Synopsis:

The Ape saga reached a new level of intensity in this, the darkest of the Apes films, Cornelius, (Roddy McDowell) Zira (Kim Hunter) and Dr. Milo (Sal Mineo) travel back in time to Earth's past and find the tables quite turned. In Earth's past humans were in charge and the look on their faces when the Apes removed their space suits/helmets was priceless.

Unable to talk because the apes of this time period were still "mindless brutes" , the three resolve themselves to finding other ways to communicate one with the other. This proves to be more of a problem of dignity than anything else, as they are locked away in a zoo and fed a diet of bananas and oranges. These accomplished scientists find themselves as subjects to the same experiments they conducted on humans and the experience is less than tasteful.

The trio soon becomes a duet when Dr. Milo suffers a fatal injury at the hands of an unevolved cousin and Zira and Cornelius are left to fend for themselves. Being treated as a lesser individual can have negative effects and the continued condescension of the medical staff takes it's toll. Unable to brook their abuse any longer Zira bursts forth in speech, much to the shock and dismay of the collected scientific and political authority. Obviously, incapable of concealing their secret any longer, the two explain where and when they come from. In so doing, their fate becomes sealed. Personally, I think the whole thing about the "destruction of the planet" and "apes ruling men", might have had a little to do with the subsequent "ape hunt" that ensued once humanity realized where it was headed.

Escape from the Planet of the Apes is an often funny but ultimately sad look at man's all consuming fear of the unknown.

Audio/Video:

All the films of the series have benefited from a retooled and very nicely produced 5.1 platform. The center is crystalline and the dialogue is very well separated. The balance of the theater, fronts/rears/sub tend to be left out on the whole as these films tend to be less aggressive than most films of the genre. On an initial listening, I could have sworn there was more action than what I just heard however on a second listening I found the audio less than involving. That's not to say it's bad in as much as it's not terribly active. The center was crystalline and the dialogue exceedingly clear.

Here again, the video is almost perfect. The widescreen presentation is very clean and shows no signs of chroma noise or pixelation. There were some areas were the print was not as sharp as I would have liked it however, they really were far and few between. The colors were rich and well saturated. There was no bleeding that I could notice and the fleshtones and monkey...excuse me, Ape skin appeared accurate.

Extras:

The only extras included in Escape From the Planet of the Apes are trailers for all the films and the Fox Interactive Planet of the Apes video game.

Overall:

Of all the Apes films, this entry is my least favorite. Mind you, it is a good movie; it's just not one I like to watch over and over again. Escape From the Planet of the Apes is definitely worth a rental if not a purchase. Depending on how much you like the series this may or may not be your cup of tea. Dark is the order of the day. From the film's opening until it's ending, it's easily the most depressing of the series. It is punctuated with moments of hilarity that lift the mood ever so slightly but, on the whole, it's definitely a harder edged ape film.