The world is shocked by the appearance of three talking chimpanzees, who arrived mysteriously in a U.S. spacecraft. They become the toast of society, but one man believes them to be a threat... Read allThe world is shocked by the appearance of three talking chimpanzees, who arrived mysteriously in a U.S. spacecraft. They become the toast of society, but one man believes them to be a threat to the human race.The world is shocked by the appearance of three talking chimpanzees, who arrived mysteriously in a U.S. spacecraft. They become the toast of society, but one man believes them to be a threat to the human race.
- Awards
- 1 nomination
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Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThe film's villain, Dr. Hasslein, had been briefly mentioned at the beginnings of Planet of the Apes (1968) and Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970).
- GoofsThe ship the apes arrive in has no engines or tail section as it did in Planet of the Apes (1968) (it sank under water) or Brent's in Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970) (it was burnt up). It therefore cannot possibly be either ship.
- Quotes
Chairman of the President's Committee of Inquiry: [testing Lewis's assertion that the apes can speak] What is your name?
Dr. Zira: Zira.
Chairman of the President's Committee of Inquiry: One might as well be talking to a parrot.
Dr. Zira: A parrot?
Chairman of the President's Committee of Inquiry: What did I tell you? Mechanical mimicry. Unique in an ape, vocally, without a doubt, but... does the other one talk?
Cornelius: Only when she lets me.
- Crazy creditsThe 20th Century Fox logo does not appear on this film.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Battle for the Planet of the Apes (1973)
Successfully satisfying the enquiry with their answers, the chimps are moved to a fancy hotel and given a tour of the city (during which Zira announces she is pregnant!). However, when suspicious Dr. Otto Hasslein (Eric Braeden) gets Zira gets drunk on Grape Juice + (Champagne), he learns details about her work as a scientist and information about Earth's future that give him cause for concern. Convincing the authorities that the chimps should be questioned further, Hasslein has them taken to an army base where Zira is administered a truth serum. She admits that apes will one day become a threat to the human race, and so a commission decides that Zira's baby should be aborted and that both chimps should be sterilised, leaving the hairy couple no choice but to escape.
This second sequel to the 1968 sci-fi classic Planet of the Apes could easily have been a repetitive cash-grab (like Beneath the Planet of the Apes before it), but in setting the action in the present day, the intelligent script raises a couple of thought-provoking moral dilemmas that make it a very interesting watch. Should we judge another species for its inhumanity when humans treat other animals with the same lack of respect? And does the human race have the right to ensure that it remains the dominant species or should we allow natural selection to decide what happens next? These clever conundrums, coupled with fine performances from McDowell, Hunter, Dillman, and Ricardo Montalban as kindly circus owner Armando, plus a wonderfully silly twist ending, go to make this a very entertaining entry in this much-loved franchise.
- BA_Harrison
- Dec 28, 2019
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Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Official sites
- Language
- Also known as
- Secret of the Planet of the Apes
- Filming locations
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $2,500,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $12,348,905
- Gross worldwide
- $12,348,905
- Runtime1 hour 38 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 2.39 : 1