The Planet of the Apes Evolution Review

The Planet of the Apes
The Evolution
Limited Edition Box Set
20TH CENTURY-FOX HOME VIDEO - 2000109 Retail Price: $99.95

Containing: PLANET OF THE APES, BENEATH THE PLANET OF THE APES, ESCAPE FROM THE PLANET OF THE APES, CONQUEST OF THE PLANET OF THE APES, BATTLE FOR THE PLANET OF THE APES and Bonus disc - Behind The Planet of the Apes

PLANET OF THE APES - 2000791
STATS
Widescreen (2.35:1), THX, Color, CC, Dolby Digital 5.1, Dolby Surround, Languages: English, French, Subtitles: English, Spanish, Chapters: 24, Running Time: 112 mins., Rated G, Also available separately, Price: $29.98

VISUAL
Those who aren’t used to a limited color palette consisting of earth tones may feel this transfer is faded. Considering the condition of the elements all is well here, rich browns, greens, and rusts. The black level, in parts, is perhaps a bit too deep. Flesh tones (human) have a tendency to lean towards the bronze. On the down side there seems to be a very slight yellow/green tint to sun lit scenes - this is a by-product of the aging of the elements, aided probably by improper storage procedures. Previous home video releases have over exposed the contrast level washing out the image and, even worse. erasing some greens completely. (Especially the first laser widescreen release where the corn field in the hunt was gray.) One of my major complaints is the end shot - all detail on the Statue of Liberty, including its green color, are gone. Compare the same shot as it appears in BENEATH THE PLANET OF THE APES. But, basically this DVD transfer the closest as to how the film looked in the theater. The image sharpness is excellent. Detail is at times extraordinary - on clothing, and sets. This is the best the film as looked in any previous home video release.

Rare publicity shot not used in this Special Release

AUDIO
Something is amiss here.... someone has been messing with the sound. Music segments have been re-mixed at a lower level. In Chapt. 9, 35:10 into Chapt. 10, 36: 10 the music is almost inaudible. First off, PLANET was originally a 4-track Stereo mix. When soundtracks were mixed in the pre-Dolby days they tended to be extremely wide, panning dialog, and splitting music in extreme layers. This is not that mix! In 1985 I was told the original 4-track stems were lost. I was told that again in the early 90’s when I aided in the release of the first widescreen laser edition. This 5.1 re-mix is one of those poorly executed, and unimaginative presentations akin to the style of the re-release versions that plagued GONE WITH THE WIND and THE WIZARD OF OZ. Little more than super-MONO. There is no excuse for it to sound this way, especially since the music was restored and presented on a new CD stereo release about 2 years previous with excellent separation and dynamics. The tone of the sound is basically the same. There are no distortions and its been re-equalized for today’s sound systems. But a better mixer would have done this film justice - but studio time costs money, perhaps FOX was really too cheap to go all the way.

EXTRAS
Original Theatrical Trailers: PLANET OF THE APES, BENEATH THE PLANET OF THE APES, ESCAPE FROM THE PLANET OF THE APES, CONQUEST OF THE PLANET OF THE APES, BATTLE FOR THE PLANET OF THE APES. Photo Gallery: Before & After (4 pics), Concept Drawings (8 pics). If the meager amount of photos in the Photo Gallery isn’t an insult then check out the CAST. Names are listed without bios. Oooh, someone really worked hard on this! With the End Credits accessible through its own Chapter this is a needless feature. There’s also a Cross Promotion Trailer for all five films. Here’s where I explode. This “Trailer” as FOX would like you to believe, is really am edited down commercial originally made to promote the series when first released on Beta & VHS way back in 1984! Why didn’t FOX simply use the Theatrical Trailer, “GO APE” used to promote all five films when released to theaters for the last time! To add insult to injury the “GO APE” trailer appears, albeit edited, in the BEHIND THE PLANET OF THE APES documentary! Am I yelling? Damn right! (Read on,it gets worse)

Disc

PRESENTATION
A black Amaray struck in tones of crimson with a new artwork - which many have condemned for giving away the ending of the film. My problem with the cover, indeed most of the covers, in this box set, are the wrong choices of apes used to represent each film. Although it is Roddy Mcdowall in make-up on the cover of PLANET it is not the chimp character Cornelius who appears in the film. It is in fact, Caesar, a character not seen until the 4th film CONQUEST. (Do you see where my gripes are leading....) Menus are wonderfully animated and accompanied with Jerry Goldsmith’s music. An 8 page booklet (beautifully laid-out) covering the apes saga also lists the SCENE SELECTIONS. Very nicely done, however it is little more than a printed version of the FOX's APES website - again no one went out of their way to think this one up either. For those who think FOX ruined the end the first film consider the booklet that gives a run down of the entire series! DUH!

