In 1999, 16 years after the release of "Star Wars: Return of the Jedi", George Lucas restarted the "Star Wars" series of films. In 2011, "Rise of the Planet of the Apes", which is also a prequel, was released, a full 38 years after the last "Battle for the Planet of the Apes" of the previous generation. In the field of sci-fi genre films, only the "Planet of the Apes" and "Alien" series can be compared to "Star Wars" in terms of the quality and effect of the reboot. Others, such as the "Star Trek" series, are relatively stable, and there is no such a long time interval, and "Terminator", "Jurassic Park" and so on are all dog-tailed sequels, not only the quality of the sequels is terrible, let alone established. Cultural phenomena such as "Star Wars", "Planet of the Apes", and "Alien".
Next month, the third prequel, "Rise of the Planet of the Apes: The Final Battle," is set to hit theaters, but it's still 1968's "Planet of the Apes" that made the series classic. It is this film that has made a distinct mark on the series: it does not focus on visual spectacles, it is both popular and interesting, and has a unique independence, which contains a simple and deep-rooted metaphor of the times. At the same time, it also left many unsolved doubts, providing countless brain-opening spaces for subsequent works, and even radiating a wide range of surrounding cultures, which can be described as infinitely charming.
"Planet of the Apes" is adapted from the novel of the same name by French writer Pierre Boole, whose other work "The Bridge on the River Kwai" is equally famous. The creation inspiration of "Planet of the Apes" comes from the interaction between orangutans and humans that Bull saw when visiting the zoo, and the world situation at that time - the two superpowers of the United States and the Soviet Union engaged in an arms race, and the terror of nuclear weapons The very existence of the earth is at stake. When it was adapted into a film, the reality that the United States was in the quagmire of the Vietnam War and the upsurge of the black civil rights movement added another layer of interpretable connotation to the film.
In fact, the setting of "Planet of the Apes" is very reminiscent of Herbert Wells' novel "The Time Machine" and its adaptation of the film "Time and Space". The future Earth, which also has two opposing groups, also paints a gloomy picture of the future of mankind. But comparing the two, "Planet of the Apes" obviously has a richer storyline and an absurd and desperate ending, so it has more thought-provoking and exploreable content.
The most poignant part of the film is the banter and irony that are ubiquitous. For example, the spacecraft that has been flying at the speed of light for a year and a half is only revolving around the earth; the astronauts who got off the ship planted a star-spangled flag on the ground to swear their sovereignty; the apes became the masters, while humans were naked; even more ridiculous is that early There are hints such as the Grand Canyon of Colorado and the language communication with orangutans that they are on earth, but Taylor and his party still turned a blind eye, holding that "life on earth is meaningless, I have long been tired of it, there must be better species in the universe than humans. "Fantasy, in the end, is a pillow of yellow beams. Human arrogance and ignorance are evident.
At the same time, Planet of the Apes, including the series, does not fall into preaching, nor does it favor humans or apes. There are reflections of human society everywhere in the depiction of the ape society, such as the group photo of several apes in front of the prey after rounding up humans; the division of labor and hierarchy in the ape society; Dr. Gila and her boyfriend, Dr. Connelly, about promotion and salary increase and marriage dialogues; and the settings of churches, museums, courts, holy books, etc., are comparable to replicas of human society, and even the discrimination against other species is no different from human categories. Look at Taylor in the eyes of the apes, and think about the animals in our eyes, the audience must be deeply touched.
Of course, even if we can guess that this is the earth in front of the screen, the big reversal of the ending is still shocking. Taylor used his wisdom to coerce Dr. Chase and successfully took the beautiful Nova to break through. Unexpectedly, he saw the rusted wreckage of the Statue of Liberty. Taylor suddenly woke up and cried in despair. This pair of men and women like ants. For Tyler and humanity, the pungent and absurd ending is no less than a nightmare, full of expectations to find a way out for humanity in space, but still can't leave the earth half a step after going around, as if they can't escape Buddha. Sun monkey with palm.
From this perspective, "Planet of the Apes" takes a pessimistic attitude towards the future of mankind, revealing a grim sense of overall reckoning. But on another level, the film says, borrowed from the Holy Book of the Apes: "Beware of the human beast, he is the devil's subordinate. Among the primates of the gods are only humans, hunted for pleasure, lust and greed. He will Murder your own brothers for the land. Don't let them multiply, he'll turn your home and mine into a desert. Avoid the humans, let the humans hide in the caves of the jungle, because he's the god of death." It's like a fable again. , reminding the human beings who advocate violence, destruction, and exhaustion to fish in a timely manner to reflect on themselves.
From ape to man, and from man to ape, is this a regression or progress? Faced with the status quo of human beings and the earth, what should we do? Is it to hope in the ethereal expanse of space, or to correct and transform ourselves? "Planet of the Apes" conveys a strong sense of urgency, but it is a nightmare or a fable, and the answer is ultimately up to humans to find.
♑
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