One of those films that I wanted to see because of it's 'classic' status. The special effects and action scenes didn't date very well, the acting is not great, and the story is filled with plotholes. But it still managed to capture my attention because of the original way it delivered its social criticism. Watching those apes mistreat us humans, you can't help but think how stupid and unfair those damn dirty apes are. I really couldn't stand them. Until somewhere in the film you suddenly realize that those apes represent the way humans act nowadays, and that the way humans are treated in the movie is how we (used to) treat minority groups; slaves, heretics, women, animals etc. Ouch.. Suddenly the ape society is a mirror of human society, showing all it's errors. At times the morals are just too much, but I think it's a great social critique in a sci-fi setting.

One of the greatest closing scenes ever filmed.

I've watched this probably more than half a dozen times already and it never gets boring. It's one of the true classics of science fiction and the story still is relevant.

A true movie classic "Planet of the Apes" is still a stunner. From its initial reveal of a planet ruled by apes to its shocking ending it plays like a two-hour episode of "The Twilight Zone". Most of this can be attributed to Rod Serling's involvement in writing the screenplay. The makeup is amazing especially for 1968. Seeing this on Blu-Ray disc was a real eye-opener. The format added a new dimension to the film that brought the beauty of the desolate Forbidden Zone to life. The acting even Charlton Heston was great. Kim Hunter as Zira has been very under appreciated here overshadowed by both Heston and Roddy McDowell. There is a silliness that plays just under the surface of this film and I think it helps to bolster its cult classic status.

In the year 1968, two movies came out that changed modern day science-fiction films forever, 2001 A Space Odyssey was the most famous out of the two, but Planet of the Apes stands on its own ground and became a classic that it is universally acclaimed to be. Planet of the Apes is still way better than all of the sequels and remakes that has even been made.