Conquest of the Planet of the Apes

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Cast & Crew

Roddy McDowall
Caesar

Don Murray
Governor Breck

Ricardo Montalban
Armando

Natalie Trundy
Lisa

Hari Rhodes
MacDonald

Severn Darden
Kolp, State Security Chief Inspector

Lou Wagner
Busboy

John Randolph
Commission Chairman

Asa Maynor
Mrs. Riley

H. M. Wynant
Inspector Hoskyns

J. Lee Thompson
Director

Paul Dehn
Writer

Frank Capra Jr.
Associate Producer

Arthur P. Jacobs
Producer

Tom Scott
Original Music

Bruce Surtees
Cinematographer

Marjorie Fowler
Film Editor

Allan Jaggs
Film Editor

Philip M. Jefferies
Art Direction

Norman Rockett
Set Decoration

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Critic Reviews for Conquest of the Planet of the Apes

Audience Reviews for Conquest of the Planet of the Apes

• Jun 30, 2014

  Taking place 20 years after the third film, we are shown the evolution of the apes from pets to savages and the eventual takeover of the human race. With terrible camerawork and and a very oddly written screenplay, "Conquest of the Planet of the Apes" is one of the weaker entries in the series, but also has the best climax of them all. The final 30 minutes will have you on the edge of your seat the whole way through and I loved every minute of it. However, the first hour is a complete mess and pretty much ruins everything set up in the previous film. As far as mixed bags go, this is one of the most enjoyable, because they knew when to hit the audience hard, even though they failed miserably in other regards. Overall, it's not the best film, but I really enjoyed where it went. It is recommendable for the finale.
  

  KJ P Super Reviewer
• Mar 31, 2014

  The fourth of five films in the original Planet of the Apes series produced by Arthur P. Jacobs is directed by J. Lee Thompson. It seems that this series is like a yoyo, after a good film comes a disappointment... and previous one was good. This one explores how the apes rebelled from humanity's ill treatment following Escape from the Planet of the Apes (1971). It was followed by Battle for the Planet of the Apes (1973). In the opening scene Armando (Ricardo Montalbán) explains that in 1983, a disease killed the world's cats and dogs, leaving humans with no pets. To replace them, humans began keeping apes as household pets. Realizing the apes' capacity to learn and adapt, humans train them to perform household tasks. The result is that in 1991, American culture is based on ape slave labour (just as Cornelius described would happen in the previous film). North America of the 1990s is part dictatorial, as apes and humans are being watched at all times. Armando and Caesar (Roddy McDowall), a young chimpanzee horseback rider in Armando's circus, distribute flyers around a large city to advertise the circus' arrival. Armando warns the chimpanzee to be careful; should anyone learn his identity as the son of Cornelius and Zira, it would mean their deaths... The original cut of Conquest ended with the brutal killing of Governor Breck, with an implicit non-violent message implying that circle of hatred would never end. After a preview screening the impact of the graphic content caused the producers to rework the film, even though they did not have the budget to do so. Roddy McDowell recorded a complement to Caesar's final speech, which was portrayed through editing tricks - Caesar being mostly shown through close-ups of his eyes, the gorillas hitting Breck with his rifles played backwards to imply they were giving up - and assured a lower rating. The film's Blu-ray version adds an unrated version, restoring the original ending and many other graphic scenes. I have to say that fighting scenes were terrible... fake, uninspiring, repetitive, unintelligent and that part of the movie with most of the action was simply boring! There were some little subplots which finished nowhere, and the acting in the last part was unsatisfactory. Generally, it was a watchable film, but I would not bother seeing it again!
  Panta O Super Reviewer
• Mar 25, 2012

  Conquest of the Planet of the Ape plays a little fast and loose with the series continuity, but still manages to deliver an exciting and action packed adventure. Roddy McDowall and Ricardo Montalban return and deliver great performances once again. Set in a dystopian future, an ape revolution gives rise to the Planet of the Apes. The script is pretty strong and challenges its audience with questions of predestination and social inequity. For a forth film in a series, Conquest of the Planet of the Apes delivers a remarkably fresh and exciting sci-fi adventure that's as provocative and thrilling as ever.
  Dann M Super Reviewer
• Dec 06, 2011

  Conquest Of The Planet Of The Apes is one of favorites in the series. I very much enjoyed the storyline of the film, and I thought it was one of the most exciting films of the series. I thought that this film could have been a great conclusion to the series; unfortunately, they green lit an inferior final film. However this is a great film with a wonderful cast, a very good story and good directing. As far as the series is concerned, Conquest Of The Planet Of The Apes is a great addition, and because of its story, it's also one of the best in the series. The film is much different to the other films in the series, and I very much enjoyed the change of direction the series took with Conquest. I find this film to be quite underrated and it really is a good film despite the flack it received as an uninspired sequel. The story is good and combine that with good acting and you have a great entry in a classic franchise. The film may not be the best, but for what it is, this is a good film, and like I said before, one of my favorites in the series. Conquest Of The Planet Of The Apes is an entertaining film, and has enough thrills going for it to make it a worthwhile addition to the series. Conquest Of The Planet Of The Apes is a great sequel that is entertaining, thrilling and is one of the best sequels in the series. Director J. Lee Thompson directs a memorable film that will appeal to fans of the original Planet Of The Apes, and this film is lots of fun despite its imperfections.
  Alex r Super Reviewer

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