Beneath the Planet of the Apes
1970  G  SCIENCE FICTION  1h 35min
CAST— James Franciscus, Kim Hunter, Maurice Evans, Linda Harrison, Charlton Heston, Victor Buono, Thomas Gomez
MUSIC— Leonard Rosenman  DIRECTOR— Ted Post

     Okay, Bright Eyes, we know they blew it up. In this utterly ridonkulous sequel to the classic original we find Charlton Heston in much the same state as last time, damning his descendants at the base of the decrepit Statue of Liberty. Now off he vanishes into what the apes deem the Forbidden Zone. Another human (a pilot who was sent in search of Heston and crew) has crashed onto the planet as well and must wrap his head around the whole talking ape thing as he enters the Forbidden Zone with Heston’s mute squeeze. Inside the Zone our hero must face off against a deadly cult (worshipers or the still active doomsday bomb), find Heston and prevent the cult from wiping out the rest of the planet. Contains more action and violence than the first film but the novelty is clearly gone. Weak, Irwin Allen-ish effects add a cheesy layer to this episode of the Apes.
OUR RATING— * ½
PRECEDED BY— Planet of the Apes (1968)
FOLLOWED BY— Escape from the Planet of the Apes (1971), Conquest of the Planet of the Apes (1972), Battle for the Planet of the Apes (1973)