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BENEATH THE PLANET OF THE APES - 2000791

STATS
Widescreen (2.35:1), THX, Color, CC, Dolby Surround, Languages: English, French (MONO), Subtitles: English, Spanish, Chapters: 24, Running Time: 95 mins., Rated G

VISUAL
Unlike the transfer for PLANET which leans towards a “green” hue, BENEATH leans toward blue causing underground scenes of melted rock to share that tint. This is common in the transferring of the film and appeared the same way in past releases. The contrast is also a bit bright. There are many reviewers who will probably complain about parts of the film being excessively grainy not realizing it was a purposely done effect (Close-ups of James Franciscus as in Chapter 15, 55:46 - :57, where Brent is under mind control.) This transfer offers little over past attempts except for the enhanced sharpness of the format. Also the elements seem to have faired better through the years making the process an easier one.

Actor James Franciscus gets direction from Ted Post in this rare behind the scenes shot - not used in this box set edition

AUDIO
Originally a MONO film it first made its Stereo home video debut in 1982 when FOX was experimenting with pseudo-stereo techniques. (One of their first attempts with pseudo-stereo was an early release of THE OMEN around 1981.) This Dolby Surround (MONO Rear) offers little in placement, but slightly improves sonic quality. Dialog and mostly sound effects are Centered with the exception of surf, mind control sounds (vaguely heard everywhere), and clapping. What little separation there is, is heard amongst the Front three Speaker locations. Surrounds are used at low, almost unnoticeable, levels, never gaining any attention to themselves. Stereo or not, real or enhanced, it can only be as good as the original elements. Yet when starting from a MONO release anything is possible so, because of that, this a boring and uninspired re-mix.

EXTRAS
Original Theatrical Trailers: PLANET OF THE APES, BENEATH THE PLANET OF THE APES, ESCAPE FROM THE PLANET OF THE APES, CONQUEST OF THE PLANET OF THE APES, BATTLE FOR THE PLANET OF THE APES, Photo Gallery, There are 7, yes, don’t loose count, 7 behind the scene shots.

Disc

PRESENTATION
Black Amary with a new artwork (everything tinted green) consisting of two shots, one classic and the other of an ape. (yep, another wrong ape, it’s Caesar again, but from the 5th film, BATTLE FOR THE PLANET OF THE APES.) Imaginatively done Menu screens are animated with music and sound effects. A single heavy weight insert lists SCENE SELECTIONS.

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ESCAPE FROM THE PLANET OF THE APES - 2000791

STATS
Widescreen (2.35:1), THX, Color, CC, MONO, Languages: English, French, Subtitles: English, Spanish, Chapters: 27, Running Time: 98 mins., Rated G NOTE: Running time clocks in at 97:21. All previous releases stated 97 mins.

VISUAL
Thankfully all the problems that plagued past releases on various formats have been resolved here. The image is sharp, color tones improved. From the green and brown of the Chimpanzee’s garb to the subtle lavender tint on Natalie Trundy’s glasses. Finally the terrible pink tint that over saturated the beginning has been fixed from previous releases. The contrast is a bit dark, but it is a rich transfer never the less.

Two extremely rare shots from the filmed prolog sequence to ESCAPE FROM THE PLANET OF THE APES. This prolog is never mentioned in either the BEHIND THE PLANET OF THE APES DOCUMENTARY or on the ESCAPE FROM THE PLANET OF THE APES DVD.

AUDIO
The film is presented in its original MONO soundtrack - which is fine, except if the other films in the series have been re-mixed for Stereo, why not this one? Like with PLANET the music for ESCAPE was released in Stereo on a CD by FOX. The elements for a music only Stereo re-mix were available - so, why not? Having only one film in MONO when the rest have been re-done in Stereo is sloppy and careless.

EXTRAS
Original Theatrical Trailers: PLANET OF THE APES, BENEATH THE PLANET OF THE APES, ESCAPE FROM THE PLANET OF THE APES, CONQUEST OF THE PLANET OF THE APES, BATTLE FOR THE PLANET OF THE APES.

Disc

PRESENTATION
Purple is the color of choice this time tinting the cover of this black Amaray, made up of two photos (And this time they’re both from the right film!) Although animated and with sound, (music from the film) this is the least impressive of the Menu screens in the series. Heavy gauge paper insert with Scene Selections.

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CONQUEST OF PLANET OF THE APES - 2000791

STATS
Widescreen (2.35:1), THX, Color, CC, Dolby Surround, Languages: English, French, Subtitles: English, Spanish, Chapters: 21, Running Time: 88 mins., Rated PG Note: clocks in at 86:37 mins.

