Search - Battle for the Planet of the Apes [Blu-ray] on Blu-ray

Mark D. from N DARTMOUTH, MA
Reviewed on 9/22/2015...

it's sad that they decided to have the humans and apes living together in a somewhat harmonious way. Wasn't the conflict of human vs. ape the entire framework of the other 4 apes films?
This is also the reason why the Apes tv series bombed in 1974.

1 of 1 member(s) found this review helpful.

This is the un-edited version

Captain Nemo | VA | 01/01/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"After not seeing this version of the film for so long, the restored scenes really stand out and are a plus to the movie as a whole.

The following previously missing scenes have been restored:

1. After Virgil explains to Caeser that Abe (the teacher) told Aldo "No!" at class, McDonald elaborates further that Abe should have known better.

2. After Caeser, Virgil, and McDonald enter the forbidden city a mutant is seen sitting near Kolp and messing with some wires, presumably the alpha omega missile wiring.

3. Prior to the viewing of the archives and while traveling down the corridor McDonald fusses at Caeser and Virgil for being so slow. Caeser and Virgil claim that they can smell the radioactive humans and mention that they are not like the other humans.

4. After Virgil shoots the moving camara he apoligizes to Caeser and claims that everyone now knows they are there.

5. After Kolp tells the captain that they are going after the apes "now" he then tells Alma that, no matter what, surrender is not an option and they gather around the alpha omega missile. They open the missile silo hatch while Mendez looks on.

6. Extended scene of the convoy of mutants going towards ape city with some of the mutants walking out of rank and falling on the ground, presumably dying.

7. After Kolp and the captain view the ape barricade, Virgil sneeks down from his house - then the movie cuts back to Kolp who reminds someone via radio about his message to Alma in case things go wrong.

8. Extra war footage of the apes fighting the mutants with the barracade on fire.

9 A scene near Kolp's bus where a gorilla blows up a mutant with a grenade. Afterwards, Aldo dances on top of the bus in victory.

10. A final scene of the mutants with Mendez and Alma playing checkers. Another mutant shows up and informs that they have lost the war, then falls over dead. Alma goes over and prepares to launch the missile, but Mendez talks her out of it. This is an important scene which directly ties in this movie with "Beneath the Planet of The Apes" for continuity purposes.

I agree with one of the reviewers that the reason this movie had some of it's material previously edited was to make the ending more uplifting. However, if you had already seen this movie on television in the 70's (all scenes included) then you knew what the tear from Caeser's statue at the end of the movie ultimately signified. I have always thought "Battle of the Planet of The Apes" as a dark and mysterious movie and with the edited scenes included this makes it much more so. The soundtrack, a masterpiece by Leonard Rosenman, is extremely gloomy and eerie. The technique to creating this dark music is called atonality, meaning there are no scales but the musical notes are related to each other using the 12-tone system.

For some of you who are confused with the timeline of this movie, the year shown at the beginning of the movie (2670 AD) is the time of the Lawgiver's speech - NOT the time of Caeser's reign (which was much earlier). The Lawgiver is reading out of the sacred scrolls of history mentioned by Dr. Zaius in the first two films.

Enjoy!"

The last part...

James D. Crabtree | Fort Leavenworth, Kansas | 05/27/2008

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Following the rise of the apes and some sort of man-made catastrophe (probably nuclear war) a community of apes and humans live together in peace. It's the evil human survivors of the nuclear war who still live in New York City who have an issue with the situation and all sorts of hijinks ensue.

Probably the weakest film in the series it is also the one that really requires the viewer to have a strong grasp of what went on in the other movies, especially Battle for the Planet of the Apes. Still, it IS good sci-fi!"