Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970)

My Review

“Beneath the Planet of the Apes” continues the saga of “Planet of the Apes” with a second spacecraft arriving on the planet searching for Chuck Heston. When they are reunited, the Earthmen realize that the apes are not their greatest threat. Director Ted Post (“Hang ‘Em High” 1968) did a good job the second time around, with brevity being the watchword, as the film has only a 95 minute running time from the acceptable script by Paul Dehn.

The stars are James Franciscus and Charlton Heston as the American astronauts. Other returnees include Linda Harrison as Chuck’s girlfriend and Kim Hunter and Maurice Evans as the apes. Co-stars include Tori Andrews, James Gregory, Victor Buono, Jeff Corey, Gregory Sierra, David Watson, Thomas Gomez, Paul Richards, Natalie Trundy, and Don Pedro Colley. The watchable “Beneath the Planet of the Apes” was a smash at the box office for producer Arthur P. Jacobs and 20th Century Fox, so a second sequel was rushed into production. That would be “Escape from the Planet of the Apes” in 1971, sans Heston and Franciscus, but with an all-star cast nonetheless.