1. Five awesome movies make a great marathon viewing session! The original Planet of the Apes is certainly the best, then Beneath the Planet of the Apes gets really freaky, then Escape from the Planet of the Apes introduces some comedy, then Conquest of the Planet of the Apes is a little chilling, and finally Battle for the Planet of the Apes is full of great low-budget action.
2. In addition to the movies, there's the TV series (which used to be on just before my bedtime), the animated series (which I'm watching on DVD), and several comic books, too. Oh yeah, there was also the Tim Burton movie, but I'm not counting it!
3. For 1969, the make-up was absolutely amazing! I've seen the movies many, many times, and I still think it's a great design.
4. Where else can you see bloody violence, half-naked people, and hear Charlton Heston say "Damn you all to hell!" in a Rated G movie? It's true - Planet of the Apes is Rated G, just like the Disney animated features!
5. Speaking of half-naked people, Nova definitely knows how to wear an animal skin!
6. My favorite scene in Escape from the Planet of the Apes is when Zera gets drunk on champagne, which she calls "grape juice plus".
7. The classic Mego action figures were so much fun! I had lots of apes and some playsets that definitely saw a lot of action.
8. When I was growing up, my parents and I would go to a restaurant/arcade that had one of the original movie props outside. It was a huge wagon that the apes used to capture humans, and I thought it was amazing to see it in person!
9. Seeing the half-buried Statue of Liberty (suggested by Rod Sterling) is a twist ending that no other film will ever top!
10. Any saga that contains a time loop paradox is totally cool! Cornelius and Zera travel back in time and give birth to Caesar, who starts the ape rebellion in the first place. Pure genius!

Labels: apes, life