Planet of the Apes

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Year:	1968
Country of origin:	USA
Director:	Franklin J. Schaffner
Genre:	They're monkeys!
Starring:	Charlton Heston, Roddy McDowall, Kim Hunter, Maurice Evans
Rating:	4/5
IMDB link:	http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0063442/
Tagline:	Somewhere in the universe there must be something better than man. In a matter of time, an astronaut will wing through the centuries and find the answer. He may find the most terrifying one of all on the planet where apes are the rulers and man the beast.
Favourite line:	"Take your stinking paws off me, you damned dirty ape!"

The legendary monkey world classic, this more than stands up to the test of time.

Charlton 'cold, dead hands' Heston plays George Taylor, an astronaut, part of a team placed in cryogenic suspension for exploratory purposes. When they are awoken, the ship is in distress and crash lands on an unknown planet. The survivors struggle from the craft before it sinks beneath the ocean waves and find themselves on a desolate world, barren, apparently lifeless. Lifeless, that is, until they encounter a primitive race, somewhat similar to humans, though without the gift of language. Suddenly, they are attacked by soldiers on horseback. Soldiers that are, quite literally, apes. Heston is taken prisoner and, from there, it is all about his attempts to convince the monkey overlords of the world that he is not merely a beast, but a thinking, sentient creature, deserving of both freedom and respect. Inevitably, those in charge take some convincing, eager as they are to maintain the status quo and reluctant as they are to acknowledge that humans can be thought of as anything but dumb animals.

Considering that this movie is now more than forty years old, the visuals have to be seen to be believed. The simian suits and masks are a revelation, being mobile and full of expression, and even the spacecraft in the ocean and THAT final scene is breathtaking.
Sumptuously directed, with real flair, this only drops a mark due to the loss of momentum as the dialogue does become slightly repetitive as the message of the movie is slammed home. A genuine sci-fi classic, with one of the most iconic endings going, this is essential viewing.