I Still Think Planet of the Apes Has the Best Sci-Fi Trilogy of All Time

The Planet of the Apes franchise is moving ahead, with an Oscar nomination for last year’s Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes and a sequel now in development. This means the franchise will have continuity from its reboot in 2011 going forward as far as studios decide to take it, but the first three of those movies should still stand on their own. Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, and War for the Planet of the Apes should be regarded as a trilogy — and should be held in high esteem no matter what comes next. These movies tell one of the best sci-fi stories decade, and it will only become more prescient in the years to come.

The Planet of the Apes franchise has grown with the sci-fi genre for over half a century now, and its continued success was never promised. The five original movies were considered cult classics by the time of the first remake in 2001, which did not pick up enough steam for an ongoing series. The franchise toiled in development hell for a few years, but its Hollywood legacy and conceptual interest could not be held down for long.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes started out as a cautious project, and was not planned as a trilogy. That makes it all the more impressive that these three movies work together so well, and that their stories all come together for one big climax in the end. Die hard fans were skeptical when the reboot started in a familiar version of 2008, rather than a far-flung post-apocalyptic future.

[RELATED: Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes Featurette Strips Away the Impressive VFX (Exclusive)]

Rise of the Planet of the Apes made the bold choice of leaning hard on CGI and motion-capture technology, rather than the practical effects the original series was known for. This worked out well and became one of its strengths, especially with mo-cap legend Andy Serkis in the starring role. He played Caesar — a character familiar from the original series but completely reimagined here as patient zero, rather than the leader of a much later civilization.

Three-Movie Arc

The story of apes’ rising intelligence and humans’ self-inflicted pandemic is never simplified, but instead deepened and complicated with nuance at every turn. The movie explores the philosophy of its ape characters and gives them a chance to engage meaningfully with humans, rather than allowing either side to descend into caricatures of reactionary hatred. The first movie covers only eight years, and in the end the apes are still the underdogs, with no hint of their future dominion over the world.

The stakes are definitely raised in Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, and the post-apocalyptic imagery clearly became a bigger priority. We see apes riding horses, wielding guns, and establishing systems of law and government. Interestingly, this installment takes place in 2026, so the time for a re-watch is coming up fast. At this point in the story, humanity is nearly extinct, with an estimated 0.2% of the population being immune to the manufactured “Simian Flu,” which made apes sentient. Caesar’s leadership is challenged by his reluctance to fight against human survivors, while new human characters try to stop their remaining military leaders from attacking the apes. In the end, the fear dividing these two groups seems to be too great, yet the movie ends on a cliffhanger rather than gratuitously depicting warfare itself.

Finally, this trilogy concludes in the 2017 film War for the Planet of the Apes, where the two primate groups finally face off in fighting that has been thoroughly established in the narrative. This one takes place in the year 2028, and it descends into tragedy pretty quickly with Caesar’s community taking heavy losses. It shows tremendous restraint for the filmmakers to hold back the spectacle of war for this long, and to keep Caesar in an underdog position despite the plight of humanity.

Here, we learn that the Simian Flu doesn’t just kill humans — it makes the survivors more violent and less intelligent while raising the intelligence of apes. This shifts the paradigm of all three movies at once, absolving the humans of guilt in some ways, yet making them responsible for their own downfall in others. Still, the apes show compassion for carriers of this virus, taking in an orphaned girl and raising her among them as Nova. Meanwhile, Caesar passes away leaving behind a son and a legacy as the progenitor of this new civilization.

What’s Next?

Naturally, Caesar’s passing marks the end of this trilogy, and it was allowed to stand on its own even when the sequel was made. Last year’s Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes picks up many years after Caesar’s death, at a time when apes are the dominant species on the planet and humanity has essentially gone feral. It’s an interesting extension of the set-up in the previous three movies, and with a sequel in the works, it could build to another grand crescendo of its own.

Kingdom received generally positive reviews and performed decently at the box office. Some critics found it hard to take as seriously as the previous installments, but it should be remembered that this is a fresh start in many ways. It builds on the success of the previous trilogy, but it has to raise the stakes on its own, and it still has time to do so. The sequel is in development now, and is scheduled to debut in 2027.

Those interested in a re-watch have a bit of a chore ahead of them at the time of this writing. All three movies are streaming on Hulu, but Rise and War are only available for subscribers of the Live TV tier. Dawn and Kingdom are both streaming with any Hulu subscription, and Rise can also be found on Max. All of these movies are also available on digital stores and on Blu-ray.