Beneath The Planet Of The Apes

Title: Beneath The Planet Of The Apes (15)

Year: 1970

Running Time: 95 minutes

Director: Ted Post

Cast: James Franciscus (Brent), Kim Hunter (Zira), Maurice Evans (Dr. Zaius)

Notes: None.

Rating: 9

Thoughts:   The sole survivor of a new space mission seeks the fate of the sole survivor of the previous one, again finding the planet is ruled by apes. And beneath them is a city of human telepaths.

The first film did very well so a sequel was inevitable, and indeed a TV series and several more films would follow in one of the earlier movie franchise runs.

The film actually overlaps the first, a technique that feels a little dated today. However, it also means we are right into some action as the first couple of minutes are an edited version of about six that ended the last. I suppose it's better than an awkward flashback sequence.

The film starts properly with a crashed spaceship again and there is a genuine sense of suspense as we wonder what the survivor will do. And how he will or won't interact with Taylor from the opening scenes.

Now we get some flashbacks as Nova, the woman Taylor flees with in the first film, remembers Taylor's fate after she meets the new astronaut Brent. We're up to speed but she still can't speak so he isn't.

The effects are a bit limited - the flames that reveal a hidden place, how Taylor disappears - and the apes don't look quite as polished this time around. That all said the story is quite a good one as Brent chases the trail of Taylor and discovers a more complex world than the first film.

The film focuses on the suffering of Brent as he lurches from calamity to disaster, as, in the background, the gorillas are planning to wipe out man. There is some anti-Cold War "this is what we will become" sentiment lurking in the shadows.

The discovery of the old world of men is well-played and loads of great camera angles keep it all fresh and add to the suspense.

As sequels go this is decent and could easily stand alone. And if nothing else, the scene where they sing "All Things Bright And Beautiful" is as mind-bendingly great as any other similar scene from sci-fi.