Battle for the Planet of the Apes

Rating: ***/*****, or 6/10

Fifth and final installment of the original Planet of the Apes saga. After a devastating war between mankind and apes has reduced much of the world to rubble, ape Messiah Caesar (Roddy McDowall) has created a small but peaceful community of apes and humans where he hopes the two parties will learn to set aside their differences and live in harmony, but he sees his plans foiled by the looming threat of a mutant invasion, as well as growing dissent among his own ranks instigated by the brutish gorilla general Aldo (Claude Akins). A final battle for supremacy follows, which unfortunately looks less than convincing, let alone impressive, due to obvious budget limitations, thus making this climax of the franchise feel a bit of a letdown. However, there's still plenty to enjoy in the fascinating ape/human interaction, as well as the intriguing multi-interpretable ending of the film which either shows the overall saga has come full circle, or the time travel element has slightly changed things positively for both humans and apes, resulting in a lasting peace. I tend to go for the latter, but everyone can decide for themselves what to make of this.

Starring:Roddy McDowall, Claude Akins, Natalie Trundy

Directed by J. Lee Thompson

USA: 20^th Century-Fox, 1973