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Conquest of the Planet of the Apes
Third sequel in the Planet quintet. Roddy McDowall reprises his role as the highly evolved Caesar, leading an ape uprising against their human masters
As the promotional trailer announces "[we've]... seen the future, and it doesn't look good...", an interesting disclaimer for the simian-empowerment series, yet perfectly fitting for this fourth instalment. Though the 'future' in question (1991) has obviously dated since it was first released, the film gains an extra layer in re-examining its message. Whether seen as an allegory for race relations in the 1960s or as a political take on man's ownership and treatment of the world, the themes - those of prejudice and the abuse of power - still feel pertinent. Conquest Of The Planet Apes tells the story of Caesar (McDowall), a "talking ape" trapped in a time when there were none. His parents - apes from the future, Cornelius and Zira - were killed off in the third instalment, Escape From The Planet Of The Apes, but with the help of circus owner Armando (Montalban) Caesar has survived. After 20 years in hiding, his circus is brought to the inner city, where Caesar encounters something truly terrifying - apes being treated as slaves. Armando explains that after a space virus wiped out all the household pets, apes were seen as their natural replacements, but due to their inherent intelligence they were soon elevated to the role of servants. What Caesar sees on the streets, however, are men abusing apes. The humans are presented as either vacuous or vicious, and in a 'prophetic' line reflecting human attitudes, a woman says of cigarettes, "these don't taste the same now I know they won't kill me." When a labour equality protest turns violent, Caesar speaks out, and is forced to go on the run. Infiltrating an ape reconditioning programme, he is given the chance to change things from the inside, when auctioned off to Governor Breck (Murray), in charge of ape reform. He finds a lifeline in Beck's black advisor, McDonald (Rhodes), who helps this ape heir-apparent plan the monkey revolution that history has already foretold. Conquest is very much in keeping with the other films in this series. Visually, it's dated badly. As a studio movie, the production team favoured sets over locations, which rather cheap and tacky-looking consequences, and the once-award-winning make-up now looks faintly comical. It's a tribute to the acting, then, that disbelief is suspended. McDowall is humble as Caesar, the monkey with a biblical future, and his evolution to all-conquering ape is powerfully portrayed. Montalban is also watchable as the ape-loving Armando, despairing with the slave new world. The script is less successful. Forced to carry the baggage of the previous three films, it's heavy-handed and struggles to handle the plot. The message, however, is still clear, and as the one film to tackle (what was then) the 'near future', its all the more poignant for it. Director Thompson brings energy to the film, and at a lean 83 minutes, with plenty of riotous monkey mayhem, it's rarely dull. Verdict Enjoyable for fans of the original and more, this 'modern' morality tale still has a contemporary ring to it. Not the best looking piece, but a worthy addition to the classic Ape canon. |
