Planet of the Apes

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.

>*"You know the saying, "Human see, human do."* I didn't expect this to be so critical of civilization, civil rights and racial conflict. Sadly, those themes are still relevant today but from today's lenses I thought the way everything unfolded was obvious and a little basic. It was still thought-provoking on many levels. ***Planet of the Apes*** looks pretty damn good for a 1968 movie and it has some quality cinematography (editing, camerawork, score, special effects craft and sets). The shuttle crash at the beginning was perhaps my favorite part visually. The characters are steriotypical but the interactions are very interesting. The courtroom drama was entertaining, nice action bits, some rough imagery and unpredictable kills, and I enjoyed the third act and ending. Curious to see where the story goes from here.