Conquest of the Planet of the Apes

1972
PG
1h 28m

IMDb RATING

6.1/10

38K

YOUR RATING

Conquest of the Planet of the Apes (1972)

Home Video Trailer from 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment

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66 Photos

Dystopian Sci-Fi Action Sci-Fi

In a futuristic world that has embraced ape slavery, Caesar, the son of the late simians Cornelius and Zira, surfaces after almost twenty years of hiding out from the authorities, and prepar... Read allIn a futuristic world that has embraced ape slavery, Caesar, the son of the late simians Cornelius and Zira, surfaces after almost twenty years of hiding out from the authorities, and prepares for a slave revolt against humanity.In a futuristic world that has embraced ape slavery, Caesar, the son of the late simians Cornelius and Zira, surfaces after almost twenty years of hiding out from the authorities, and prepares for a slave revolt against humanity.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

6.1/10

38K

YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

Awards
- 1 nomination

Trivia
An original script draft showed more of the rapid evolution of the apes from primitive to intelligent and showed the progression of apes from pets to slaves.

Goofs
In less than 20 years since Escape from the Planet of the Apes (1971), chimpanzees, gorillas and orangutans have evolved to a perfectly humanoid form, a progression that would take thousands of years, not just one generation.

Quotes
MacDonald: Caesar... Caesar! This is not how it was meant to be.
Caesar: In your view or mine?
MacDonald: Violence prolongs hate, hate prolongs violence. By what right are you spilling blood?
Caesar: By the slave's right to punish his persecutor.
MacDonald: I, a descendant of slaves, am asking you to show humanity.
Caesar: But, I was not born human.
MacDonald: I know. The child of the evolved apes.
Caesar: Whose children shall rule the earth.
MacDonald: For better or for worse?
Caesar: Do you think it could be worse?
MacDonald: Do you think this riot will win freedom for all your people? By tomorrow...
Caesar: By tomorrow it will be too late. Why a tiny, mindless insect like the emperor moth can communicate with another over a distance of 80 miles...
MacDonald: An emperor ape might do slightly better?
Caesar: Slightly? What you have seen here today, apes on the 5 continents will be imitating tomorrow.
MacDonald: With knives against guns? With kerosene cans against flamethrowers?
Caesar: Where there is fire, there is smoke. And in that smoke, from this day forward, my people will crouch and conspire and plot and plan for the inevitable day of Man's downfall - the day when he finally and self-destructively turns his weapons against his own kind. The day of the writing in the sky, when your cities lie buried under radioactive rubble! When the sea is a dead sea, and the land is a wasteland out of which I will lead my people from their captivity! And we will build our own cities in which there will be no place for humans except to serve our ends! And we shall found our own armies, our own religion, our own dynasty! And that day is upon you... now!

Crazy credits
The 20th Century-Fox logo does not appear on this film.

Alternate versions
The film was cut for violence in the final battle scene by the US distributor for a 'PG' rating. Similarly the BBFC (UK) cut the electrical torture of Caesar, and closeup scenes of violence from the killing of the guards and the climactic battle for an 'AA' cinema rating. Video releases were classified as '15' (now '12' for the DVD) and all prints feature the edited U.S version.

Connections
Featured in Battle for the Planet of the Apes (1973)

User reviews148

Review

Featured review

Roddy's great in next terrific sequel (but people still don't seem to get it)

MORD39 RATING: *** out of ****

Roddy McDowall gives maybe his best APES performance as Caesar, an intelligent chimpanzee stuck in a time he was never meant to live in.

Nearly twenty years after ESCAPE..., Caesar has learned that apes have become household servants for humans to use. Their stature has increased, and their learning abilities too. Though no reason is given in the film (a typical criticism by some viewers) one may presume that the mysterious plague which killed all dogs and cats somehow had an effect on primates. Even Ricardo Montalban's character says "the pets became larger...and larger...until now......"

Soon, Caesar sees himself as a savior who can lead the apes out of their bondage and assert their independence. He leads the charge as the apes revolt and take over, apparently planting a seed that could eventually grow into the world we saw in the original PLANET OF THE APES classic.

The film again is intelligent, and action-packed. It's true that by today's over-blown standards, the ape revolt can't look as awesome as it did in 1972...but the focus here is on the character of Caesar, an ape from another time who is not responsible for what he is, and who has to stifle his anger over the state of his fellow simians and cope with his situation.

CONQUEST is good, solid science fiction.