Beneath the Planet of the Apes

Rating: ***/*****, or 7/10

Spooky and gritty sequel to the brilliant (and naturally better) Planet of the Apes (1968) continues directly where its predecessor left us. Taylor (Charlton Heston) roams the wastelands of what he now realizes is his own home planet of Earth in hopes of finding answers as to what caused the catastrophic downfall of man and the rise of apes. Meanwhile, his fellow astronaut Brent (James Franciscus) has begun a search for him and encounters some ape troubles of his own in the shape of a gorilla army hellbent on destroying all humans. A third party enters the playing field in the shape of the mutants, disfigured telepathic humans living in the underground remains of the city of New York, where they worship a doomsday bomb that can eradicate all life. Can Taylor and Brent stop them from using it against the vicious gorillas coming to wipe them out? A decent follow-up, expanding the known universe of this franchise intriguingly and containing some great visuals, but overall lacking in both action and plot. Heston is out of the picture for most of the film so Franciscus can take centre stage, but in all fairness, Taylor is just a much more interesting character than Brent. Also, not as much ape involvement as one would have hoped for. Hauntingly sinister ending though, exemplary for the dystopian and apocalyptic trend of seventies' Sci-Fi films.

Starring: Charlton Heston, James Franciscus, Maurice Evans

Directed by Ted Post

USA: 20^th Century-Fox, 1970