Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.0
Audio		3.5
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.5

Beneath the Planet of the Apes Blu-ray Movie Review

'Beneath' makes for an above-average Blu-ray.

Reviewed by Martin Liebman December 5, 2008

My God, it's a city of apes!

The whirlwind success of 1968's Planet of the Apes led studio executives to almost immediately call for a sequel, and a little more than two years after the original's theatrical debut, Beneath the Planet of the Apes led audiences deeper into the simian world so vividly imagined and brought to life in the Charlton Heston classic. Beneath the Planet of the Apes enjoyed a modicum of success, seeing the return of some old favorite characters while introducing a few new and memorable ones, delving deep into the lore of the topsy-turvy Simian world, and showcasing an ending nearly as memorable as the first film's famous show stopper. Beneath the Planet of the Apes is nowhere near as good as the original, but it presents viewers with a few fascinating plot twists and devices, builds on the themes of the first picture well enough, and never feels like too much of a rehash of its predecessor, though at first glance the plot may very well seem to suggest more of the same, particularly in its first act. The film walks the sequel tightrope well enough, neither simply retelling the first film nor blazing radically new territory that segregates it almost completely from the original, but certainly taking on elements of each.

Do you see what I see?

Beneath the Planet of the Apes begins with an extended visual recap of the end of the first film, and moves on to show Taylor's (Heston) separation from Nova (Linda Harrison), and her subsequent discovery of Brent (James Franciscus), an ANSA astronaut on a mission to rescue Taylor. Brent, obviously, has suffered the same misfortune as his ill-fated fellow celestial explorer, crash landing on this mysterious world that he soon discovers inhabited by primitive, mute humans and talking, intelligent simians. Despite the best efforts of Zira (Kim Hunter), a more levelheaded, scientifically-inclined member of the simian race and friend of humans, Brent is soon captured and scheduled to become live target practice for the gorillas as they train for an incursion into the Forbidden Zone to destroy any human remnants and restore the ravaged land. Through a last-ditch effort, Zira helps Brent escape. He and Nova discover an underground passage filled with remnants of both the immediate and ancient past, and a danger certainly more powerful than anything on the surface.

While Beneath the Planet of the Apes may not be a straight remake, and though a few scenes eerily parallel some seen in the first film, there is enough here that is different to set it apart from the first. Perhaps the most obvious, and most disheartening, difference lies not in its plot, characters, or even story, but rather in the film's haphazard pacing and choppy feel. One moment slick and tense, the next sluggish and dull, there is very little consistency about the overall experience. There is also a cramped, uneasy, confined feel to the picture; unlike the first, where the entire simian world felt wide open, larger-than-life, and ripe for exploration, this film feels restricted to a few smallish sets, replete with noticeable matte paintings that don't offer the false sense of depth and expansion as the better ones do, particularly noted in the film's final underground act. The film also features a few phony looking but generally passable special effects. The returning cast, particularly Charlton Heston's reprisal of Taylor, Kim Hunter's return as Zira, and Maurice Evans' portrayal of Dr. Zaius brings to the film a sense of continuity and purpose, the filmmakers clearly making an effort to make Beneath the Planet of the Apes a true follow-up rather than creating a picture devoid of anything but the most basic of connections to the first film. Still, the movie only works occasionally. The first half plays out as decidedly different from the first film but with a very similar feel to the proceedings. The later half of the picture becomes bogged down in an out-of-left-field plot development that sticks out like a sore thumb and adds little to the movie but does provide audiences with a rather abrupt yet chilling finale, one that will leave first time viewers wondering how in the world another Apes movie is even possible, let alone a trio of additional sequels.

Beneath the Planet of the Apes Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

20th Century Fox brings Beneath the Planet of the Apes to Blu-ray with a solid 1080p, 2.35:1-framed transfer. The print exhibits a few random speckles throughout, but is otherwise in fine condition with no one problem becoming a distraction. While the opening minutes of the film that play over the credits, and the replay of several scenes from the first film, don't look remarkably good, the transfer picks up once the film takes form. The dirt terrain looks clear and lifelike; many scenes featuring moderate close-ups of the dirt and rocks show many an individual pebbles and grains of sand. Facial detail is also strong; the film's opening shots of the captain of the ill-fated rescue vessel nearing death features solid reproduction of every bead of sweat and facial hair. The film has a decidedly classic look to it, certainly not coming off as slick and polished as most modern fare, but this presentation is more than adequate. Like the first film, ape clothing looks good here, nicely rendered and featuring a somewhat glossy but nicely detailed appearance. Grain is retained over the image, flesh tones look fine, and blacks are never bothersome. Beneath the Planet of the Apes is another in an ever-growing list of impressive catalogue title transfers from Fox.

Beneath the Planet of the Apes Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

As expected, Beneath the Planet of the Apes comes to Blu-ray with a DTS-HD MA 5.1 lossless soundtrack, in addition to the original monaural mix. The DTS track is decidedly clearer and more robust than the mono track, but it nevertheless remains limited by the source. Audio is front heavy, but dialogue remains sharp though sometimes a little low in volume. Most of the soundtrack remains firmly entrenched in the center channel. There are some instances where effects spread out, such as during an earthquake and lightning storm in chapter four. Also included are a few subtle instances of good bass, those same scenes in chapter four providing a decent amount of punch. Some of the high pitched sounds that accompany parts of the film's later half are loud and distinct, annoying and bothersome as they are meant to be in the context of the film. A few segments of dialogue pour into the back channels, particularly in chapter 17 as words reverberate through the vast underground chamber. Beneath the Planet of the Apes is no sonic great shakes, but the DTS track sees some subtle improvements over the monaural mix and the result is a soundtrack that probably sounds about as good as it every will, while staying mostly true to the original offering.

Beneath the Planet of the Apes Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Beneath the Planet of the Apes lands on Blu-ray with a decent selection of bonus materials. An isolated score, presented in DTS-HD MA 5.1, is first. Selecting this feature removes all dialogue and sound effects from the film, leaving viewers with only the score playing over the imagery. From Alpha to Omega: Building a Sequel (1080p, 22:10) is a fascinating piece that looks at the surprise success of Planet of the Apes, Fox's reluctance to create sequels (playing in stark contrast to the mindset today, thanks in part to the Apes franchise), the studio's financial struggles, ideas for the sequel, the politics involved in bringing the sequel to life, the casting of the film's new hero, shooting the film, and much more. A series of five galleries are next -- The Ape News, Interactive Pressbook, Advertising, Lobby Cards, and Behind-the-Scenes. Also included is the film's original theatrical trailer (480p, 3:10) that spoils most of the film's secrets. Finally, this disc is D-Box enabled.

Beneath the Planet of the Apes Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Beneath the Planet of the Apes is a decent, if not somewhat clumsy, follow up to a classic picture. Featuring a set of distinct strengths and weaknesses, the film never meshes into a fast-paced, coherent picture, instead at times playing as an all-too-familiar story while at others offering some far-fetched ideas with limited appeal and significance. Still, the movie ends with a bang, and if nothing else, audiences will be eager to find out how the writers concocted three more sequels after the ending presented here. 20th Century Fox's Blu-ray release of Planet of the Apes is solid as one might expect from the studio that has demonstrated time and again that they know how to handle their classic pictures on the high definition format. Featuring a pleasing video transfer, an adequate lossless soundtrack, and a nice selection of bonus materials, fans cannot go wrong with the release; the only question remains whether to purchase separately or as part of the impressive five-disc Apes box set.