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Title: Planet of the Apes |
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Review of Planet of the Apes
- Before you see the movie, read the original novel!
First published more than thirty-five years ago, Pierre Boulle�s chilling novel launched one of the greatest science fiction sagas in motion picture history, from the classic 1968 movie starring Charlton Heston and Roddy McDowell, through four sequels and two television series . . . and now the newest film adaptation directed by Tim Burton.
In the not-too-distant future, three astronauts land on what appears to be a planet just like Earth, with lush forests, a temperate climate, and breathable air. But while it appears to be a paradise, nothing is what it seems.
They soon discover the terrifying truth: On this world humans are savage beasts, and apes rule as their civilized masters. In an ironic novel of nonstop action and breathless intrigue, one man struggles to unlock the secret of a terrifying civilization, all the while wondering: Will he become the savior of the human race, or the final witness to its damnation? In a shocking climax that rivals that of the original movie, Boulle delivers the answer in a masterpiece of adventure, satire, and suspense.
Product Description
- If you've seen the progressively cheesier Planet of the Apes movies of 1968-1973, you may be shocked to learn the first movie was adapted from an intelligent, ironic, and literate novel. You'll be less surprised when you learn the original novel Planet of the Apes was written by Pierre Boulle, author of The Bridge over the River Kwai.
In the novel Planet of the Apes, the three Frenchmen making the first interstellar journey discover a remarkably Earth-like world orbiting Betelgeuse--Earth-like, with one crucial difference: The humans are dumb beasts, and the apes are intelligent. Captured during a terrifying manhunt, locked in a cage, and ignorant of the simian language, Ulysse Merou struggles to convince the apes that he possesses intelligence and reason. But if he proves he is not an animal, he may seal his own doom.
Like the first movie, the novel Planet of the Apes has a twist ending, but a twist of a different--yet equally shocking--sort. --Cynthia Ward
Amazon.com
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Comments for Planet of the Apes
- Posted on 2008-06-21
A novel idea
I loved the book. I was surprised at how closely the movie adaptations had stayed true to Boulle's original concept. Also so note worthy is the wonderful translation from French to English that manages to keep in tact the authors wit and charm. The novel reflects our ethical and moral short comings in satirical fashion, which were the critical elements that made the movies so memorable. I highly recommend this book, for its time, it is truly an original piece of work.
Score: 4
- Posted on 2008-03-16
Interesting Read
I read this book in the 1970's after seeing the movies thinking it would be like the movie. AlasI realzed after picking it up that it wasn't but read it anyway and found some similarities, ie names of the apes and the 'twist' ending (if you are reading thisreview you know that it's about a French spaceship not American). If you are a late fan of the first series of ape films and have not yet read this...then do so you won't be dissapointed. In someways it is better then the the first ape movie and totally better then the Marky-Mark/Tim Roth movie.
Score: 5
- Posted on 2008-02-16
simplistic, predictable, and flawed
After (re)watching various APES films over the last few months, I thought it would be fun to read the novel. I was aware the movies strayed from the original's content, so I was anxious to check it out. But unlike the majority of fans, I find PLANET OF THE APES novel to be simplistic, predictable, and surprisingly flawed.
I'll try to keep it short, but be prepared for SPOILERS.
APES begins with a couple of space travelers finding a literal "message in a bottle," hurtling by. They retrieve the bottle, which includes a lengthy account. The male traveler begins to read, repeatedly scolding the female to "stop interrupting me!", as she reacts surprised to the mention of "humans" and "intelligent men on earth" in the text.
The tale is about 3 earth men who travel off to Betelgeuse. While only 2 years pass for them, thousands transpire back on earth (relativity, etc.). The men arrive at Betelgeuse to find a habitable planet. They land. They find cities and life, and humans. But as you know, the humans are primitive and the apes advanced.
The 3 earth men are attacked by the primitive humans and absorbed into the group, only to be then hunted by intelligent apes. One man dies, another is lost, and our narrator gets captured. He's locked up, and spends the better part of the novel proving his intelligence to Zira, an intelligent chimpanzee observer. His knowledge of math allows him to reveal his intelligence and he is ultimately set free to live amongst the apes.
Perhaps the most interesting part of the novel is when our narrator finds his lost comrade, a scientist and philosopher, locked in a zoo cage and irreversibly reduced to primitive man. This sets the premise for the book's ending.
Two random events then transpire:
First, Cornelius (Zira's companion), reveals his discovery of ancient ruins, consisting of human-like artifacts and a working "China doll." Human ruins on Betelgeuse are coincidentally near-identical to those found on earth, to where one might think they are the same planet. Cornelius realizes that intelligent humans once lived on his planet, too, laying ground to his theory that intelligent apes descended from man.
Second, the narrator's mate, Nova, gives birth to a healthy boy (they were locked in a cage together for months, prior).
The chimpanzees revel in their scientific abilities. The author even goes through great pains to describe the workings of space travel. Yet somehow, the pivotal scene in the book is completely unscientific. In a human vivisection lab, Cornelius reveals they have managed to tap into the human collective unconscious through a female. She is able to channel past thoughts of intelligent humans from thousands of years ago. These voices outline a straightforward progression of the fall of man and the rise of apes. Cornelius' theory regarding the ruins and ape evolution is confirmed.
In parallel, the baby human develops like an intelligent human, as opposed to the primitives. He is seen as a threat by the apes. The potential for intelligent man to rise again. So Cornelius devises a plan to help the narrator to leave the planet with his mate and son, back to his ship in orbit. Strangely, while explaining his plan, Cornelius repeatedly orders his wife Zira to "stop interrupting me!"
The narrator, mate, and son board their ship and fly back to earth. Another two year trip for them, and another few thousand years for people back on earth. He lands, everything looks run down, and he's greeted by not a human, but a gorilla. Duh-duh-DUH! The same fall and rise happened on earth as on the monkey planet. Not a big surprise, by any means. The bottle's story abruptly ends at this point.
We then return to the original couple of space travelers. They, too, now reveal themselves to be chimps and find the story in the bottle to be ridiculous. Intelligent man... How absurd!
What I find ridiculous is, given that our narrator lands on earth to find himself again at the mercy of apes, when does he write out his account of the journey? Does he fly back in to space, to launch his bottle? Essentially, if he were stuck on ape-earth, caught by the gorillas, he'd never write the story and launch it in a bottle. But if he were able to escape earth and write out this account, he'd be free. So where is he now? That, to me, would be the more interesting story.
Score: 3
- Posted on 2008-01-27
A triumphant look at the world through science fiction
A complex world in which sweltering racism and prejudice in ape society make this book a truly masterful piece of science fiction literature. This book manages to not only entertain the reader in a captivating way, but is so deeply thought provoking, that it will change the way you think of contemporary issues including: the teaching of evolution, religion, racial issues, and politics. One of my favorite books of all time.
Tahir Rahman, author of We Came in Peace for all Mankind- the untold story of the apollo 11 silicon disc
Score: 5 - Posted on 2007-09-12
Fantastic Science Fiction Novel
I am a kid, and many who read the reviews for this book are most likely adults and will probably skip this review. Hear me out! This book is an extraordinary leap in science fiction even for a book written this long ago. The plot is great, and the book is filled with suspense and mystery that keeps you glued to your seat, turning page after page after page after page... Anyway, I highly reccommend this book to all science fiction lovers and those who simply like a good, interesting book. However, with this book's great plot and wonderful page-turning excitement, there is a surprise ending that's not much like the original film. Read the book and find out!
Score: 5