The final Planet of the Apes film ended with a controversial, tearful statue scene
In short: Released in 1973, the fifth and final installment of the original series struggled with a limited budget and mixed reviews. While the production faced creative friction between its writers and director, the film left a lasting mark on pop culture, even appearing as a plot device in the 2012 film Argo.
Battle for the Planet of the Apes depicts a post-nuclear world where the chimpanzee leader Caesar attempts to foster harmony between apes and humans. His efforts are challenged by an aggressive gorilla general named Aldo, who seeks to subjugate humans, and by a group of radiation-scarred mutants living in the nearby Forbidden City. The narrative explores themes of prejudice and the cycle of violence, with Caesar eventually realizing that his own society risks mirroring the oppressive human slaveowners of the past.
The film's production was marked by significant creative tension. Original series writer Paul Dehn withdrew due to health issues, leading to the hiring of John William Corrington and Joyce Hooper Corrington. The Corringtons, who had never seen the previous films, penned a script that originally concluded with a battle between human and ape children. Dehn later returned to polish the dialogue and alter the ending to the iconic shot of a statue of Caesar shedding a single tear. The Writers Guild of America ultimately decided that the Corringtons held the rights to the screenplay credit, despite Dehn’s claims of extensive revisions.
Director J. Lee Thompson expressed dissatisfaction with the script and the production's scope, feeling the budget of nearly $2 million was insufficient. Despite these hurdles, the film grossed $8.8 million, though it remains the lowest-earning entry in the series. Critics were largely unimpressed, with reviewers like Gene Siskel calling it a bore and Roger Ebert describing it as a dying franchise's final attempt to extract revenue. Nevertheless, the film maintains a unique legacy, notably serving as the inspiration for the fake movie cover story used in the real-life 1980 Canadian Caper, as depicted in the film Argo.
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- Summary by Intellect · source: Battle for the Planet of the Apes
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