Planet Of The Apes (1968/Fox Blu-ray)
Picture: B Sound: B Extras: B+ Film: A-
NOTE: This single is also available in the Evolution Blu-ray box set, which you
can read more about at this link:
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/7811/Planet+Of+The+Apes+40th+Anniv
We have
previous reviewed the entire original theatrical film series in its Legacy Collection DVD set, which itself
has links to our coverage of limited edition CD soundtracks to the sequels and
the earlier 35th Anniversary
DTS DVD Set:
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/3543/Planet+Of+The+Apes+–+The+Legacy
Well, the
third time is the charm for this classic that only gets better with age and has
survived its horrendous remake. Issued
separately and as part of a 40th
Anniversary Blu-ray box set, Fox seemingly decided to only send this first
film to critics, but we received the whole set and all five look better than
the previous DVDs and even offer some fine demo shots. However, in this particular case, the film
has a sometimes uneven look despite all the restoration and upgrading here
because it has been worked on over the years since its importance brought Fox
to start working on it early on.
The 1080p
2.35 X 1 AVC @ 26 MBPS digital High Definition image proves that this was a
better looking film than many have given it credit for being, but it tends to
be a little choppy throughout in the quality of the footage used. You can go from a soft cut to a sharp one and
from remarkable depth and detail to footage that looks a generation or two
down. The reason is that like the 1965
James Bond film Thunderball, also on
Blu-ray with the same issues, the film was such a hit that master materials may
have been worn down or even lost.
Unfortunately for this film, it was a DeLuxe color release and not a
dye-transfer Technicolor one, so color is definitely an issue here. Though color can look much better here than
in the DVDs easily in many shots, sometimes, it is weaker and needs some
work. Both were Panavision shoots and
make for interesting comparisons on Blu-ray.
The DTS
HD Master Audio (MA) 5.1 lossless mix here is also like Thunderball in that some of the reconstruction was done a while ago
and has a 16bit PCM ceiling, extending to Jerry Goldsmith’s classic score, but
while the new mix avoids some of the distortion of the DTS DVDs, dialogue
sounds older and a little smaller. The
one upgrade that gives it an edge over the DVDs is the D-BOX bass encoding,
though few have D-BOX in their home, it is a nice bonus to have here where it
is missing from the DVDs. Still, this is
better than the Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono options and cleaner overall.
Extras
include all the previous goodies from the DVDs and adds a few new ones
exclusive to Blu-ray, which is more than enough reason to make the
upgrade. The original extras include the
two feature length audio commentaries by Composer Jerry Goldsmith and Actors
Roddy McDowall, Natalie Trundy, Kim Hunter and Makeup Artist John Chambers
respectively, Text Commentary by Eric Greene and Author of “Planet of the Apes as American Myth”, Behind
the Planet of the Apes Documentary – Includes all new interactivity and
timeline, Behind the Planet of the Apes Promo (1988), Planet of the Apes Makeup
Test with Edward G. Robinson (1966), Roddy McDowall’s on-set Footage, Planet
of the Apes Dailies/Outtakes (Silent/No Audio), Planet of the Apes NATO
Presentation (1967), Planet of the Apes Vintage
Featurette (1968), A Look Behind the Planet of the Apes (from 1972),
Original Theatrical Trailers, Original Sketches by Costume Designer Morton
Haack, Photo Gallery, Planet of the Apes Timeline, Interactive
Pressbooks, Vintage Apes Newspaper Galleries, Advertising and Lobby Card
Galleries and a Behind-the-Scenes Galleries.
The new
items include the “Beyond the Forbidden Zone” Adventure Game, Science of the Apes
BONUSVIEW (only working on Blu-ray players with this capacity) – in which
scientists, anthropologists and sociologists discuss the facts, myths and
fiction of the film, A Public Service Announcement From ANSA in HD (this is a mission
report from the agency regarding their ‘brave astronauts’), “Evolution
of the Apes” HD featurette tracing the apes story from the original
novel to the screen and “Impact of the Apes” - HD featurette
on how to market a worldwide pop culture phenomenon.
You can
get it separately like all five Apes films on Blu-ray (the sequels have new
making of featurettes produced in High Def) or in a 40 Year Evolution Blu-ray box set noted above with a link that
includes a new illustrated booklet. For
even more Apes, try the links to the
two underrated TV series:
1974
Live-Action Series
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/4511/Planet+Of+The+Apes:+The+Complete
1975
Animated Series
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/4477/Return+To+The+Planet+Of+The+Apes
- Nicholas Sheffo
