This is the most underrated sci-fi film franchise of the 21st century

Caesar (Andy Serkis) leads the fight in Rise of the Planet of the Apes AS A sci-fi fan, you learn not to dwell on the films that could have been. Whether it’s Alejandro Jodorowsky’s unmade Dune , Guillermo del Toro’s cancelled take on At the Mountains of Madness , or the versions of Return of the Jedi that Davids Lynch and Cronenberg could have made, it’s best not to torture yourself over cinematic what-ifs. That’s why I had given up hope of there being a new instalment of the most underrated sc

Though well received by critics and audiences alike, none of the four films have won Oscars or seem to have made much of an impact on pop culture. But then, earlier this month, we got confirmation that a fifth movie was on the way. I’m talking, of course, about the rebooted Planet of the Apes films. We’re all familiar with the Charlton Heston film from 1968 (based on Pierre Boulle’s original novel) in which astronauts wake up after centuries in stasis and crash on a strange planet ruled by intelligent primates. It’s brilliant and timeless, especially thanks to its iconic twist: that the crew have in fact returned to Earth, many years after human civilisation has ended. Between that film’s abiding lustre and the many sequels it spawned, plus one previous ill-advised reboot, you might be wondering why Hollywood was interested in more. “ Well received by critics and audiences, none of the films won Oscars or made much of an impact on pop culture “ Thankfully, the first of the new crop, Rise of the Planet of the Apes , was a reimagining, which focused on the start of the interspecies conflict. The film’s sympathies lay squarely with the primates, chief among them Caesar (Andy Serkis), a young chimp with heightened intelligence due to being exposed to an experimental Alzheimer’s treatment in utero. After being forced out of his human family’s home and witnessing how he and other animals are mistreated, Caesar’s burgeoning awareness leads him to radicalise his fellow apes. Hand-wavy science aside, Rise marries spectacle and substance in a way few blockbusters have achieved since, and its cutting-edge motion-capture animation still holds up. Then came Dawn of the Planet of the Apes , set around a decade after the primates created their own society in the Muir Woods of California. In this version of 2026, humanity has largely succumbed to simian flu, a deadly consequence of the treatment that gave the apes their intelligence.

Key points

• Though well received by critics and audiences alike, none of the four films have won Oscars or seem to have made much of an impact on pop culture.
• But then, earlier this month, we got confirmation that a fifth movie was on the way.
• I’m talking, of course, about the rebooted Planet of the Apes films.
• We’re all familiar with the Charlton Heston film from 1968 (based on Pierre Boulle’s original novel) in which astronauts wake up after centuries in stasis and crash on a strange planet ruled by int…
• It’s brilliant and timeless, especially thanks to its iconic twist: that the crew have in fact returned to Earth, many years after human civilisation has ended.