Beneath the Planet of the Apes Blu-ray delivers great video and solid audio in this fan-pleasing Blu-ray release
After discovering that the planet ruled by apes which he had arrived on was really post-nuclear
Earth in the future, US astronaut Taylor disappears while exploring the Forbidden Zone with his
new mate Nova leaving her behind. Brent, another astronaut sent after Taylor, lands on the
planet and is taken by Nova to the ape city, where he's hidden by the friendly chimp scientists
Zira and Cornelius. Brent and Nova are eventually captured by a gorilla named Ursus, a
military leader who wants to lead a holy war on the mysterious inhabitants of the Forbidden
Zone.
The whirlwind success of 1968's Planet of the Apes led studio executives to almost
immediately call for a sequel, and a little more than two years after the original's theatrical debut,
Beneath the Planet of the Apes led audiences deeper into the simian world so vividly
imagined and brought to life in the Charlton Heston classic. Beneath the Planet of the
Apes enjoyed a modicum of success, seeing the return of some old favorite characters while
introducing a few new and memorable ones, delving deep into the lore of the topsy-turvy Simian
world, and showcasing an ending nearly as memorable as the first film's famous show stopper.
Beneath the Planet of the Apes is nowhere near as good as the
original, but it presents viewers with a few fascinating plot twists and devices, builds on the
themes of the first picture well enough, and never feels like too much of a rehash of its
predecessor, though
at first glance the plot may very well seem to suggest more of the same, particularly in its first
act. The film walks the sequel tightrope well enough, neither simply retelling the first film nor
blazing radically new territory that segregates it almost completely from the original, but certainly
taking on elements of each.
Do you see what I see?
Beneath the Planet of the Apes begins with an extended visual recap of the end of the
first film, and moves on to show Taylor's (Heston) separation from Nova (Linda Harrison), and her
subsequent discovery of Brent (James Franciscus), an ANSA astronaut on a mission to rescue
Taylor. Brent, obviously, has suffered the same misfortune as his ill-fated fellow celestial
explorer, crash landing on this mysterious world that he soon discovers inhabited by primitive,
mute humans and talking, intelligent simians. Despite the best efforts of Zira (Kim Hunter), a
more levelheaded,
scientifically-inclined member of the simian race and friend of humans, Brent is soon captured
and scheduled to become live target practice for the gorillas as they train for an incursion into the
Forbidden Zone to destroy any human remnants and restore the ravaged land. Through a
last-ditch effort, Zira helps Brent escape. He and Nova discover an underground passage filled
with remnants of both the immediate and ancient past, and a danger certainly more powerful
than anything on the surface.
While Beneath the Planet of the Apes may not be a straight remake, and though a few
scenes eerily parallel some seen in the first film, there is enough here that is different to set it
apart from the first. Perhaps the most obvious, and most disheartening, difference lies not in its
plot,
characters, or even story, but rather in the film's haphazard pacing and
choppy feel. One moment slick and tense, the next sluggish and dull, there is very little
consistency
about the overall experience. There is also a cramped, uneasy, confined feel to the picture;
unlike
the first, where the entire simian world felt wide open, larger-than-life, and ripe for exploration,
this
film feels restricted to a few smallish sets, replete with noticeable matte paintings that don't offer
the
false sense of depth and expansion as the better ones do, particularly noted in the film's final
underground act. The film also features a few phony looking but generally passable special
effects. The returning cast, particularly Charlton Heston's reprisal of Taylor, Kim Hunter's return
as Zira, and Maurice Evans' portrayal of Dr. Zaius brings to the film a sense of continuity and
purpose, the filmmakers clearly making an effort to make Beneath the Planet of the Apes
a true follow-up rather than creating a picture devoid of anything but the most basic of
connections to the first film. Still, the movie only works occasionally. The first half plays out as
decidedly different from the first film but with a very similar feel to the proceedings. The later
half of the picture becomes bogged down in an out-of-left-field plot development that sticks out
like a sore thumb and adds little to the movie but does provide audiences with a rather abrupt yet
chilling finale, one that will leave first time viewers wondering how in the world another
Apes movie is even possible, let alone a trio of additional sequels.
