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Escape from the Planet of the Apes
Apes sequel number two sees chimp scientists Cornelius and Zira escaping nuclear wipe-out in the year 3878 by travelling back through time to groovy 1970s Los Angeles. At first they are treated like celebrities, then the future of mankind is discovered and the authorities decide the apes must be killed
With their planet about to be destroyed by nuclear armageddon, three chimps - Dr Zira (Hunter), Dr Cornelius (McDowall) and Milo (Mineo) - escape in a space capsule and travel back in time from the year 3878 to contemporary 1970s America. A naval rescue office is surprised to greet three astronauts who have splashed down in the Pacific Ocean when they turn out to be a trio of ape-o-nauts. After being put through a series of experiments, the chimps must prove themselves to the President, the press and the people of America. Milo meets an untimely, if somewhat ironic end, when he is strangled by a gorilla. But Cornelius and Zira become celebrities and are whisked around Los Angeles where they attend dinner parties, appear on TV, are waited on in clothes stores and get booked into a lavish hotel suite. Cornelius gets to wear a suit and tie, Zira soothes herself in a bubble bath. It's all very peculiar. This light-hearted parody of the media and stardom, accompanied by a mad sitar soundtrack (in case the movie wasn't kookie enough already!), certainly counts as the campest film in the Planet Of The Apes franchise. A particualr favourite is Zira's discovery of wine, explained to her as "grape juice plus!" Darker themes soon develop however. Suspicious Presidential aide Dr Hasslein (Braeden) injects Zira with a truth drug and discovers the truth about apekind's future takeover of planet earth. He then discovers she is pregnant and orders an abortion. Escape From The Planet Of The Apes is full of a bizarre brand of sci-fi paranoia and explores dozens of social themes, from abortion to vivisection. Despite its typically gloomy ending (all Planet Of The Apes movies seem to close with the end of civilisation) Escape From The Planet Of The Apes is genuinely witty and original. Verdict The most outrageous and certainly the funniest of the Planet Of The Apes sequels. |
