Conquest of the Planet of the Apes

Today's film came out in 1972 and stars Roddy McDowall, Don Murray and Ricardo Montalban. It is the fourth in the Planet of the Apes series and was quite interesting. This was the first time I had seen the film and I was struck by several things while watching it. First off, it doesn't really feel like a Sci-Fi film. It feels more like a action/resistance film that just happens to have advanced apes as characters. The story is really about racism and slavery and I think both those themes are just as relevant today as they were back then. It is a little dated in that it's set in 1991 and it's a 1991 envisioned by filmmakers in the 70s but its message is just as important today. I was quite surprised at how well it communicated feelings of oppression and hate. I think the original Planet of the Apes has some racial undertones as well but they aren't nearly as pronounced as the ones in today's film.



Conquest is an interesting part of the Planet of the Apes series. It demonstrates why the apes overtook the world and it makes you sympathize with them. It works well both as an addition to such a great Science Fiction series and a social awareness film. The story of the series is continued and better explained and emotions are explored that must have been high around the time the film was made.
Another aspect of the film I found interesting was that it was kind of the connecting piece. Sort of like how Episode III was the film that explained why the story of the first three Star Wars films came about. Of course, neither is necessary for the originals to be great and make sense but it's nice to be given a back story and to see how the creators intended the story to be understood. Throughout the film, whenever the governor said something about protecting humans and ensuring that the prophecy of a planet run by apes didn't happen, I was reminded of a quote from Kung Fu Panda of all things. The quote is, "One often meets his destiny on the road he takes to avoid it." By repressing the apes and turning them into slaves, the humans only increase their resentment and will to fight. In trying to kill Caesar, the governor fuels his rage and encourages his idea for revolution. And, of course this will lead to the rise of apes and the downfall of humans. All in all, I thought it was a well made film that satisfied on multiple levels. A great addition to the series and the genre.

The Omega Man

Released in 1971 and starring Charlton Heston, it's a second interpretation of the novel I Am Legend by Richard Matheson. I have seen all three of the film versions. The Last Man on Earth (1964), I Am Legend (2007) and now The Omega Man. Although, I have not read the book, or graphic novel. Allison has and we had an interesting conversation about the different interpretations. She has an issue with The Omega Man and I Am Legend because she thinks the message changes too much from the novel. I don't want to give too much away and as I said before I haven't read the novel so I can't confirm anything but I trust her. She said the novel is kind of hopeless, where as both the film versions she has seen, The Omega Man and I Am Legend are hopeful at the end. In both films people run off into the sunset, so to speak, to a brighter future. I can see where this might bother Allison.
I liked all three versions, though they each have their set of issues. The Last Man on Earth moves slowly and I Am Legend has a few unexplained story elements. The Omega Man has similar issues that yesterday's film had. It has a lot of elements that are so apparently 70s elements. The music, special effects, costumes and even the background story of the war between China and Russia are things that trap this movie within the 70s. Now, I Am Legend has some things that will restrict it to the time period in which it was made. All the technology used in it from weapons to the television and even the movie the kid watches are indicative of the society during the time in which the film was made. Again, these aren't necessarily bad things but I do think it's things like these that prevent films from this genre from being able to cross over from year to year. Everything in the Sci-Fi genre has to predict some future and that is always going to reflect what the current society expects the future to look like. In the 70s, it seems apocalyptic was the main theme.
I liked The Omega Man. Even with its imperfections, it was still entertaining and creepy. I liked that Heston talks to himself and that the vampire/zombie creatures actually think and plan. In I Am Legend the vampire/zombie things don't really think like humans but rather like animals and having them plan and think critically in The Omega Man adds another level to the issue. The creatures aren't just animals, they are human-like and killing them off isn't like killing off another zombie. Heston's character is murdering but he's murdering because they are trying to kill him as well. So, in a post-apocalyptic world, there are two races, each trying to survive. One attempts to "purify" to world by getting rid of everything from the past. The other is trying to survive and killing anything that gets in his way. There's a plague and an end-of-the-world feel. What's not to like? Plus Charlton Heston is in it. Everything else is just cosmetic.

