Planet of the Apes (Film Collections) (Blu-ray)

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"Battle for the Planet of the Apes" is definitely a guilty pleasure. The film possesses the lowest score on IMDB with a poorly reviewed 4.9 and is deservedly so of this low score. The film places a lot of emphasis on race and uses MacDonald as a figure to discuss slavery. These cultural undertones could have been explored and used more effectively, but it leaves "Battle" feeling like it is cashing in on the Blaxploitation of the early Seventies. Roddy MacDowell has his performance down perfectly after playing an ape in four films, but he does seem tired of the role and doesn´t lend a particularly exciting performance. In fact, he comes across as bored and considering how dull this fifth and final film is, I cannot blame him for feeling as such.

Video:

The five films of the "Planet of the Apes: 40 Year Evolution" box set are all provided in 2.35:1 widescreen and mastered using the AVC MPEG-4 codec. The overall image quality of the five films is very good and I would suggest that they indeed do improve upon the previous DVD releases, however, the films typically get a little cleaner and more detailed as the series progresses and none of the films in particularly could be called reference material. Each film looks fairly clean and the amount of film grain present provides a very film-like experience that should please those that enjoy grain and is low enough to not frustrate those that are annoyed by the presence of the familiar foe of clarity. Detail and coloring are typically strong across the spectrum. The mastering are clean and I don´t recall too much in the way of digital artificing or serious flaws from the source materials. I´ve certainly seen better catalog titles, but the "Planet of the Apes" series has never been particularly impressive in visuals and I was generally very pleased with how this set turned out.

"Planet of the Apes" itself looks clean enough, but this is the film most riddled with a little film grain and contains a few blemishes that were culled from the source materials. While detail is good, there are a few moments that are softer than usual and I noticed this was most prevalent when the lighting was low. The second film, "Beneath the Planet of the Apes" is a slight improvement over the first film and is a little cleaner and more detailed than the first picture, but it still contains a few flaws from the source materials and some softer moments where detail drops. "Escape from the Planet of the Apes" improves even more upon the previous two films and is very clean and detailed. The cityscapes and urban backdrops provide a nice amount of detail. "Conquest of the Planet of the Apes" seems to take a step back from improving and suffers because of the many dark scenes in the film. However, coloring is very good. "Battle for the Planet of the Apes" shows a little inconsistency, but it is capable of the most detailed imagery of the box set and the underground scenes show poor shadow detail and black levels.

Audio:

The age and quality of the source materials are a hindrance to the audio of the "40 Year Evolution" box set as well. Each film is mastered with an English 5.1 DTS HD Master Audio soundtrack that is clean, but limited in its range and usage of the rear surrounds. This new mix is a little louder than previous DVD releases and does sound a slight bit cleaner, but this is simply one of those series of films that will never be able to compete with the sound of a modern blockbuster without a massive remastering effort that would probably cost far more than it would be worth. Regardless, "The Planet of the Apes" and its four sequels sound clean on Blu-ray and I would consider it an upgrade over the previous box sets. I found the first three films to be cleanest, but through the sound dropped off a bit during the final two films, but this is mostly due to hokey sound design. Dialogue, other than some poor ADR recording, sounds quite clean through all five films.

Extras:

Disc 1: The Planet of the Apes

The first Blu-ray disc is chocked full of bonus features and gives an example of just how much data can be squeezed onto a singular 50GB Blu-ray platter. The Lawgiver opens up the disc with an announcement of the special features contained on the disc. The first of five menu options to Play Feature with Lawgiver Introduction (:24) is provided when you first attempt to play the film. It doesn´t take long to grow tired of the Lawgiver. The commentary tracks are included. The Commentary by Actors Roddy McDowell, Kim Hunter and Natalie Trundy, and Makeup Artist John Chambers is a collection of comments from each of those credited and is recorded ´Criterion Style´ where each person was recorded separately. There is a good deal of dead space in this commentary track. I found this to be a tough listen. The Commentary by Composer Jerry Goldsmith has sparse comments from the composer about his score and is another tough listen with too much dead space, but is probably the more entertaining of the two commentaries. A Text Commentary by Eric Greene, Author of Planet of the Apes as American Myth provides some nice tidbits about the film as a subtitle and should be played concurrently with one of the audio commentary tracks.

