Planet of the Apes Franklin J. Schaffner

Critical response

Planet of the Apes was met with critical acclaim and is widely regarded as a classic. It was rated one of the best films of 1968, applauded for its imagination and its commentary on a possible world turned upside down.[21][22] Pauline Kael called it "one of the most entertaining science-fiction fantasies ever to come out of Hollywood".[23] Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film three out of four and called it "much better than I expected it to be. It is quickly paced, completely entertaining, and its philosophical pretensions don't get in the way".[24] Renata Adler of The New York Times wrote, "It is no good at all, but fun, at moments, to watch."[25] Arthur D. Murphy of Variety called it "an amazing film." He thought the script "at times digresses into low comedy", but "the totality of the film works very well".[26] Kevin Thomas of the Los Angeles Times wrote, "A triumph of artistry and imagination, it is at once a timely parable and a grand adventure on an epic scale."[27] Richard L. Coe of The Washington Post called it an "amusing and unusually engrossing picture."[28]

As of November 2022, the film has an 87% rating on the review aggregate website Rotten Tomatoes, based on 60 reviews with an average rating of 7.60/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Planet of the Apes raises thought-provoking questions about our culture without letting social commentary get in the way of the drama and action."[29] On Metacritic, the film has an average score of 79 out of 100 based on 14 reviews.[30] In 2008, the film was selected by Empire magazine as one of The 500 Greatest Movies of All Time.[31]

Box office

According to Fox records the film required $12,850,000 in theater rentals to break even and made $20,825,000—a large profit for the studio.[32]

Accolades

The film won an honorary Academy Award for John Chambers for his outstanding make-up achievement. The film was nominated for Best Costume Design (Morton Haack) and Best Original Score for a Motion Picture (not a Musical) (Jerry Goldsmith).[33] The score is known for its avant-garde compositional techniques, as well as the use of unusual percussion instruments and extended performance techniques, as well as his 12-tone music (the violin part using all 12 chromatic notes) to give an eerie, unsettled feel to the planet, mirroring the sense of placelessness.

American Film Institute Lists

• AFI's 100 Years...100 Movies – Nominated[34]
• AFI's 100 Years...100 Thrills – #59[35]
• AFI's 100 Years...100 Heroes and Villains:
  • Colonel George Taylor – Nominated Hero[36]
• AFI's 100 Years...100 Movie Quotes:
  • "Take your stinking paws off me, you damned dirty ape!" – #66[37]
• AFI's 100 Years of Film Scores – #18[38]
• AFI's 100 Years...100 Movies (10th Anniversary Edition) – Nominated[39]
• AFI's 10 Top 10 – Nominated Science Fiction Film[40]

National Film Registry

Among the 25 Films inducted into the Library of Congress for the year 2001.[41]