The Sexiest Movie Ever!

It's Amanda again. Today's movie is another Michael York film, Logan's Run. It was released in 1976 and also stars Jenny Agutter and Richard Jordan. I hadn't seen this in a while and didn't remember all of it so it was fun to watch again and see things as if they were new.
Now, I see a common theme start to appear in the films for this week. No, not that all of them will star Michael York. The theme I see is a comparison to Star Wars and advances in special effects. This film came out just one year before Star Wars and the effects are very pale in comparison. The miniatures are incredibly obvious and the sets look cheap. I'm sorry to be so critical but one of the things I look for in a movie is its ability to stand up over time. Though the story is great and Michael York and Jenny Agutter very sexy, the sets, costumes, special effects and concept are indicative of the time in which the film was made. I even made Angelique watch a scene in order to show her the outrageous costumes they had, specifically the one Agutter wears in her first scene that is basically a long poncho held together with a belt, and she commented that it "looked like a 70s' film." Not to say that that's necessarily a bad thing but that it will always be hindered by that aspect. As with yesterday's film, the story is simple but strong and the production value a little low, especially when considering the film that was to follow the next year.

Logan's Run is a classic Sci-Fi film with its post-apocalyptic Utopian world, where people are young and beautiful and sexually robust, the only drawback is that you die at 30. I think it must have been one of the last to use this sort of formula before filmmakers moved to the bright and colorful world of computer graphics and intense special effects. A good story can make a movie great but production and film style can trap it within a particular time period or genre. Logan's Run is a good story but the film is trapped within its time period because of its production and style. It is, as I said earlier, a classic Sci-Fi film and even a classic film of the 70s but it "looks like a 70s' film" so it will always be seen a "70s''" film. The story may be adaptable (and it looks like it might be done in 2012) but the film will remain of its era.

The Island of Dr. Moreau

Hey, this is Amanda. I'm going to be guest blogging for a week while my parents are off celebrating their anniversary. The first movie of the week is The Island of Dr. Moreau. Now I hadn't actually seen this film before so this'll be interesting. I guess I'll start with a review of sorts.
I enjoyed the film quite a bit. I like Michael York and I love supernatural/fantasy/sci-fi films. I was just at comic-Con and I went to the Supernatural panel. One fan asked if the panel was surprised that the audience was largely female. One of the producers, who is taking over as the show runner, and is female answered that she has always been a fan of the horror,supernatural,fantasy,sci-fi genres. She said her female friends have also always been fans of the genres. I screamed in agreement because I always feel like their advertising these things to the wrong groups. I love creepy weird stuff which is why I thought The Island of Dr. Moreau was a great film to start off this week. I liked that it was kind of campy. I also like that it didn't rely on a bunch of special effects. It took a fairly simple concept and ran with it. The only real special effects are make-up and explosions. The creep factor is all in the idea that something very wrong is going on on the island and the main character is trapped there. I love films like that. Don't get me wrong, I also really enjoy big special effects but sometimes it's nice to watch something that relies solely on story. However, I also have to wonder how well the film did without the assistance of those special effects. It came out in 1977, the same year as Star Wars, and that must have been some competition. Nowadays it seems that story is sacrificed in order to deliver newer and bigger special effects.
Now, I'm not saying the story was great in the Island of Dr. Moreau but it worked well enough. Plus, Michael York and Burt Lancaster are great. Also, the poster is pretty cool. I love the morphing silhouette of human to animal.
I wish I had some anecdote to share about seeing the film with somebody or some funny thing that happened. I enjoyed the film. I didn't think it was the best movie ever but it was entertaining. I promise that with the following films for this week I will try to be more detailed. I do have a couple favorites coming up. Until then, here's the trailer.