Battle for the Planet of the Apes (1973) or, The Final Ape!

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Incredible chaos and battle scenes are teased on this packed, exciting poster for J. Lee Thompson's Battle for the Planet of the Apes

Battle for the Planet of the Apes is the last of the five films in the original Fox Apes franchise. Most people think that this is the worst of the sequels, but I think it is the best. (Of the sequels mind you. None of them can top Franklin J. Schaffner's original Planet of the Apes (1968).)

 
Apes have gained control of Earth, but Caesar, the leader of the apes, wants humans and apes to live in peaceful coexistence. But with polemic, hateful and powerful groups on both sides, will this dream be possible?

 
That is the story of Battle, a film which was scarred by a writers' strife, a disgruntled director (due to an unfinished script and a small budget), and was later reviewed much in light of this by many critics, including the late Roger Ebert.
- Not fair, because Battle is actually a fine and entertaining film. Alright, the plot has some (expected) hurdles; among other things that raise an eyebrow or two, the apes have developed speech and intellect in a mere 20 years. But if you disregard these minor things, Battle is a good film, told with a fitting frame, and it has John Huston (The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948, director)) as the Lawgiver ape.  SPOILER It is also the only film in the series to end on an optimistic, pacifistic note, rounding the groundbreaking science fiction franchise off with style.
It is directed by great English filmmaker J. Lee Thompson (Murder Without Crime (1950)), who also directed the inferior, preceding Conquest of the Planet of the Apes (1972). The script is by John William Corrington and Joyce Hooper Corrington (The Omega Man (1971, both)), with Paul Dehn (Orders to Kill (1958)) contributing story elements.

Related posts:

 

The Apes franchise:  War for the Planet of the Apes (2017) - Reeves and Co. astonish with truly spectacular film that finishes the Ape circle

Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011) or, Ape 3.1: Mad Apes!
Conquest of the Planet of the Apes (1972) or, The Ape Uprising   
Escape from the Planet of the Apes (1971) - The enjoyable if farfetched second Apes sequel
Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970) - Decent follow-up to the SF milestone   
J. Lee Thompson: Conquest of the Planet of the Apes (1972) or, The Ape Uprising

Cape Fear (1962) - Great suspense in effective home invasion thriller 

The Guns of Navarone (1961) - Thompson's wonderful war-adventure classic

 

 

 

Watch a 2-minute clip from the film here

Cost: 1.7 mil. $
Box office: 8.8 mil. $ - North America only
= Some uncertainty: A big hit based on North America alone and almost certainly a huge hit with other markets (projected return of 7.35 times the cost)

[Battle for the Planet of the Apes was released 15 June (USA) and runs 93 minutes. Shooting took place around January 1973 in California. My projected final world gross is a low-set 12.5 mil. $. Ebert gave the film a 2/4 star review, translating to 2 notches under this one. The franchise then lay dormant until Tim Burton's Planet of the Apes (2001). Thompson returned with Huckleberry Finn (1974). Roddy McDowall (The Legend of Hell House (1973)) returned in McMillan & Wife (1973, TV-series), Love, American Style (1973, TV-series) and theatrically in Arnold (1973); Claude Akins (Murder, She Wrote (1984, TV-series)) in 15 TV credits prior to his theatrical return in Tentacles (1977). Battle for the Planet of the Apes is rotten at 36 % with a 4.70/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

 

What do you think of Battle for the Planet of the Apes?