Conquest of the Planet of the Apes (1972)

Today, Matt and Todd tackle the fourth entry in the original Planet of the Apes saga: Conquest of the Planet of the Apes(1972), directed by J. Lee Thompson. Starring:

• Roddy McDowall as Caesar

• Don Murray as Breck

• Ricardo Montalbán as Armando

• Natalie Trundy as Lisa

• Hari Rhodes as MacDonald

• Severn Darden as Kolp

The first film said it all—right? The second one blew it all up—done and done. The third swept away anyone left from the second—this has to be the end...

Except it’s not.

Conquestbrings the action roaring back (see Beneath), but with a chaotic crescendo that might just be the most memorable ending of the entire series.

Seriously.

You might think it has nowhere left to go.

What more is there to explore in this ape-human dynamic? This film knows that you already know the stakes. What you get here is a raw, streamlined rebellion tale with serious sci-fi edge and a cathartic payoff.

It’s arguably the most approachable film in the franchise. Accessible even if you haven’t seen the others... though you really should.

We hope you enjoy the uprising as much as we did.

Matt reviews and ranks more movies including newer ones at ⁠Letterboxd⁠

You can find out what he's following on Bluesky @MovieMattSirois.bsky.social

Check out favorites of what we follow, at: ⁠⁠⁠Once Upon a Geek⁠⁠⁠⁠ and  ⁠⁠⁠⁠The Fade Out Podcast⁠⁠ As Marcus he reviews all sorts of films but unlike here, they often they range from bad, worse, or terrible at the ⁠⁠⁠⁠MovieAsylum of the Weird, Bad and Wonderful⁠.