The "Planet of the Apes" series is certainly a mixed bag success-wise. I wouldn't go so far as to say it's made up of great movies but through the first four flicks, it has always entertained. But with this fifth and final movie it fails on all counts.

Honestly, I couldn't wait for "Battle..." to conclude. It was seriously hard to watch. I think everyone involved, including Roddy McDowall, phoned it in. The only person who showed any life at all was Claude Akins as gorilla General Aldo. There were several times that I threw my hands in the air in frustration over the predictable and boring story. And everyone involved acted like an idiot. Was this supposed to be funny?

The mutants are ridiculously ignorant and the apes are no better. The actual battle scene goes on for an eternity and nothing happens. Both sides have to be the worst marksmen I've ever seen. The scene where Caesar, Virgil, and McDonald travel to a bombed out radioactive city, is done just so Caesar can watch a video of his Mother and Father. It's monumentally stupid and it goes on f-o-r-e-v-e-r. I thought Caesar was supposed to be smart!?! He risks his life and the safety of his wife and child so he can watch a video. It is not a trait that his noble character would have considered in the other movies.

Pfffft!!! I've already given this movie more words than it deserves. "Battle For the Planet of the Apes" is a cheap money-grab of a movie and it is a total letdown. The classic "Planet of the Apes" series deserves much better. This has to be one of the worst movies I've ever forced myself to sit through.

As the final entry in the film series, ***Battle*** is anticlimactic. There's no battle sequence in here that remotely beat the one we had at the end of *Conquest* with the apes vs. the police force. The second act was so slow it got me disinterested in seeing the rest honestly but when we get to the third act there's finally a bit of action. I can't say those action sequences were worth waiting five movies for.

It's weird that in a final installment of a five movie series I can't recognize any of the characters, they're all new except for Caesar exclusively—I don't care for anyone or who ultimately wins the war. A great score but too much of it at times. Nothing much in the way of visuals. The entire budget probably went into the costumes and ape masks cause there were a lot of them. One of the lamest 1v1 fights i've ever seen in the last 10 minutes. Very predictable ending but fitting I guess.

Overall this film series has been a huge disappointment and a waste of time. The original is the only one I would ever rewatch. Now on to the better entries in the franchise finally...

6/10
A fair way to rap up to the
Planet of the Apes Saga.
Before we enter remake
And reboot territory.
This 5th and final Installment brings
everything a full circle
and raises some interesting debates of time,decisions and how that effects future outcomes to unfold,
It was a much more 'welcomed'
family friendly debate than all that
race bashing stuff from all the previous movies before.
But I will say I have the extended version of this movie on blu ray and this is definitely the better way to view it as it adds more scenes and a better battle at the end that makes this movie from
Meh-to a Fair enjoyable
Watch. Roddy sells the movie with a good solid performance and everyone else plays their part.
This final seems to take all the main drive elements from all previous movies before and incorporates
them all into this last chapter and I am pleased
to say it works for the most part.
Don't even try to add up the timeline of dates and events because especially with This movie
it completely ballz it all up
like not even close to being right,
But chronology none of the Others are either
So to be fair it's fair to say it's consistent.
But with that it's still been a good watch all the same
this saga and it's been more fun than being bad
So for that I now walk away happy
of the time spent on some good
Classic entertainment.
(See you in a couple of years for another rewatch
Now that Disney has bought the rights and are currently doing a Remake of the hole franchise of the rebooted movies).
"See You Soon"

Well the last film was last year, but that's ten years for an ape so we now find "Caesar" (Roddy McDowell) living with his family and presiding over what I think Shakespeare referred to as a "loose confederation of warring tribes". The militaristic gorillas, led by "Aldo" (Claude Atkins) are just itching for a fight - and they might just get their way as the humans under the command of a surviver from the command bunker last time are hot for a battle too. "Kolp" (Severn Darden) is bent on reducing their home to rubble and reducing the Simian race to slavery once again. When tragedy strikes "Caesar", things come to an head - with an heavily armed force approaching and his own source of insurrection to contend with. Can they prevail - once again? Although this isn't bad, I feel the franchise has run out of oomph now. The stories of will they survive, thrive etc. have started to recycle themselves just once too often. The characters are now too established, their morals and principles too enshrined, for there to be much scope to enhance, develop or alter the storylines and so here, though there is quite a sneaky bit of strategy at the end, it's all just a little procedural. All in all, these are quite an entertaining series of five films with some excellent costumes and make-up, just enough action and some fodder for our own grey matter to give them a value. I'm not sure we need any more, though.

**The best of the sequels**

_Battle for the Planet of the Apes_ is the best of the Planet of the Apes sequels - a film packed with emotion and incident. Caesar (Roddy McDowall) seeks his parents in the ruins of a destroyrd city and irks a gang of crazed freaks who all wear silly hats and _skiing goggles_.

Leonard Rosenman gives us a nice score and the photography is beautiful. The classiest looking of the Apes sequels and definitely the most emotional. Just stick with the first movie and this one.

- Ian Beale