5 Favorite Planet of the Apes Movies?

BTW. It's funny that you put "Time of the Apes" on this list. That's a bit like putting "The Ice Pirates" on a list of Star Wars movies.

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

Planet of the Apes (1968)

Rise of the Planet of the Apes

Beneath the Planet of the Apes

..either haven't seen or care for the rest.

If I were hard-pressed, I'd have to say in all seriousness that the only one that I'd really, honestly, rate highly is the original '68 classic, a grand movie by any standard--just the right blend of silly and serious, with one of Chuck Heston's best performances. Planet of the Apes is probably my favorite sci-fi movie of them all, perhaps exactly because it doesn't really feel like sci-fi.

With that said, I've seen several (not all) of the sequels, and all of those I've seen have their pluses and minuses, but none comes close to the original. While I know many fans love Escape, its disparate elements didn't exactly coalesce for me, and it seemed a bit too drab and dry in spite of some amusing dialogue, good performances by McDowell and Hunter, and of course a hammy Ricardo Montalbán. Still, the favorable elements I cited were enough for me to check it off for this poll, even if I wouldn't exactly call it a genuine "favorite."

The only sequel of which I'm very fond is Beneath, a ridiculous and silly movie that nonetheless is the only one that actually looks and feels like the original. Stupid plot, to be sure (rehashing the original but then taking out anything thought-provoking or Serling-esque), and a weird (one review called it "Shatner-esque") lead performance by James Franciscus, but it's a lot of goofy fun, and (again) it genuinely feels like a sequel to Planet of the Apes.

I've seen bits and pieces of the Burton version... The imagery and set-design are impressive, befitting a Burton film, but--um--it's really a mess. I, for one, could not make head nor tail of the plot, and character motivations are so muddled that I didn't know for whom (if anyone) I was supposed to root. The acting, too, is all over the place (but, then, Burton's skill has always been the visual, not the direction of actors).

I've seen Spaceballs, and it's amusing, but would you really call it a Planet of the Apes movie? Seriously?

I've also seen Rise and Dawn. The first was fine, and intriguing, though (again) it follows the pattern of calling itself an Apes movie that is nothing like Planet of the Apes. It did seem a bit too slick and polished--"Planet of the Apes Cinematic Universe"!--in that modern way, of which I'm not particularly fond. I strongly disliked Dawn, for which I felt no connection or interest. Utterly forgettable.

I thoroughly enjoyed Dawn (though I wish the story they had told had been bigger and more ambitious in scope) but my main problem was the ending was terribly predictable and cliche (Caesar letting Koba fall off a cliff and telling him "You are no Ape"), so it ruined the rest of the movie for me.

I have no desire to see the new one. "War" of the Planet of the Apes sound like a really lame and pointless premise. We all know who's gonna win the "war".

Planet of the Apes (1968)
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes 
Rise of the Planet of the Apes 
War for the Planet of the Apes 

Likewise, I think "Beneath" is underrated.

Well...so is the idea that in only 2000 years apes could become sentient beings who speak english.

At least Beneath explained that not all of Humanity died or regressed and that not Technology was lost.

So far I have only seen the original and the 2010s series. I loved all four of them. I have also seen Spaceballs. That scene was hillarious.

Planet of the Apes (1968)
Escape from the Planet of the Apes
Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
War for the Planet of the Apes