Plot; Bill, one of three astronauts who crash landed on a planet controlled by intelligent simians, is taken to the capital where a compassionate pair of scientists discover that he's no ordinary human.
I enjoyed the first episode of Return to the Planet of the Apes enough to, uh, return. I'm glad I did, because I was rewarded with a much stronger second episode. The basic plot continues to more or less mirror that of the original movie. Here Bill is a stand in for Heston's Taylor. The big difference is in the finer points, and it's here that the cartoon actually surpasses the original live action film. As I mentioned in my previous review, Dr. Zaius is portrayed differently here, showing a reason and compassion lacking in the movie. But when Bill is found to have the ability to speak, Zaius and his council order the death of all humans. This is because only they know that humans once ruled their planet and if the humans show the capacity to once again rise above their primal state, they would be a threat to apekind. The portrayal here shows Zauis acting out of reason and preservation for his kind. It's not unlike his live action counterpart, but the difference is in the tone Zaius takes. It's quite easy to see things from his point of view and even sympathize. Taking a much harder line is General Urko, who sees no value in humans whatsoever and would see them used strictly for slave labor and sport. It creates a nice dynamic with varying shades.
Another thing I liked is that the technology of the ape society here is much like that of 20th century earth. The apes have automobiles, electricity and televisions. The architecture is Greco-Roman, adding an imperial feel. The voice acting was also much improved. It's still a little stiff, but when Bill reveals himself to his captors, Tom Williams puts a nice thrust of emotion into his performance. Henry Corden's General Urko is similarly full tilt.
The animation is still basic and some of the dialog is cringeworthy, but I'm very impressed by the sophisticated themes and how they're woven into the story as a whole.
I enjoyed the first episode of Return to the Planet of the Apes enough to, uh, return. I'm glad I did, because I was rewarded with a much stronger second episode. The basic plot continues to more or less mirror that of the original movie. Here Bill is a stand in for Heston's Taylor. The big difference is in the finer points, and it's here that the cartoon actually surpasses the original live action film. As I mentioned in my previous review, Dr. Zaius is portrayed differently here, showing a reason and compassion lacking in the movie. But when Bill is found to have the ability to speak, Zaius and his council order the death of all humans. This is because only they know that humans once ruled their planet and if the humans show the capacity to once again rise above their primal state, they would be a threat to apekind. The portrayal here shows Zauis acting out of reason and preservation for his kind. It's not unlike his live action counterpart, but the difference is in the tone Zaius takes. It's quite easy to see things from his point of view and even sympathize. Taking a much harder line is General Urko, who sees no value in humans whatsoever and would see them used strictly for slave labor and sport. It creates a nice dynamic with varying shades.
Another thing I liked is that the technology of the ape society here is much like that of 20th century earth. The apes have automobiles, electricity and televisions. The architecture is Greco-Roman, adding an imperial feel. The voice acting was also much improved. It's still a little stiff, but when Bill reveals himself to his captors, Tom Williams puts a nice thrust of emotion into his performance. Henry Corden's General Urko is similarly full tilt.
The animation is still basic and some of the dialog is cringeworthy, but I'm very impressed by the sophisticated themes and how they're woven into the story as a whole.