--- title: "Battle for the Planet of the Apes: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/battle-for-the-planet-of-the-apes/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/battle-for-the-planet-of-the-apes" critics_score: 29 critics_reviews: 8 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Battle for the Planet of the Apes (1973): what the critics said Critics' score 29 from 8 reviews: 0 positive, 1 mixed, 7 negative. The reviews are close to unanimous: this is the weakest of the original five films. The complaints cluster on money. A cut budget shows in the make-up, the battle footage and the locations, and several critics call the result cheap and perfunctory. The script draws almost as much fire: too much talk, a knotted plot, continuity that does not hold, and a lighter tone that several feel drains the series of the satire that carried the earlier entries. What praise there is goes to Roddy McDowall, whose performance is singled out as solid amid the constraints. The spread is narrow, with seven of eight negative. The one mixed notice, from Collider, credits Thompson’s atmospheric direction and the attempt at a hopeful ending, while finding the film fails to earn it. Roger Ebert goes furthest the other way, calling it incompetently made, with ragged transitions and inaudible dialogue. Radio Times concedes fans may still enjoy it. ## Variety — Variety Staff Rating **. 1 January 1973. The final effort is limp, though the previous films maintained quality longer; notes the plot elements and cast including Roddy McDowall and Claude Akins. [Read the review](https://variety.com/1972/film/reviews/battle-for-the-planet-of-the-apes-1200423075/) ## Empire — Ian Nathan Fi1m's normalised score 20/100 (inferred from the text). 29 March 2006. The critic finds it a limp and humourless B-movie that has abandoned the series' satirical verve, with too much talk, a knotted plot, clunky action, and unconvincing make-up due to budget cuts. They conclude it should be buried in the Forbidden Zone as it lacks the charm and intelligence of the others. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/battle-planet-apes-review/) ## Radio Times — Alan Jones Rating 1/5. The critic calls it the least effective entry in the original Planet of the Apes series, with Roddy McDowall leading an attempt to restore racial harmony amid cheap production values and a lack of novelty or strong story. Endless action fails to disguise the threadbare monkey business, though fans of the franchise may still enjoy it. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-lke6qe/battle-for-the-planet-of-the-apes/) ## RogerEbert.com — Roger Ebert Fi1m's normalised score 10/100 (inferred from the text). 10 July 1973. The critic finds the film incompetently made with ragged transitions, inaudible dialogue, cheap battle footage, and a thin story, calling it the last gasp of a dying series made only to extract money from remaining fans. [Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/battle-for-the-planet-of-the-apes-1973) ## Collider — Matt Goldberg Rating C+. 7 July 2014. The critic finds that the film attempts a hopeful tone after the series' prior pessimism but fails to earn it, falling short of its aspirations in themes, execution, and decisive conclusions despite some atmospheric direction by Thompson and thoughtful moments. [Read the review](https://collider.com/battle-for-the-planet-of-the-apes-review/) ## Film Stories — A J Black Fi1m's normalised score 40/100 (inferred from the text). 15 May 2024. The film is a cheap-looking forest romp that fails to deliver on its epic ambitions due to limited resources and direction. It marks the end of the original series amid poor reception and low box office. [Read the review](https://filmstories.co.uk/features/planet-of-the-apes-revisiting-the-unique-1970s-sequels/) ## Den of Geek — Don Kaye Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 3 July 2017. The critic views the film as the weakest and most perfunctory entry in the original five-film series, hampered by a low budget, unfocused script, and a shift toward a lighter tone that diluted its potential. They single out the ambitious but unrealized elements from the original treatment and the solid performance by Roddy McDowall as highlights amid the production constraints. [Read the review](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/how-battle-for-the-planet-of-the-apes-ended-a-franchise/) ## HeyUGuys — Cai Ross Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 12 July 2017. The low-budget sequel struggles with continuity issues and illogical plotting while attempting to wrap up the series. It comes across as a bare-bones effort lacking the imagination or intensity of prior entries. [Read the review](https://www.heyuguys.com/planet-of-the-apes-history/) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/battle-for-the-planet-of-the-apes.md