Two features included utilize Blu-ray technology to further the viewing experience of the film. The Science of the Apes BonusView (38:53) uses Profile 1.1 picture-in-picture capabilities to provide interview segments and making of footage while watching the film. Thankfully, Fox has also provided a means to watch all of these video snippets through the special features menu and you can play them all together or select them individually. The information is quite nice and I found it a little more enjoyable to just watch them through the menu in one chunk of time. They work nice in a PiP for those with 1.1 capabilities. The Beyond the Forbidden Zone Adventure Game is a favorite of the CGI Lawgiver. This is a graphical overly that has the film play behind it. You make selections to pick a path on the virtual board game and then have a timer to quickly answer trivia questions as you try to win the game. You can collect items and other things and this is a fun way to waste some time and easily the best interactive game I can remember on a DVD or Blu-ray release.

More typical supplements vary in quality, but help fill the first disc. A Public Service Announcement From Ansa (6:06) is a mock PSA from the space agency featured in "Planet of the Apes." It is fun and a wonderful vintage look at the humor and sensibilities of the time. I enjoyed it. Evolution of the Apes (23:37) is up next and this documentary looks at the film´s portrayal of apes as an alternate reality and the genesis of the story and the cultural undertones of the story. This is a good way to spend a half an hour as it gives good background to the story. Impact of the Apes (11:39) looks at how the first film became the first big franchise in Hollywood history and helped write the rules for effective science fiction. The Galleries of the Apes contains seven image galleries to scan through. "The Ape," "Interactive Pressbook," "Advertising," "Lobby Cards," "Makeup," "Costume Design Sketches," "Props" and "Behind the Scenes" are the contained galleries.

The Archives of the Apes features a number of items. The Original Makeup Test with Edward G. Robinson (1966) (9:34) is a vintage featurette that shows off the first appearance of the ape makeup from the film and some concept artwork along with a brief overview of the story. Charlton Heston appears in this short film. Roddy McDowell´s On-Set Footage (20:14) is a collection of behind-the-scenes home videos that shows the actor and his droogs hanging out while making the film. There are some very nice moments contained here. The Dailies and Outtakes (No Audio) (19:50) is another sizeable collection of video material from the making of the film and contains footage not seen in the film. Sadly, there is no audio, but the title fills us in on that dirty little secret. The N.A.T.O. Presentation (1967) (10:30) is a collection of scenes from the film used to promote "Planet of the Apes." The Vintage Planet of the Apes Featurette (1968) (4:42), the Teaser Trailer and Theatrical Trailer are other vintage items used to promote the picture.

The heavy hitter of this first disc is the Behind the Planet of the Apes Documentary (2:06:44). This item was contained on a sixth DVD for the original box set release of the series and was sold individually for a period of time. This is absolutely one of the finest full length documentaries ever created for a film series. It is a must watch for any fans of the series. The documentary looks at the five films, the television series and the cartoon series. Everybody from Charlton Heston to Roddy McDowell (who served as host) lent their time to this incredible documentary. Many great stories about the making of the film, bonus footage and other elements are crammed into this solid feature. "Behind the Planet of the Apes" has been updated with Interactive Features where you can view timelines and other pertinent information to the series. It is a movie unto itself. The Behind the Planet of the Apes Promo (2:19) is included as well and was used to sell the single disc release of the making of documentary. Twentieth Century Fox has kindly provided it as part of the box set and helps make the first Blu-ray disc the most feature-filled Blu-ray platter to date.

Disc 2: Beneath the Planet of the Apes

After the feature packed first disc, the second Blu-ray platter almost seems like a disappointment in comparison. The disc again boots up to the Lawgiver and his spiel and this is continued with the Play Feature with Lawgiver Introduction (:24). The actual features begin with the Leonard Rosenman Isolated Score Track 5.1. Next up is From Alpha to Omega: Building a Sequel (22:10) and this talks about the great success of the first film and the desire to produce a follow-up to the 1968 science fiction classic. Sequels weren´t overly popular when this film was produced and the documentary captured my interest instantly as it educated me to the fact that "Hello Dolly" was a financial dud. This documentary gives a nice look at Hollywood politics and what went on to produce a sequel. The Theatrical Trailer and five Galleries for "The Ape News," "Interactive Pressbook," "Advertising," "Lobby Cards" and "Behind-the-Scenes complete the bonus offerings for this Blu-ray disc.

Disc 3: Escape from the Planet of the Apes

"Escape from the Planet of the Apes" was the ´lightest´ film of the series, but the special features are not the slightest. The film provides the option to Play Feature with Lawgiver Introduction (:26) and I have to admit that the third time I sat through this brief summary, I was already tiring of its inclusion. It really does not add much to the film aside from showing somebody could make a CGI Lawgiver. The Jerry Goldsmith Isolated Score Track 5.1 is the first feature under "Special Features." The first stand-alone feature is The Secret Behind Escape (16:04) and it discusses how Fox needed to find a clever way to continue the franchise and it looks at some nice behind-the-scenes footage and shows everything in 1080p high definition video. Don Taylor Directs Escape from the Planet of the Apes (7:46) is a vintage collection of footage showing Don Taylor doing what a director does. This short collection of behind-the-scenes shows that we´ll watch old home movies of people directing if given to us. The Theatrical Trailer, an Advertising Gallery and the Behind-the-Scenes Gallery finishes up the supplements for the third film.


