Planet of the Apes: The Complete TV Series [4 Discs] (2001)

Synopsis of Planet of the Apes: The Complete TV Series [4 Discs]

The 1974 television series Planet of the Apes, starring Ron Harper, James Naughton, and Roddy McDowall, only lasted 14 episodes, 13 of which were broadcast during the actual network run of the series. Its appearance on DVD can be attributed to Fox's interest in exploiting all things "Ape" in connection with the Tim Burton 2001 remake of the original story Planet of the Apes. As a series, it wasn't a bad idea, grafting together elements distilled down from the original 1968 film and its four sequels (or, if you follow the time line, "pre-quels" in some instances) and the perceptions of its own era; the ape civilization's interest in covering up the existence of a human culture capable of building spaceships is presented less in the religious terms of the first two movies than in a kind of Watergate-era mode of controlling and suppressing information that would be difficult to explain without a lot of other decidedly "political" questions. It plays surprisingly well, particularly in the hands of actors such as McDowall, Woodrow Parfrey, and Mark Lenard playing apes, and Royal Dano as a helpful human. In order to carry the proposed series' dramatic arc across what was hoped would be several seasons, the series was, in effect, a chase drama, borrowing from the television series The Fugitive (and, to some extent, Land of the Giants), and any number of Western series of the late '50s and early '60s. The two human astronauts end up on the run heading into little-known and unexplored territory, hiding out, and finding new and unusual permutations to the land into which they've been cast adrift. It was to the original series what Logan's Run (the series) was to its original film, except perhaps better made. The DVD edition is a treat, a gleaming transfer of the television materials that is almost too good for its own good; the clarity is so sharp, that the artificiality of much of the ape makeup, especially on the boy who finds the crashed ship in the first episode, is too glaring to ignore. On the other hand, the color never looked as good even on the original run. Each episode is divided up into 16 chapters that break the program up nicely into key plot moments and sections. These are easy to access within a simple main menu, though starting each disc requires two "play" commands. It is all surprisingly enjoyable 30 years after the fact, and one sort of hopes it would sell, not only on its own terms but as a means of encouraging Fox to try similar releases with such series as Lost in Space, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, and Land of the Giants. ~ Bruce Eder, All Movie Guide

Theatrical Feature Running Time:

644 mins

Theatrical MPAA Rating:

NR

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