them and killing their newborn son, Milo. This shows the human race begins their own downfall that ends in apes taking over. Seeing the two characters that have been with the series be treated the way they are is hard to watch, and fans loved the darker tone. Essentially being a prequel, this is the best received of the original Planet of the Apes franchise.
4. War For The Planet Of The Apes (2017)
The final Planet of the Apes movie in the modern trilogy shows the last stand of the human race. The Apes have all but taken over the planet, but there remain small armies of humans who won’t go down without a fight. After a brutal attack on his family, Caesar (Andy Serkis) sets out to finish the war once and for all. The virus that wiped out most of humanity has evolved, and it is now taking away the human ability to speak. This movie is a brilliant special effects showcase, as the CGI apes are on screen more than the live-action humans. The apes are incredibly life-like and carry the film spectacularly. Matt Reeves directed this film as well as its predecessor. Reeves would later direct Andy Serkis again in the highly praised The Batman.
3. Dawn of the Planet Of The Apes (2014)
After an intended cure for Alzheimer’s causes apes to grow in intelligence, they have launched an all-out war on humanity. The same virus that caused apes to grow in intelligence also proves deadly to humans. With the virus wiping out a good chunk of the human race, only a few are able to stand up against Caesar and his army, although some choose to stand with him. The film is fantastic in that Caesar doesn’t want to kill humans. In his perfect world, humans and apes peacefully co-exist. Caesar must choose to do what is right for the good of his species, and audiences are along for the ride. Andy Serkis and his motion capture are top-notch, and the film is heartbreaking as well as action-packed.
2. Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes (2011)
After the disappointing re-imagining, Fox decided to fully reboot the Planet of the Apes franchise in 2011. This new film goes back to the beginning and shows the events that would eventually lead to apes taking over the planet. Caesar is the son of an ape who was experimented on by Will Rodman (James Franco). After she is mercilessly killed trying to protect her son, Will adopts him and continues his work away from the lab. As Caesar grows, he showcases intelligence and capabilities equal to that of humans. When Caesar is imprisoned and ripped away from Will, he uses the same virus that created him and allows his fellow apes to enjoy heightened intelligence as well. This leads to an ape rebellion against the human race. Caesar knows there are good humans, but his fellow apes want to see them all taken out, leading to war.
1. Planet Of The Apes (1968)
It is no surprise the original classic tops this list. With a script written by Twilight Zone create, Rod Serling, this movie is everything a great science fiction flick should be. An astronaut named Taylor (Charlton Heston) and his crew crash land on a planet ruled by talking apes. He soon learns that humans are mute and are treated as slaves. Taylor befriends two apes, Cornelius and Zira. Taylor attempts to find out the secret of the planet. The secret is nothing he expected, as the twist ending reveals he was on Earth all along. This film is cinematic royalty. It has an anti-nuclear message without being incredibly preachy. The original Planet of the Apes movie more than stands the test of time and stands out above any other film in the series.
