No spoilers, but Beneath the Planet of the Apes seemed to negate the chances of a third Planet of the Apes film. And yet, the box office receipts sent a very different message to studio executives. And so Escape from the Planet of the Apes hit theaters in 1971, taking the series in a radical new direction.
Film critic Sara Michelle Fetters joins the show to break down how Escape from the Planet of the Apes reinvents the franchise midway through. We’ll discuss Roddy McDowall and Kim Hunter’s lead performances, the movie’s not-so-subtle social commentary, and of course, that wild final sequence.