Disc 4: Conquest of the Planet of the Apes

The fourth film, "Conquest of the Planet of the Apes" features both the Theatrical Version (86:41) of the film and an Unrated Version (87:22). The disc boots up and allows to select the preferred version and switching is again possible from the "Special Features" menu. The only differences I could spot in the Unrated Version was a moment in the film where Caesar discovers what electricity can do, but there are purportedly a few more brutal moments during the climactic final battle between ape and man. The Play Feature with Lawgiver Introduction (:21) has the quick synopsis and for those can have not decoded the scroll, the first number is the year the film was made and the second number is the number of the film in the series. For instance, this is the 72nd scroll, 4th chapter.

A small number of bonus materials are included for the film. The Isolated Score Track 5.1 DTS-HD of the Tom Scott score is available for this film only if the unrated version of the film is selected. It makes sense that they would not want to branch the audio or include two isolated tracks for a variance of 41 seconds. Riots and Revolutions: Confronting the Times (20:42) looks at the ´disturbing mood´ of the fourth film and how it relates to the violence and social unrest in society during the beginning of the Seventies. This is a very nice documentary that looks at the racial tensions of the time and how the series has related to race and equal rights. A Look Behind the Planet of the Apes (1972) (13:42) is a vintage featurette with Ricardo Montalban introducing and the film how the first film created the notion of a cinema-based franchise. J. Lee Thompson Directs Conquest of the Planet of the Apes (1:11) is a vintage clip of behind-the-scenes action showing the director give actors some direction. The Theatrical Trailer and some Galleries are included.

Disc 5: Battle for the Planet of the Apes

"Battle for the Planet of the Apes" is the second title which includes both an Extended Version (96:26) of the film and the Theatrical Version. The biggest inclusion in the longer extended version is the subplot featuring the Omega missile that should be familiar from the second film. There are a number of other longer scenes and I find the extended version to be slightly superior than the notably shorter theatrical cut (86:32). As is the case with every other disc in the series, the CGI Play Feature with Lawgiver Introduction (:27) is included. They really didn´t add much value to the box set, but it is extra material aside from the briefest introduction to the film that was humanly (or apely) possible.

The disc contains a few bonus materials that pertain to the fifth and final film. The Isolated Score Track 5.1 is available only while watching the extended version and contains the Leonard Rosenman score without any dialogue or sound from the film. End of an Epic: The Final Battle (16:34) is a very brief look at the making of the final installment of "Planet of the Apes." The film was scaled back and did not do its wonderful title any justice. These are nice little supplements, but the fifth film is certainly the lesser of any of the five. The Theatrical Trailer and four Galleries are also included. The galleries pertain to "San Simian Sentinel," "Interactive Pressbook," "Advertising" and "Behind-the-Scenes." I enjoyed navigating newspapers and such and having the text appear in larger text for me to read and enjoy.

Closing:

I´ve always enjoyed "The Planet of the Apes" and found a guilty pleasure kind of love for its four sequels. The first film is a remarkable piece of science fiction history and one of the more memorable of Charlton Heston´s films. This is one of those rare films that stand up well considering its age, budget and visual effects. The four sequels aren´t quite as powerful or entertaining, but they hit a nerve and proved to be profitable and "The Planet of the Apes" defined the modern blockbuster franchise and produced sequels at a time when nobody thought sequels were a particularly good idea. Some people will loudly proclaim that Richard Zanuck should have though as much when he greenlit the four sequels for this film, as they do tarnish the original some and have characters that make Jar Jar Binks look reputable. Still, I enjoy watching them.

The new "Planet of the Apes: 40 Year Evolution" box set arrives on Blu-ray to bring the apes to the modern times of high definition. The sight and sound are slight improvements over the previous incarnation of the series on DVD and "Planet of the Apes" has come to a point where there is not a lot of room for improvement as the source materials simply do not allow it. It would be feasible to completely remaster every frame, but I don´t know how much more they can push this series. The first disc of the box set is an awesome Blu-ray and for those that do not want to pay the somewhat hefty price for this set, that would be a great investment. For those, such as I that have a fascination with the entire series, "40 Year Evolution" is the finest box set ever produced for the five film series and contains the wonderful "Behind the Planet of the Apes" feature. The extras are generally very nice and I enjoyed spending a week on "The Planet of the Apes."

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