20th Century Fox brings Beneath the Planet of the Apes to Blu-ray with a solid 1080p,
2.35:1-framed transfer. The print exhibits a few random speckles throughout, but is otherwise in
fine condition with no one problem becoming a distraction. While the opening minutes of the film
that play over the credits, and the replay of several scenes from the first film, don't look
remarkably good, the transfer picks up once the film takes form. The dirt terrain looks clear and
lifelike; many scenes featuring moderate close-ups of the dirt and rocks show many an individual
pebbles and grains of sand. Facial detail is also strong; the film's opening shots of the captain of the
ill-fated rescue vessel nearing death features solid reproduction of every bead of sweat and facial
hair.
The film has a decidedly classic look to it, certainly not coming off as slick and polished as most
modern fare, but this presentation is more than adequate. Like the first film, ape clothing looks
good here, nicely rendered and featuring a somewhat glossy but nicely detailed appearance. Grain
is retained over the image, flesh tones look fine, and blacks are never bothersome. Beneath
the Planet of the Apes is another in an ever-growing list of impressive catalogue title transfers
from Fox.
As expected, Beneath the Planet of the Apes comes to Blu-ray with a DTS-HD MA 5.1
lossless soundtrack, in addition to the original monaural mix. The DTS track is decidedly clearer and
more robust than the mono track, but it nevertheless remains limited by the source. Audio is
front heavy, but dialogue remains sharp though sometimes a little low in volume. Most of the
soundtrack remains firmly entrenched in the center channel. There are some instances where
effects spread out, such as during an earthquake and lightning storm in chapter four. Also included
are a few subtle instances of good bass, those same scenes
in chapter four providing a decent amount of punch. Some of the high pitched sounds that
accompany parts of the film's later half are loud and distinct, annoying and bothersome as they are
meant to be in the context of the film. A few segments of dialogue pour into the back channels,
particularly in chapter 17 as words reverberate through the vast underground chamber.
Beneath the Planet of the Apes is no sonic great shakes, but the DTS track sees some
subtle improvements over the monaural mix and the result is a soundtrack that probably sounds
about as good as it every will, while staying mostly true to the original offering.
Beneath the Planet of the Apes lands on Blu-ray with a decent selection of bonus materials.
An isolated score, presented in DTS-HD MA 5.1, is first. Selecting this feature removes all dialogue
and sound effects from the film, leaving viewers with only the score playing over the imagery.
From Alpha to Omega: Building a Sequel (1080p, 22:10) is a fascinating piece that looks at
the surprise success of Planet of the Apes, Fox's reluctance to create sequels (playing in
stark contrast to the mindset today, thanks in part to the Apes franchise), the studio's
financial
struggles, ideas for the sequel, the politics involved in bringing the sequel to life, the casting of the
film's new hero, shooting the film, and much more. A series of five galleries are next -- The Ape
News, Interactive Pressbook, Advertising, Lobby Cards, and
Behind-the-Scenes. Also included is the film's original theatrical trailer (480p, 3:10) that
spoils most of the film's secrets.
Finally, this disc is D-Box enabled.
Beneath the Planet of the Apes is a decent, if not somewhat clumsy, follow up to a classic
picture. Featuring a set of distinct strengths and weaknesses, the film never meshes into a
fast-paced, coherent picture, instead at times playing as an all-too-familiar story while at
others offering some far-fetched ideas with limited appeal and significance. Still, the movie ends
with a bang, and if nothing else, audiences will be eager to find out how the writers concocted three
more sequels after the ending presented here. 20th Century Fox's Blu-ray release of Planet of
the Apes is solid as one might expect from the studio that has demonstrated time and again
that they know how to handle their classic pictures on the high definition format. Featuring a
pleasing video transfer, an adequate lossless soundtrack, and a nice selection of bonus materials,
fans cannot go wrong with the release; the only question remains whether to purchase separately
or as part of the impressive five-disc Apes box set.
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Blu-ray bundles with Beneath the Planet of the Apes (4 bundles)
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