Planet of the Apes (1968)

The original 1968 Planet of the Apes isn't just a terrific sci-fi film; it's also one of the very first genre franchises to come out of Hollywood, spawning four sequels, two reboots, a TV series, a cartoon, comics, toys, and every kind of marketing tie-in you can think of.

In the far-off future of 1972, the magnificently misanthropic George Taylor (Charlton Heston) travels into space to escape all those blasted dirty hippies, only to end up living among all those damned dirty apes in the far-far-off future of the 40th century. Perhaps the film's apes' makeup and themes have worn thin by today's standards, but this was cutting-edge technology at the time. A film in which apes descended from humans? There has to be a solution!

The solution is straightforward: Whereas the first film is the most polished, highbrow, and grandiose of the series, the sequels all brought value to the broader concept, never resting on their monkeyshines laurels but instead developing and furthering the themes of the first film. But it all started with the 1968 picture, with its upside-down world of social criticism and Big Ideas about science, religion, and history. And this is where it will all begin again and again.

Director: Franklin J. Schaffner
Stars: Charlton Heston, Roddy McDowall, Kim Hunter
Runtime: 112 mins