Beneath the Planet of the Apes (5 Stars)

This is a direct sequel to "Planet of the Apes", released two years later in 1970. The first three minutes are a recap of the final minutes of the first film. Theoretically, they could be edited together into a single film.

The premise is that two years later (in 1974) a second spaceship has been sent into the future to rescue Taylor and his crew. That's a very questionable premise. If they believe Taylor has travelled 700 years into the future, how is it possible to bring him back? As I wrote in my review of the first film, it's necessary to suspend disbelief.

The only survivor of the second ship is Brent. He meets Nova, who's wearing Taylor's dog tags. She can't understand his language, but he makes her understand that he wants help finding Taylor. They set off together on horseback.

Nova guides Brent to the ape city. It's a long, hard journey.

If Nova could speak she'd ask Brent, "Is that a riding crop in your pocket, or are you just happy to see me?"

In the city Brent sees General Ursus addressing the other apes.

The apes are divided into castes, based on their race. The orangutans are the leaders.

The gorillas are the warriors.

The chimpanzees are the scientists.

The three groups react differently. The gorillas cheer everything that Ursus says. The orangutans carefully discuss his words. The chimpanzees sit in silence.

The general's suggestion, which is accepted by all, is that an expedition should be sent into the Forbidden Zone to see if anyone lives there. Almost all accept it. Only Zira objects, but her fiancé Cornelius tells her to at least pretend to agree.

Brent enters the home of Cornelius and Zira. At first they think he's Taylor, because all humans look the same to them. They help him to escape from the ape city, once more accompanied by Nova. They try to reach the Forbidden Zone before the gorillas arrive.

Brent finds the entrance to an underground city. He's surrounded by the remnants of the New York subway, such as Queensboro Plaza. Taylor reached the city before him, but Nova wasn't able to explain. He's interviewed by humans who've developed telepathic abilities. They can project their thoughts into his head, and they can also control him. First they make him attack Nova, and then Taylor. As they tell him, "We are a peaceful people. We don't kill our enemies. We get our enemies to kill each other". That's the line of dialogue I'll always remember from the film.

Despite their high intelligence, the human community is under the yoke of religious superstition. They worship an atomic bomb that was made 2000 years ago. It was a doomsday bomb, capable of destroying all life on Earth with a single explosion. Fanatics should never be in control of weapons of mass destruction. Sooner or later, something bad will happen. 

Does something bad happen? I'll keep that a secret from the 0.1% of my readers who haven't seen the film.

Okay, maybe I'll tell you the worst thing that happens. Nova is shot by the gorillas.

She'll never go horseback riding again. 

Nova was played by the beautiful actress Linda Harrison. For reasons unknown to me, she never became successful. She only had minor parts in films and television series for the next 20 years, after which she disappeared. She's only remembered for appearing in the first two Planet of the Apes films.

I've written elsewhere that I consider "Beneath the Planet of the Apes" better than the first film. After watching the two films back to back, I can't be sure. They're both brilliant films, but maybe the first film is slightly better. It's difficult to say.

Success Rate:  + 5.6

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