Battle for the Planet of the Apes (1973)

My Review

In the “Battle for the Planet of the Apes,” after the apes conquer the oppressive humans, Caesar tries to keep the peace between humans and apes, but uprisings and unrest in the human community endure. Director J. Lee Thompson (“What a Way to Go!” 1964) and screenwriters John William Corrington and Joyce Hooper Corrington were running out of fresh ideas for this fifth film of the “Apes” saga. Also, the quality of the production values had slipped considerably.

The cast is headed once again by Roddy McDowell as Caesar with Claude Akins, Natalie Trundy, Lew Ayres, Paul Williams, John Huston, Severn Darden, France Nuyen, Noah Keen, Richard Eastham, Paul Stevens, and John Landis. Even with some deficiencies, the watchable “Battle for the Planet of the Apes” was popular at the box office for producer Arthur P. Jacobs, APJAC Productions, and 20th Century Fox. This would be the final of the five “Apes” films that were released in 1968, 1970, 1971, 1972, and 1973. The next movie in the franchise would be Tim Burton’s 2001 remake called “Planet of the Apes” starring Mark Wahlberg, Helena Bonham Carter, and Kris Kristofferson.