1 Original film series 1.1 Planet of the Apes (1968) https://trakt.tv/movies/planet-of-the-apes-1968 1.2 Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970) https://trakt.tv/movies/beneath-the-planet-of-the-apes-1970 1.3 Escape from the Planet of the Apes (1971) https://trakt.tv/movies/escape-from-the-planet-of-the-apes-1971 1.4 Conquest of the Planet of the Apes (1972) https://trakt.tv/movies/conquest-of-the-planet-of-the-apes-1972 1.5 Battle for the Planet of the Apes (1973) https://trakt.tv/movies/battle-for-the-planet-of-the-apes-1973 2 Remake film 2.1 Planet of the Apes (2001) https://trakt.tv/movies/planet-of-the-apes-2001 3 Reboot film series 3.1 Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011) https://trakt.tv/movies/rise-of-the-planet-of-the-apes-2011 3.2 Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014) https://trakt.tv/movies/dawn-of-the-planet-of-the-apes-2014 3.3 War for the Planet of the Apes (2017) https://trakt.tv/movies/war-for-the-planet-of-the-apes-2017

This is the fourth film of the "Planet of the Apes" series and even though there have been quite a few moments when I have seriously questioned the choices made by the writers, I have been pleased with the acting and the direction. In fact, it has become entertaining just sitting back and wondering just what's going to happen next...whether it will make sense or not. In "Beneath the Planet of the Apes", we were led underground and met up with a world of mutants with nukes. In "Escape from the Planet of the Apes", the apes went back in time and became celebrities which the human population loved and the military feared. And in "Conquest of the Planet of the Apes", we are treated to Roddy McDowall's new role as Caesar, son of Cornelius and Zira. He's super intelligent, can speak and doesn't like that apes have become house pets. Actually, they're more like slaves since the extinction event that wiped out all dogs and cats years earlier (in another of the series' WTF moments). There are two versions of this film on the newest Blu-Ray release and of the two, I preferred the brutal Unrated cut. It brought a much darker tone. The TV version and the original cut end in such a manner that each sends the series in a different direction. And as an unrelated point, I love the Blu-Ray release's Main Menu. The ape makeup is much improved in "Conquest...". The massive crowd of apes look much better than they did in the laughable crowd scenes in "Beneath...". It seemed there were hundreds of them, attacking the human military in their red, green, or orange jump suits. The apes attacked in what appeared to be swarms, overwhelming the armed, but outnumbered security forces. It's pretty amazing how they coordinated the battles, although they did occur in the dark of night which had to help mask makeup and action sequence shortcomings. Knowing where this unpredictable series has gone during the first four films leaves me stumped as to who will win control of the planet in the final installment.

'Conquest of the Planet of the Apes' is the weakest of the first four films. It's watchable, still. It shares similarities to 'Rise of the Planet of the Apes' from the rebooted 2010s series, though it isn't quite as entertaining or convincing. Serviceable it is, however. Roddy McDowall stays in the franchise, but as a different character in Caesar. McDowall is the clear standout from the cast, the rest of whom are solid if forgettable. I found the real world parallels a bit too forced in this one, while the long speeches near the end feel over the top. For the early 1970s, though, the look of the film remains pleasant - I do like watching these films, after all this is - in my opinion - still a passable flick; if indeed the weakest so far.