In 1968, sci-fi action movie, Planet of the Apes made its way into cinemas. The film – loosely based on Pierre Boulle’s 1963 novel, La Planète des singes (aka Planet of the Apes) – told the story of a team of astronauts who crash land on a strange planet, at some point in the distant future.
At first the planet appears to be desolate, but soon the astronauts discover a society of talking apes rule the land. The apes have become the dominant species on the planet, while humanity is nothing but voice-less slaves.
With its imaginative ideas, smart direction, and superb special effects, Planet of the Apes was a huge hit upon release. As such, a sequel soon arrived in 1970 under the title, Beneath the Planet of the Apes.
From here, more Apes movies soon followed. Some were direct sequels, while others rebooted the franchise to take it in new directions.
But if you’re new to the Planet of the Apes movie franchise, it can all be a bit confusing. What movie goes where and in which order should you watch the films?
Well, be confused no longer, because this post will clear everything up. Below is a guide to the viewing order for all the Planet of the Apes movies.
Read on for more details… ya damn dirty ape!
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The order of the Planet of the Apes movies
Planet of the Apes (1968)
As noted above, the first entry in the Planet of the Apes movie series was 1968’s Planet of the Apes. The film followed the story of astronauts Taylor, Landon, and Dodge, after they awake from deep hibernation and crash land on an unknown planet in the distant future.
Shortly after exploring the planet, the team discover the shocking truth that apes rule this world. They have built their own society, and mankind is very much a subservient species.
Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970)
Set shortly after the events of Planet of the Apes, Beneath the Planet of the Apes picks up the story with a second spaceship crash landing on the planet. The sole survivor is Brent, whose mission is to track down Taylor and his crew.
As Brent explores his surroundings, he encounters the apes and discovers a hidden, underground city populated by humans. But these humans have a secret weapon, which is primed and ready to go off, and it could lead to the end of the world.
Escape from the Planet of the Apes (1971)
With the second movie ending on an explosive finale, the third film – Escape from the Planet of the Apes – rewound the clock to allow a trio of apes to escape the climactic events of Beneath the Planet of the Apes. In the movie, Cornelius, Zira, and Dr. Milo, travel back in time to the year 1973, where they find themselves to be the only-talking apes on Earth.
During the course of the movie, the apes fall under the watch of the US government, and become media sensastions. However, humanity soon shows its true colours, leaving the apes fighting for survival.
Conquest of the Planet of the Apes (1972)
Picking up two decades after the events of Escape from the Planet of the Apes, Conquest of the Planet of the Apes followed the story of Caesar – the son of Cornelius and Zira. Caesar was hidden from the authorities during the finale of the previous movie, leaving him as the sole talking ape on the planet.
For all of his early life, Caesar hid from humanity amongst a circus troupe. But with his identity threatened, he is forced to reveal himself to the world, setting in motion a series of events that will give birth to the planet of the apes.
Battle for the Planet of the Apes (1973)
Told largely in flashback, this fifth entry in the Apes series takes places a few years after the events of Conquest of the Planet of the Apes with Caesar living with his wife, Lisa and their son, Cornelius. During the course of the movie, Caesar tries to maintain peace between the apes and humans. but he is opposed by an aggressive gorilla general named Aldo, who wants to imprison what remains of humanity.
Planet of the Apes (2001)
With Battle for the Planet of the Apes effectively putting an end to the original Apes storyline, the Planet of the Apes movie series went on hiatus for almost thirty years. Within this time, 20th Century Fox – the studio behind the movies – looked at various options to continue the series, before ultimately heading down the route of a complete reboot.
Director Tim Burton was brought on board to come up with a new vision, and the film moved forward as a new adaptation of Pierre Boulle’s novel. Mark Wahlberg, Tim Roth, Helena Bonham Carter, Michael Clarke Duncan, and Kris Kristofferson joined the cast, and the new film – simply titled Planet of the Apes – arrived in cinemas in 2001.
In the movie, it is the year 2029 when Captain Leo Davidson enters an electromagnetic storm and finds himself transported to the year 5021. Here he crashes on a planet called Ashlar, which is populated by humanoid apes.
Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011)
Although 2001’s Planet of the Apes was a box office hit, it was not well-received by critics. Rather than push ahead with a sequel, 20th Century Fox opted to sit on the franchise for a decade, before bringing it back with another reboot.
