Set around a dozen years after the 1967 Charlton Heston-starring Oscar winner of the same name, this Planet of the Apes is a 1974 TV spin-off that attempts to recapture the appeal of the original apes films. A second spaceship arrives on the planet, the basic plot being the same as in 67, as two surviving humans go on the run with a renegade chimpanzee, Galen (Roddy McDowell essentially reprising his Cornelius character under another name). The actor provides the strongest lead, while Booth Colman as Zaius (replacing Maurice Evans from the original film), offers fine... support. The humans Ron Harper and James Naughton are relatively bland, a buddy duo very much anticipating Starsky and Hutch, while the stories, in which our heroes have a new adventure each week and then move on, fall very much into the formula that dominated earlier shows such as The Fugitive, Star Trek and Alias Smith and Jones. This is a post-apocalyptic world where everyone has perfect hair and make-up. But if the action and effects are limited, at least that gives the stories room to concentrate on some moral debates about the nature of human violence. A show finally hamstrung by the tight limitations of its formula, Planet of the Apes: The Television Series lasted only 14 episodes and was cancelled so abruptly it lacks any resolution. Nevertheless its reappearance offers a welcome chance to reassess it in context with the classic movies it apes. On the DVD: Planet of the Apes: The Television Series is presented on four discs, including all 14 episodes. The sound is good mono and the 4:3 colour picture is excellent considering the show's age. Print damage is minor though occasionally quite noticeable, and there is some fading in a few shots. Otherwise this is the best these shows have ever looked. The only extras are trailers for the movie box set and for Tim Burton's 2001 cinema "reimagining". --Gary S Dalkin [show more]
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Please note this is a region 2 DVD and will require a region 2 (Europe) or region Free DVD Player in order to play. After their spacecraft travels through a time warp, two astronauts (Ron Harper, James Naughton) from 1981 crash-land back on Earth in the year 3085 - a time when intelligent apes rule and humans have been reduced to servants or pets. Captured by the apes and sentenced to death, they are saved by a curious chimpanzee name Galen (Roddy McDowall). But now all three are on the run, trying to keep one step ahead of the gorilla army led by General Urko (Mark Lenard), who is determined to kill the renegades. Episodes Comprise: 1. Escape from Tomorrow 2. The Gladiators 3. The Trap 4. The Good Seeds 5. The Legacy 6. Tomorrow's Tide 7. The Surgeon 8. The Deception 9. The Horse Ride 10. The Interrogation 11. The Tyrant 12. The Cure 13. The Liberator 14. Up Above the World So High Actors Booth Colman, James Naughton, Mark Lenard, Roddy Mcdowall, Ron Harper, Woodrow Parfrey, Royal Dano, Marc Singer, Norman Alden, Jacqueline Scott, John Hoyt, Beverly Garland, Ralph Senensky, Sondra Locke & John Ireland Director Don Weis, Don McDougall, Arnold Laven, Bernard McEveety, Jack Starrett, Alf Kjellin & John Meredyth Lucas Certificate PG Year 1974 Screen Fullscreen 4:3 Languages English - Dolby Digital (1.0) Mono Additional Languages French - Dolby Digital (1.0) Mono Subtitles Spanish Duration 736 minutes (approx)
Box set featuring all 14 episodes of the short-lived TV series. In 'Escape from Tomorrow' astronauts Virdon, Jones and Burke take off from Earth in 1981 on a mission into outer space, but soon manage to get caught in a time warp. When they return home in 3085, they are surprised to find the planet now ruled by talking apes. 'The Gladiators' sees Burke and Virdon pitted against each other in combat for the entertainment of a cruel ape leader. 'The Trap' has Burke trapped with his enemy Urko in an underground railway station. 'The Good Seeds' finds Galen and the astronauts hiding out on a farm. In 'The Legacy' Burke and Virdon discover a message from 20th Century scientists which leads them discover how the world was destroyed. 'Tomorrow's Tide' sees the astronauts captured and put to work in an ape fishing village. 'The Surgeon' has Galen's old girlfriend Kira operate on an injured Virdon. In 'The Deception' a blind chimp falls in love with Burke. 'The Horse Race' sees Virdon accept the challenge of racing horses in exchange for another human's freedom. 'The Interrogation' has Burke captured by the apes and threatened with brain-washing. 'The Tyrant' finds the astronauts trying to protect a human farm community against the advances of an ambitious ape. 'The Cure' sees the astronauts argue with a chimp doctor when an outbreak of malaria effects a human village. 'The Liberator' has the astronauts captured and sent to work in the mines, where they attempt to rally their fellow human beings in a revolt against the ape masters. Finally, in 'Up Above the World So High', the astronauts meet a human eager to learn the secret of flight.
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