Escape from the Planet of the Apes (1971) - Newspaper Ad

Oakland Tribune - August 11, 1971

Growing up I was somewhat of a staunch contemporist when it came to my viewing preferences. I preferred watching movies that featured indoor plumbing, paved roads, automobiles, and electricity.

Which means that, for a short period of time, my favorite entries in the first Planet of the Apes saga were Escape from the Planet of the Apes and Conquest of the Planet of the Apes. No desert vistas. No sweaty, stanky people in loin cloths. No horses. Just the beloved and familiar creature comforts of the world I was oh so lucky enough to enjoy, and take for granted, as a child.

After destroying the world, at Charlton Heston's request, in Beneath the Planet of the Apes, there was only one way for the franchise to go... back to when it began.

It amazes me at just how well this movie pulls off its ludicrous storyline and the insane levels of mythology-building necessitated to have these events start the ball rolling toward the what, where, and when of the first and second films.

The whole affair is strange, silly, and satirical... until, all of a sudden, it turns dead serious and sticks a downbeat ending that works. Making Escape from the Planet of the Apes, arguably, the best of the four sequels to the original film.