Starting things off with Rise of the Planet of the Apes, this new movie introduced Caesar as a highly-intelligent, genetically enhanced chimpanzee. In the film, Caesar lives in captivity, before finding freedom.
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014)
Picking up ten years after the events of Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is set in a world in which the human population has been greatly reduced due to a deadly pandemic. With humans existing in fewer number, an ape society has begun to form with Caesar as leader.
War for the Planet of the Apes (2017)
Set two years after the events of its predecessor, War for the Planet of the Apes sees Caesar’s intelligent ape colony being hunted by a ruthless enemy known as The Colonel. The Colonel’s aim is to take down Caesar and create an all-out war with the apes.
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes (2024)
Picking up the story generations after the events of War for the Planet of the Apes, various ape clans have now emerged. Meanwhile humans have regressed into a feral state, while new hero, Noa leads the film.
The Planet of the Apes movies in order
Should you wish to watch all of the Planet of the Apes in order, follow this list:
- Planet of the Apes (1968)
- Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970)
- Escape from the Planet of the Apes (1971)
- Conquest of the Planet of the Apes (1972)
- Battle for the Planet of the Apes (1973)
- Planet of the Apes (2001)
- Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011)
- Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014)
- War for the Planet of the Apes (2017)
- Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes (2024)
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Are all of the Planet of the Apes movies part of the same series?
The original Planet of the Apes movie series
- Planet of the Apes (1968)
- Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970)
- Escape from the Planet of the Apes (1971)
- Conquest of the Planet of the Apes (1972)
- Battle for the Planet of the Apes (1973)
The Tim Burton Planet of the Apes movie
- Planet of the Apes (2001)
The reboot Planet of the Apes movie series
- Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011)
- Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014)
- War for the Planet of the Apes (2017)
- Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes (2024)
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Who are the cast of the Planet of the Apes movies and are the films the work of the same director?
Notable actors within the Planet of the Apes movie series include Charlton Heston, Roddy McDowall, Kim Hunter, Maurice Evans, Linda Harrison, James Franciscus, Ricardo Montalbán, Mark Wahlberg, Tim Roth, Helena Bonham Carter, Michael Clarke Duncan, Kris Kristofferson, Paul Giamatti, David Warner, Lisa Marie, James Franco, John Lithgow, Brian Cox, Tom Felton, David Oyelowo, Andy Serkis, Toby Kebbell, Judy Greer, Jason Clarke, Gary Oldman, Keri Russell, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Steve Zahn, Woody Harrelson, and Owen Teague.
In terms of the directors, the Planet of the Apes movie series is the work of multiple directors:
- Franklin J. Schaffner directed Planet of the Apes
- Ted Post directed Beneath the Planet of the Apes
- Don Taylor directed Escape from the Planet of the Apes
- J. Lee Thompson directed Conquest of the Planet of the Apes and Battle for the Planet of the Apes
- Tim Burton directed 2001’s Planet of the Apes
- Rupert Wyatt directed Rise of the Planet of the Apes
- Matt Reeves directed Dawn of the Planet of the Apes and War for the Planet of the Apes
- Wes Ball directed Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes
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Which is the best Planet of the Apes movie?
According to IMDb, the Planet of the Apes movies are rated as follows:
- Planet of the Apes (1968) – 8.0/10
- Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970) – 6.0/10
- Escape from the Planet of the Apes (1971) – 6.3/10
- Conquest of the Planet of the Apes (1972) – 6.1/10
- Battle for the Planet of the Apes (1973) – 5.4/10
- Planet of the Apes (2001) – 5.7/10
- Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011) – 7.6/10
- Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014) – 7.6/10
- War for the Planet of the Apes (2017) – 7.4/10
- Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes (2024)- 6.9/10
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If you’re a fan of the Planet of the Apes movie series, then you may wish to know that all of the movies have been released on physical home video, as part of various collections.
One of these collections is the 50 Years of Planet of the Apes – Nine-Movie Blu-ray Collection which includes every movie from 1968’s Planet of the Apes through to 2017’s War for the Planet of the Apes.
The 50 Years of Planet of the Apes – Nine-Movie Blu-ray Collection is available from Amazon US.
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Disclaimer: I earn a commission for products purchased through some links in this article.
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