Must-see movies are futuristic classics that shouldn’t be missed. Of course, not every must-see is perfect. That’s why we’ve rated them 1-5 on the patented “crunchy goodness” scale.
Title: Planet of the Apes
Date: 1968
Vitals: Astronaut Charlton Heston returns from a deep space mission and crash-lands on a crazy planet of … Apes! Pierre Boulle’s satirical French novel got a big-screen adaptation from Rod Serling, and a re-write from Blacklist victim Michael Wilson — making for one of the weirdest, hokiest, but nonetheless compelling sci-fi epics of all time. …
Famous Names: Charlton Heston, Roddy MacDowall, Kim Hunter, James Whitmore (Cast)
Crunchy Goodness: 3
Sequels: Beneath the Planet of the Apes, Escape from the Planet of the Apes, Conquest of the Planet of the Apes, Battle for the Planet of the Apes — plus two TV series, Planet of the Apes and the animated Return to the Planet of the Apes, and Tim Burton’s dreadful 2002 re-make.
Bang for Your Buck: The extensive, expensive ape make-up — representing nearly 20% of the film’s entire budget.
Deadliest Spoiler: It WAS Earth all along!
An overview of the entire Apes Saga: Those Damn Dirty Apes! by Anthony Leong
