This movie reflects and deals with the theme of racism, facism and slavery a lot more than the other films. It displays big ideas and is very interesting, it's hindered by it's budget unfortunately.
The son of Zira and Cornelius is the main character and he works through the troubling human society, which has begun to enslave the apes for "lower class" work.
They had a tight budget and did the best they could. Roddy Mcdowall is excellent as always, and the set they used was interesting, and the human costumes are very militaristic and that looked good.
I like this movie, their ideas were bigger than their budget, but they did a damn fine job.
Conquest of the Planet of the Apes
1972
Action / Sci-Fi
Conquest of the Planet of the Apes
1972
Action / Sci-Fi
Plot summary
In a futuristic world that has embraced ape slavery, a chimpanzee named Caesar resurfaces after almost twenty years of hiding from the authorities, and prepares for a revolt against humanity.
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July 06, 2023 at 04:19 PM
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A nice, solid entry
Minority Audiences Cheered the Most
The film's battle scenes were deliberate imitations of the Watts Riots. Black and Latino audiences cheered the hardest. Some white racists found the film deeply frightening.
Sammy Davis Jr called the film series the best films that were ever made about racism. This film might be the most successful and powerful slave revolt ever shown on film.
Aiming to imitate the first movie...
These movies are a mixed bag to say the least and it doesn't pay to scrutinise several incongruities...but they are enjoyable none the less.
Conquest for the Planet of the Apes, the fourth in the series, covers the 'pre-history' of the first movie, where the apes first start to gain some ascendancy in the world of humans. And like the first movie (and to a lesser degree the second) it actually strives to make a social statement AND does a decent job. Parallels are drawn between the apes struggle against slavery to humans and the struggle for civil rights of black people in America with the ape riot scene intended to imitate a famous riot in the sixties. The point is well made considering the censorship restrictions on violence and the touchy nature of the underlying subject matter - a topic well discussed today but not overtly talked about in 1972. The result is daring, well-made (the riot is stunning) and well-meaning, but sometimes a little clumsy.
Some fairly elementary things are overlooked, as well, such as the fact that in the first movie the apes were evolved by 2000 years thus excusing their very human bearing, but here, in the 'future' of 1991, they are just supposed to be apes with clothes on...doesn't quite work.
All in all, though, an entertaining film and a good showcase for Roddy McDowall's real acting abilities. 7 out of 10.