Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970)

The first sequel to the enormously successful Planet of the Apes is also the best. Less subtle and profound than its predecessor, it's still an exciting and colourful action adventure with a startling finale.

The critic views it as a fair but lesser sequel to the original film, hampered by a reduced budget and Charlton Heston's minimal involvement. They praise the elaborate design of the Forbidden City while noting the shift to a more gothic, action-oriented tone replaces the original's sharp satire.

This is the most left-wing ape picture yet, overloaded with thunderingly platitudinous opinions on every large subject from imperialism to the Bomb. It is frightening in the wrong way, by weight of attitudinizing rather than force of satire, and the story is not the right receptacle for such big notions.

This is one of the lesser films in the series, rehashing sets and plot elements from the original while introducing implausible elements like telepathic mutants worshiping a bomb. The apocalyptic ending works reasonably well but the film loses impact without the original's surprise factor.

The sequel is a derivative melodrama and pretty juvenile, proving that a follow-up to striking science fiction can fall short. It has a few amusing and creative scenes to its credit, such as chimps picketing for peace and views of ruined New York landmarks as the mutants' sanctuary.

This sequel is hokey and slapdash, with the story and direction falling far short of the original. Dialog, acting and direction are substandard, though the apocalyptic ending draws on the first film's closing sequence.

The critic praises it as a brave and imaginative first sequel with effective telepathic mutants and imaginatively rendered sets, noting its subversive and extremely downbeat ending as continuing the original's subversive nature.

The critic views the film as a brave and imaginative sequel that serves as a parable for the atomic age, ending on a striking down note by destroying Earth, reflecting Cold War anxieties. They single out the script's bold apocalyptic conclusion for praise in its daring.

The film suffers from schizophrenia as it fails to reconcile its plotlines or match the original's cleverness and consistency in exploring the human condition. Director Ted Post creates a creepy and atmospheric underground setting, but the story is undermined by bland characters and muddled symbolism.

The sequel feels like a rushed, clunky remake of the original in its first half before descending into schlocky B-movie territory with telekinetic mutants and an atomic bomb cult. The ending is memorably bizarre, but the preceding 90 minutes are pretty dreadful.