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Sometimes I write things, but mostly I watch movies.
So you want to get into Planet of the Apes before Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes releases on May 10th? Well, we’ve got you covered with our Planet of the Apes guide!
Planet of the Apes can be a little confusing at first glance given that there are nine films across three separate continuities. Although, once you break it down, it’s relatively simple. First, let’s break down these three continuities: The Originals (1968-1973), The Remake (2001), and The Reboot (2011-Present).
Kingdom is part of The Reboot timeline, so we’ll look at those first.
Reboot
Thankfully for this new film, there are only three movies you need to see to get the full context of what’s going on:
- Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011)
- Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014)
- War for the Planet of the Apes (2017)
These three films in the reboot franchise cover the journey of Caesar from a chimpanzee science experiment to the founder of Ape society. Rise is Caesar’s origin story, then in Dawn we see Ape society in a much more fleshed-out state and explore the possibility of apes and humans living side by side, then War sees Apes and humans fight to determine who the dominant species will be.
You likely won’t need to watch these to understand Kingdom as it’s been 7 years since the last film was released. Still, all of these films are excellent, are well worth your time, and will give you a lot of context for Kingdom. However, if you have to watch just one, then go with Dawn. It is easily the best of the bunch because Andy Serkis gives a remarkable performance as Caesar, and honestly, it’s just a great piece of filmmaking overall. The opening sequence alone is one of the best pieces of modern blockbuster sci-fi.
Originals
Now, if you want to do some extra credit, then you can get into the original Planet of the Apes series. This series debuted in 1968 with the original film and quickly spawned four more sequels.
- Planet of the Apes (1968)
- Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970)
- Escape from the Planet of the Apes (1971)
- Conquest of the Planet of the Apes (1972)
- Battle for the Planet of the Apes (1973).
The franchise covers the rise and fall of its titular planet, albeit not quite in the way you may expect. Planet of the Apes is probably slightly different than what modern audiences expect. It follows astronaut George Taylor (Charlton Heston), who crash-lands on a mysterious planet and soon finds it to be ruled by Apes. I won’t spoil the iconic ending here on the off chance that you don’t know it. The original is a sci-fi classic for a reason, and it’s the one from the original series that you should absolutely watch if you’re a genre fan. The sequels aren’t a necessary watch, but I do recommend them all.
Personally, I have a soft spot for Beneath just for how weird it is compared to the rest, however, it’s regarded as one of the worst of the bunch. Conversely, most fans generally agree that Escape is the best of the sequels. Escape is the first time that we see apes living in human society and where the series really starts to focus specifically on themes of racial strife. Those themes are certainly present in the first two. Yet, they deal with concerns of nuclear annihilation, religious fundamentalism, and more so, Cold War paranoia.
Moving onto Conquest and Battle—these two resemble the modern Apes films a little bit more than the rest of the series. Rise and Dawn could also be considered loose remakes of Conquest and Battle, respectively, as they all deal with the early days of Caesar, Ape society, and their uprising against humans. It is worth noting that Conquest has an alternate ending that’s much darker, but a more fitting ending. Battle also has an alternate cut, but I haven’t been able to get my hands on a copy. Fans seem to agree it’s a slight improvement. For my liking, I don’t care much for these last two; both have lots to like in them but overall just fall flat.
By no means do you need to watch all these original movies to understand Kingdom, but you can see how the reboot series retools a lot of elements from these films and get a richer viewing experience. And I expect Kingdom will pull quite a bit from the original.
Remake
And now… we get to the black sheep of the family—the 2001 remake of the original 1968 film.
- Planet of the Apes (2001)
Directed by Tim Burton, this remake is odd. It’s got a lot going for it namely in terms of costumes and sets, but narratively, it’s very strange. Originally this was planned to be the start of a new series, but critical reception and a miserable production process killed any plans for this continuity to live on. I wouldn’t recommend this one, but if you’re a completionist, then you might as well, not to mention you get a great Paul Giamatti performance.
Additional Material for the Planet of the Apes
Are 9 movies across 7 decades not enough for you? Well, like any big multimedia franchise, there are plenty of other things to sink your teeth into. These are just some of the more notable ones. I have yet to check any of these out so I can’t recommend or advise which are most worth your time:
La Planète des singes – aka Planet of the Apes this 1693 French novel by Pierre Boulle is the basis for the original film and by extension the whole franchise.
Planet of the Apes (1974) – a live-action series that lasted for one season and was a loose retelling of the first Apes movie.
Return to the Planet of the Apes (1975) – this animated show is a little bit closer to the novel with how it depicts ape society.
Star Trek/Planet of the Apes: The Prime Directive – this is a comic crossover between Star Trek the Original Series and the original Planet of the Apes series. In particular, this comic serves as a bridge between the end of Beneath and the start of Escape.
Beware the Planet of the Apes – Marvel and 20th Century’s 2024 prequel limited series to the original film. This run is written by Marc Guggenheim (The CW’s Arrow, Legends of Tomorrow). The first issue was released at the beginning of this year, with the second issue in February and the third in March. Keep an eye out for the fourth issue, which should be released later this week.
Conclusion
To sum it all up, there are three continuities for Planet of the Apes: Original, Remake, and Reboot. The soon-to-be-released Kingdom of The Planet of The Apes is the fourth film in the Reboot timeline. You don’t need to watch everything to understand Kingdom, but the most relevant movies to watch would be Rise of The Planet of the Apes, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, and War for the Planet of the Apes.
Looking for more Ape-related fun? Then check out our review of Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire. And check out our X/ Twitter, Instagram, and even our Facebook if you prefer!
Font Used in the Header Image Copyright (c) 2001 by Anthony B. McElveen. All rights reserved
Sometimes I write things, but mostly I watch movies.
This article was edited by John Tangalin.