--- title: "Escape from the Planet of the Apes: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/escape-from-the-planet-of-the-apes/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/escape-from-the-planet-of-the-apes" critics_score: 81 critics_reviews: 9 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." --- # Escape from the Planet of the Apes (1971): what the critics said Critics' score 81 from 9 reviews: 8 positive, 1 mixed, 0 negative. The reviews are warm, and consistently so: eight of nine are positive, and several call this the strongest of the original sequels. The praise clusters on the script, which sends Cornelius and Zira back to 1970s California and turns the series round so the apes are the outsiders, and on Roddy McDowall and Kim Hunter, whose likeable double act carries the fish-out-of-water comedy of the first half. Don Taylor’s direction is described as efficient and tactful, and most critics admire the way the film moves from satire to something much darker without losing its footing. The reservations are few and mild. Empire is the lone mixed voice, finding the opening potentially silly, the ending predictable and the central idea watered down by the job of setting up later entries. The New Yorker has quibbles about characterisation. Otherwise the spread is narrow, and the later writers are, if anything, warmer than the contemporary ones. ## Variety Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 31 December 1970. The review deems it an excellent film, almost as good as the original, crediting an outstanding script, excellent direction by Don Taylor, and superior performances from Roddy McDowall and Kim Hunter. It shifts from comedic antics to a horrifying dilemma in a literate and thought-provoking way. [Read the review](https://variety.com/1970/film/reviews/escape-from-the-planet-of-the-apes-1200422510/) ## Radio Times — David Parkinson Rating 4/5. The third film in the sci-fi series sees advanced apes Cornelius and Zira travel back in time to 1970s California. It is a movie of two halves: the first an amusing collection of observations on modern life through the eyes of the apes, the second much darker as humans resort to cruelty to protect their future. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-3cgghr/escape-from-the-planet-of-the-apes/) ## The New York Times — Roger Greenspun Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 29 May 1971. The critic finds it one of the better new movies in a science-fiction genre often invisible at the middle level, praising the time-travel premise and its development into dramatic inevitability. Direction by Don Taylor is efficient and tactful, with strong performances from Roddy McDowall and Kim Hunter. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/1971/05/29/archives/escape-from-the-planet-of-the-apes-proves-entertaining.html) ## The New Yorker — Penelope Gilliatt Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 29 May 1971. The critic calls the film rather splendid and encouraging, noting the striking effect of the talking chimpanzees and the cutting portrayal of how they are treated as outsiders. The script is shrewd and fast with some quibbles about characterizations. [Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1971/06/05/the-upstanding-chimp) ## Empire — Sam Toy Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). 28 March 2006. The film overcomes a potentially silly opening to explore humans embracing talking apes in a clever twist on the series, though it ends predictably and dilutes the central idea while setting up future entries. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/escape-planet-apes-review/) ## Collider — Matt Goldberg Rating A-. 5 July 2014. The critic praises the film's shift to a more comic, heartwarming, and empathetic tone while staying true to the franchise's thoughtful darkness and fatalism. Singles out the warm relationship between Zira and Cornelius and the tragic, ominous ending with Baby Milo. [Read the review](https://collider.com/escape-from-the-planet-of-the-apes-review/) ## Film Stories — A J Black Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 15 May 2024. The critic calls Escape their personal favourite of the original Apes films. It stands out for its thoughtful sci-fi time-travel elements mixed with lighter comedic moments thanks to the likeable performances of McDowall and Hunter, plus its bold narrative risks in the ending. [Read the review](https://filmstories.co.uk/features/planet-of-the-apes-revisiting-the-unique-1970s-sequels/) ## HeyUGuys — Cai Ross Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 12 July 2017. The piece praises the film as ground-zero for the rest of the series and probably the most purely enjoyable entry overall. It highlights the clever fish-out-of-water comedy in the first half contrasted with the tragic horror of the climax. [Read the review](https://www.heyuguys.com/planet-of-the-apes-history/) ## Den of Geek — Don Kaye Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 21 May 2019. The critic praises the film as the best of the original sequels for its smart script that cleverly flips the perspective to make the apes protagonists, creating a self-perpetuating cycle, along with witty direction and strong performances. They single out the satirical elements and the tense chase in the latter part for making it a standout entry. [Read the review](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/why-escape-from-the-planet-of-the-apes-was-ahead-of-its-time/) --- © 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/escape-from-the-planet-of-the-apes.md