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Apes Part One: Planet Of The Apes
List Price: Unknown [Buy now and save at Amazon]
The Movie:
The first of the "Apes" series, "Planet Of The Apes" is still regarded as the best of the films, and a sci-fi classic. The story opens with a group of astronauts crash landing on a mysterious planet far in the future. The group is led by George Taylor(Charlton Heston), and although the planet is seemingly empty at first, they soon find they are not alone.
The planet contains a race of intelligent apes, who treat the few humans left like animals. Some of the scenes are admittedly a little laughable and overacted at times, but the early sequences where the crew explores the new world are effective and interesting, and some of the ideas presented during the interaction between the apes and humans offer concepts about society that are interesting.
Charlton Heston stars as George Taylor, and his performance is quite good, although a little much at times. The apes also offer good performances, and the makeup used for their costumes won an Oscar. Some may consider it a good choice for "Mystery Science Theater 3000" treatment, and it probably is, but with the film's scope and major budget, it certainly rises above the level of most films that were shown on MST3k(which I wish was still on TV).
All-in-all, "Planet Of The Apes" is good old-fashioned entertainment, a little silly at times, but thought-provoking and well-done for a movie of its time.
The DVD
VIDEO: It is a dissapointment that Fox finished their work on the "Planet Of The Apes" box set before they changed their ways with DVD and began doing anamorphic transfers for all of their films. Still, the 2.35:1 transfer for this film is pretty stellar, and I have few minor complaints with their over presentation, which is THX-approved(although how much that means is up for debate).
Anyways, the non-anamorphic transfer is really quite good. Sharpness is not quite perfect, but still very strong. Detail is remarkably solid, as well. Clarity is never a problem, either. Flesh tones are natural, and colors are better than I'd expected. The film isn't terribly colorful at times, but the greens of the trees and other colors look pleasing. The occasional bold color pops up, as well. Colors are nicely sautrated, and never show any signs of problems.
The print used is also impressively clean, with only some speckles now and then, but no major marks or scratches, and no dirt or other similar flaws. A couple scenes are a tiny bit grainy, but this isn't too noticable. There is some slight amounts of pixelation and shimmer, but these are minor problems and aren't distracting.
A few slight improvements could maybe be made, but what Fox has done here is excellent, and most will probably be pleased with the quality shown. The layer change is at 46:13.
SOUND: The film's new Dolby Digital 5.1 track isn't bad, but it's not as impressive as the video quality. The audio isn't terribly agressive, and surround use is, as expected, pretty minor. For the most part, the sound is dated and slightly thin sounding at times.
The Jerry Goldsmith score sounds fairly good, and dialogue is clear and easily understood. It's not too bad, but it does start to sound rather thin occasionally. There's no distortion or hiss. Overall, a pretty respectable presentation.
MENUS:: I really enjoyed what Fox has done for the menus here. Although not hugely elaborate, the main menu presents a title screen with different characters, and the faces smoothly morph into other characters. There is also animation between menus, and the score in the background. Pretty nifty.
EXTRAS: Not a whole lot: trailers for all of the "Apes" films as well as a promotional trailer for the set. Also included is a small cast/crew bio set as well as a minor photo gallery. A web-link is also included.
Final Thoughts: Although the presentation is non-anamorphic, the picture quality is still good. I would have liked to have seen these films get the same kind of treatment as the older Bond films does, with audio commentary or interviews with those involved. Fans of the film will enjoy being able to add the ilm to their collection, but I would have liked to have seen additional extra features beyond what's included here.
Purchase At Amazon.com: Books On "Planet Of The Apes"
Planet Of The Apes Poster
The first of the "Apes" series, "Planet Of The Apes" is still regarded as the best of the films, and a sci-fi classic. The story opens with a group of astronauts crash landing on a mysterious planet far in the future. The group is led by George Taylor(Charlton Heston), and although the planet is seemingly empty at first, they soon find they are not alone.
The planet contains a race of intelligent apes, who treat the few humans left like animals. Some of the scenes are admittedly a little laughable and overacted at times, but the early sequences where the crew explores the new world are effective and interesting, and some of the ideas presented during the interaction between the apes and humans offer concepts about society that are interesting.
Charlton Heston stars as George Taylor, and his performance is quite good, although a little much at times. The apes also offer good performances, and the makeup used for their costumes won an Oscar. Some may consider it a good choice for "Mystery Science Theater 3000" treatment, and it probably is, but with the film's scope and major budget, it certainly rises above the level of most films that were shown on MST3k(which I wish was still on TV).
All-in-all, "Planet Of The Apes" is good old-fashioned entertainment, a little silly at times, but thought-provoking and well-done for a movie of its time.
The DVD
VIDEO: It is a dissapointment that Fox finished their work on the "Planet Of The Apes" box set before they changed their ways with DVD and began doing anamorphic transfers for all of their films. Still, the 2.35:1 transfer for this film is pretty stellar, and I have few minor complaints with their over presentation, which is THX-approved(although how much that means is up for debate).
Anyways, the non-anamorphic transfer is really quite good. Sharpness is not quite perfect, but still very strong. Detail is remarkably solid, as well. Clarity is never a problem, either. Flesh tones are natural, and colors are better than I'd expected. The film isn't terribly colorful at times, but the greens of the trees and other colors look pleasing. The occasional bold color pops up, as well. Colors are nicely sautrated, and never show any signs of problems.
The print used is also impressively clean, with only some speckles now and then, but no major marks or scratches, and no dirt or other similar flaws. A couple scenes are a tiny bit grainy, but this isn't too noticable. There is some slight amounts of pixelation and shimmer, but these are minor problems and aren't distracting.
A few slight improvements could maybe be made, but what Fox has done here is excellent, and most will probably be pleased with the quality shown. The layer change is at 46:13.
SOUND: The film's new Dolby Digital 5.1 track isn't bad, but it's not as impressive as the video quality. The audio isn't terribly agressive, and surround use is, as expected, pretty minor. For the most part, the sound is dated and slightly thin sounding at times.
The Jerry Goldsmith score sounds fairly good, and dialogue is clear and easily understood. It's not too bad, but it does start to sound rather thin occasionally. There's no distortion or hiss. Overall, a pretty respectable presentation.
MENUS:: I really enjoyed what Fox has done for the menus here. Although not hugely elaborate, the main menu presents a title screen with different characters, and the faces smoothly morph into other characters. There is also animation between menus, and the score in the background. Pretty nifty.
EXTRAS: Not a whole lot: trailers for all of the "Apes" films as well as a promotional trailer for the set. Also included is a small cast/crew bio set as well as a minor photo gallery. A web-link is also included.
Final Thoughts: Although the presentation is non-anamorphic, the picture quality is still good. I would have liked to have seen these films get the same kind of treatment as the older Bond films does, with audio commentary or interviews with those involved. Fans of the film will enjoy being able to add the ilm to their collection, but I would have liked to have seen additional extra features beyond what's included here.
Purchase At Amazon.com: Books On "Planet Of The Apes"
Planet Of The Apes Poster
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