**_The most comic booky of the original five films, but sociologically interesting_**
A dozen years after a nuclear war, Caesar (Roddy McDowell) oversees a village of apes mixed with subservient humans. He and his advisor (Paul Williams), as well as Ceasar’s human assistant (Austin Stoker), make an excursion to the Forbidden City for important data, but this incurs the wrath of Kolp, leader of the underground mutants (Severn Darden). Meanwhile a militant gorilla is enthusiastic about the prospects of war (Claude Akins).
"Battle for the Planet of the Apes” (1973) had the lowest budget of the original five movies, costing around $1.8 million (which would be equal to $7.4 million today), yet it still made a respectable profit at the box office. So, technically speaking, it’s the least impressive of the five flicks; however, it makes up for it with compelling dialogues and interesting characters, e.g. Caesar, McDonald and Virgil and their trek to the city.
While the script was written by the husband/wife team that wrote “The Omega Man” two years earlier, it was polished up by Paul Dehn, who wrote 90% of the thought-provoking dialogues and altered the ending (throwing in the bit with Ceasar’s statue).
Critics complain about the straight-on military attack in the last act, but I guess they never heard of Pickett’s Charge or similar military assaults. Besides, the mutants hadn’t fought such a battle since the distant atomic holocaust and weren’t in top health due to longtime radiation exposure (for instance, notice how slow they walk). The number of capable combatants available was understandably limited as well.
As noted in my title blurb, the sociological commentary is interesting throughout with its observations about war, pacifism, equality, sectarianism, subcultures and the corresponding legalism. A good example regarding that last one is how humans cannot say "no" to apes, but apes can say it to each other. Now relate that to the 'n' word today.
On the feminine front, blonde Colleen Camp has a small role as human Julie while brunette Heather Lowe plays the doctor of the village, also human. France Nuyen is on hand as well as Kolp’s assistant. There are several notables in the periphery, female and male, such as John Huston, Natalie Trundy, Lew Ayres, Noah Keen and so on.
Despite the low-budget and comic book vibe, this is my third favorite of the original five movies, placing after the original and “Beneath.” It’s basically on par with “Escape” and “Conquest,” I just prefer it over those.
It runs 1 hour, 33 minutes, and was shot at Fox Movie Ranch, which today is Malibu Creek State Park in the Santa Monica Mountains, a 33-minutes drive due west of Hollywood. The underground sequences in the Forbidden City were shot at Hyperion Water Reclamation Plant in Playa del Rey, Los Angeles.
GRADE: B/B-
