Escape From the Planet of the Apes Blu-ray delivers great video and solid audio in this fan-pleasing Blu-ray release
Fleeing the nuclear destruction of Earth in the year 3955, chimp scientist Zira, her husband
Cornelius, and their friend Doctor Milo launch a spacecraft and journey through a bend in time
back to the year 1973.
We have traveled from Earth's future to Earth's past.
The third time apparently isn't the charm when it comes to cinematic sequels. Everything from
Star Wars to Saw seems to take
a dramatic nosedive by the time the third film rolls around, and the Apes franchise is
certainly not immune. Escape From the Planet of the Apes continues a series that
seemed dead after its predecessor's conclusion, and certainly not because Beneath the Planet
of
the Apes was a bad film; quite the contrary, it's passable entertainment and a decent sequel
to the original classic. The problem was that the writers and filmmakers painted themselves into
a
corner at the end of the second film, declaring the death of the world and seemingly everyone
and everything in it. Not one to shy away from a challenge, a struggling 20th Century Fox saw
fit to nevertheless find some way to continue one of their most popular and profitable budding
franchises, and some how, some way, a third film was envisioned, scripted, and committed to
film, making little sense logically though playing well enough, the film half lighthearted fun and
half dark and sinister, and again ending with yet another shocking twist.
Cornelius and Zira watch the end of 'Old Yeller' for the first time.
Before the destruction of the Earth by the Doomsday weapon at the end of Beneath the
Planet of the Apes, Zira (Kim Hunter), Cornelius (Roddy McDowall), and Dr. Milo (Sal Mineo)
managed to repair (presumably) Brent's downed spacecraft and blast off immediately before the
explosion. Somehow, the trio travels back through time and lands in the Pacific
Ocean where they are greeted as long-lost heroes -- until they remove their helmets and reveal
their true identities. At first treated as a curiosity (resulting in Dr. Milo's death), and soon
thereafter gaining celebrity status, Zira and Cornelius seem to be fitting into their new
surroundings wonderfully. That is until they begin to unravel their past, or mankind's future,
leading some to fear the couple's presence on Earth, wondering if their arrival signals the
beginning of the end of mankind -- and perhaps the planet.
Escape From the Planet of the Apes turns the franchise on its head, offering viewers not
only a tone that, at least for the first half of the film, seems completely out of character for the
series, but also turns the tables on the established theme of the first two films, this time placing
intelligent apes in the midst of a human-dominated society. The film plays on this role reversal
well, with some scenes resembling those found in the earlier films, particularly the
first,
and creating human characters that reflect the same beliefs, concerns, and emotions of the
primary
apes from the first two films, notably Zira, Cornelius, Dr. Zaius, and Ursus. Man at first refuses to
believe these apes to be more than well-trained automatons despite their demonstrations of
intelligent and civilized behavior, including sitting at a table for a meal, changing clothes on their
own accord, and of course, intelligent speech. Perhaps the theme of the story is that intelligence
breeds the same beliefs, concerns, and emotions in all sentient beings, no matter their physical
appearance or place of origin. Nevertheless, this is the one area of the film that proves most
fascinating, and despite a ridiculous factor that is almost off the charts, the film is at least
watchable for most of its runtime. Where the film seems to fail is in its attempts at humor. The
laughs seem out of place and run out their welcome long before the film takes on the more
sinister tone that dominates the second half. Escape From the Planet of the Apes
certainly features a story filled with moral and religious overtones, and offers some fine insight
into the human psyche, but the film nevertheless feels like a product rushed to market, one that
tries too hard to be too good and winds up being a very mediocre entry into what has, to this
point, been a fine series.
Escape From the Planet of the Apes on Blu-ray features a 1080p, 2.35:1-framed transfer.
The video retains a very similar look and feel to the last film. While obviously taking place in
"modern" Earth as opposed to the distant future, the color schematic looks similar, and detail
remains high. The picture is rock solid throughout, with fine clarity and detail to die for on an older
picture such as this. The interior of the prison cell housing the recently arrived apes, for example,
showcases nice texture along the walls and on the bars. The military uniforms and other assorted
clothing seen throughout appear nicely rendered, too, lifelike and practically touchable through the
screen. Blacks may look a touch faded in a few corners, but are otherwise acceptable. Flesh tones
retain a pleasing natural appearance. Escape From the Planet of the Apes is yet another
fine looking title in this series, and Fox is to be commended for their excellent job on this and the
previous two Apes discs.
Escape From the Planet of the Apes arrives on Blu-ray with a DTS-HD MA 5.1 lossless
soundtrack, in addition to the original monaural mix. The audio remains front and center-heavy, as
was the case with the previous two Apes films, with the music that plays over the opening
credits distinct and clear, a fine reproduction that feels more robust and pronounced than one might
expect coming predominantly from the center. It features nice punch on the low end, too.
Likewise, a similar effect is heard and felt as adventure-style music plays during an escape
sequence in chapter 17. There are a few instances of discrete effects spread across the left or right
front channels, but such cases are the exception to the rule. Even a scene featuring Cornelius at a
boxing match features next-to-no ambient crowd noise emanating from anywhere but the center
channel. Still, the music and effects are presented with sufficient clarity, and dialogue reproduction
remains solid. This track is about as good as one may expect.
Escape From the Planet of the Apes travels onto Blu-ray with a supplemental package fairly
similar to that of its predecessor on Blu-ray. First up is an isolated score presented in DTS-HD MA
5.1 lossless audio. Selecting this feature removes all dialogue
and sound effects from the film, leaving viewers with only the score playing over the imagery.
The Secret Behind Escape (1080p, 16:04) is a solid extra that looks at the themes of the
film, the ease with which the film was shot, director Don Taylor's take on the script, features an
extended look at actress Kim Hunter and her contributions to the film and the series as a whole, the
camaraderie between Hunter and actor Roddy McDowall, and the film's religious overtones.
Don Taylor Directs 'Escape From the Planet of the Apes' (480p, 7:46) features a candid look
at the work that went into filming one of the scenes. Concluding the special features
is another trailer (480p, 3:02) that gives too much away, and two sets of galleries -- Advertising
Gallery and Behind-the-Scenes Gallery. This disc is also D-Box enabled.
Escape From the Planet of the Apes offers audiences a story that basically takes the first
film and reverses the circumstances, but adds in an abundance of humor and subtracts much of the
power and sense of wonder engendered by that first film. The story is a bit of a stretch, and some
of the plot points seem far too contrived, but the film does end with a rather powerful, unexpected
twist that, once again, leaves viewers curious to see where the next film will go. 20th Century
Fox's Blu-ray release of Escape From the Planet of the Apes is on par with the previous
sequel. Featuring fine video and audio qualities and a decent selection of bonus materials, this disc,
or the larger 5-disc box set is an easy purchase for
fans.
Blu-ray bundles with Escape From the Planet of the Apes (4 bundles)
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Amazon's Blu-ray Deal of the Week affects the Planet Of The Apes 5-Film Collection. The set bundles together the first five entries in Twentieth Century Fox's landmark science-fiction franchise alongside a wide assortment of bonus supplements. Through June 16th, ...
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