When it comes to milestones in movie making history there are few that can match up to the original Planet Of The Apes (1967), it handled social topics, cultural and religious issues, as well as creating the largest special effects spectacular the world had ever seen. Now in its 40th year Planet Of The Apes still manages to provide a stir of controversy while still looking clenz and crisp; and most importantly despite the massive improvements in special effects make up, Planet Of The Apes still offers convincing looking visual imagery.

Based on Pierre Boulle’s novel La Plante des singes translated Monkey Planet; Planet Of The apes caused its makers many sleepless nights in the making. Initially they could not find anyone who wanted to get involved in the movie. But the casting of Hollywood legend Charlton Heston in his most energetic role as astronaut Taylor soon swung the winds of change into the film-makers direction. Suddenly everyone wanted a hand, in what was going to prove to be the most difficult movie to make at that time.

The story revolves around four astronauts sent out from 1970’s Earth to explore the galaxy, a special hibernation sleep would allow the travellers to sleep for many decades so they could reach some of the most outreached planets in the hope of finding new civilizations; or to at the very least colonize an previously uninhabited planet. Having accidentally overslept for a few hundred years the ship crash lands on an alien planet. Having escaped the wreckage the team led by Taylor venture through the planets desolate terrain in search of hope. That hope arrives in greenery and water, and shortly after the sight of other human beings. However in this topsy turvy worled our exploter have arrived in things are not as Earth. The human inhabitants cannot speak, and are mastered by Apes. These Apes talk as we do, setting up laws and creating an environment where humans are used sport (like fox hunting).

The arrival of the travellers is about to upset the balance of this unusual world, and for everyone things will never be the same again.

I have lost count of the times I have seen this movie, as a child it seemed to be on television every week in one form or another. There were 5 movies in all, two TV shows and a multitude of merchandise to go along with the movies. The birth of Video bought the movies back into everyone’s home as the Planet Of The apes movies became too old for the sort of screenings they previously received

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