VISUAL
Because of inferior film stock and or storage this transfer falls short of the others and always has in the past. There are night scenes where the contrast level seems to have been pushed during filming, or in the developing process causing a grainy and cloudy image. Indeed throughout the film there are times the characters are almost hidden in darkness due to poor lighting. (Ahead of its time, films are commonly lit like that today.) Still, this is the best transfer made of the film. Technology has allowed for a better yielding of the image through the years. In its better moments the quality is fine, but still the colors are slightly off - most noticeable in the changing saturation of the red gorilla jumpsuits. Still, credit must be given to those who authored the DVD - not an easy feet considering the element problems.

Rare behind the scenes shot during the night filming of CONQUEST OF THE PLANET OF THE APES - not used in this special box set.

AUDIO
Again a new Stereo mix, Dolby Surround compatible, is offered instead of the original MONO track. Unlike in BENEATH, this mix distributes sound effects to the Front Right and Left. Even dialog (PA announcements) are panned. The most impressive part of the new mix is hearing music from PLANET in Chapter 20 filling the Surround. The volume level seems to have been tampered with at the film’s beginning. The main theme is much lower than it should be - especially at its start.

EXTRAS
Original Theatrical Trailers: PLANET OF THE APES, BENEATH THE PLANET OF THE APES, ESCAPE FROM THE PLANET OF THE APES, CONQUEST OF THE PLANET OF THE APES, BATTLE FOR THE PLANET OF THE APES.

Disc

PRESENTATION
Blue is the color for this cover artwork. Again two photos are used for the black Amaray, and one is wrong. The gorilla chosen is from the 5th film, BATTLE FOR THE PLANET OF THE APES. The animated Menus are terrific with not only music, but sound effects as well. A single heavy weight insert repeats the cover and has Scene Selections on the flip side. On a somewhat comical note - the synopsis on the back cover states, “Colorful, futuristic sets...”. Futuristic, yes. “Colorful”, I think not. Every set is white, black and chrome. Doesn’t anyone watch these movies before writing this stuff?

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BATTLE FOR THE PLANET OF THE APES - 2000791

STATS
Widescreen (2.35:1), THX, Color, CC, Dolby Surround, Languages: English, French, Subtitles: English, Spanish, Chapters: 24, Running Time: 86 mins., Rated G NOTE: for more on the running time see SIGHTS & INSIGHTS below.

VISUAL
As with CONQUEST the elements for BATTLE, in the past, been a challenge for FOX. Usually grainy, with bad color this DVD has corrected many of those problems. The colors are the most pure I’ve ever seen them. In fact, despite certain defects, mostly inherit with the elements - it’s the best of the 5! The detail in the picture is striking. I was thoroughly pleased and surprised.

Deleted scene - the introduction of the Alpha and Omega bomb (on extreme left) later seen in BENEATH THE PLANET OF THE APES is part of the 10 mins. of footage missing from this DVD release. In this extremely rare shot Kolp (Severn Darden) instructs Alma (France Nuyen) what to do should he not return. This scene along with the others deleted from the film are not mentioned in any way either in the BEHIND THE PLANET FO THE APES or on the BATTLE FOR THE PLANET OF THE APES DVDs.

AUDIO
Also a MONO film in its theatrical release it has been re-mixed for Stereo (Dolby Surround compatible), with a MONO Rear Channel. The new mix is mild in dynamics, like the original mix, and even has a few Frontal panning sound effects. It’s on the same level as the re-mix for CONQUEST, which makes it better than BENEATH.

EXTRAS
Original Theatrical Trailers: PLANET OF THE APES, BENEATH THE PLANET OF THE APES, ESCAPE FROM THE PLANET OF THE APES, CONQUEST OF THE PLANET OF THE APES, BATTLE FOR THE PLANET OF THE APES. Fox Interactive Presents, “Behind the Scenes of the PLANET OF THE APES Game.

Disc

PRESENTATION
An amber tinted cover made up of two photos from the film (hey, the second one they got it right!) rounds out this fifth, final entry of the Apes series. Inside the black Amaray a single, heavy gauge insert has Scene Selections. Nicely animated Menu screens have music and sound effects.

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BEHIND THE PLANET OF THE APES - 2000516
(Limited, only available in THE EVOLUTION BOX SET)

STATS
Standard (1.33:1), Color, CC, Stereo 2.0 Dolby Surround, Languages: English, Subtitles: English, Spanish, Chapters: 22, Running Time: 120 mins., Not Rated, Price: Only available in the PLANET OF THE APES: THE EVOLUTION Set. NOTE: Running time clocked in at 126 mins. not the 120 listed.

VISUAL
Documentaries about films are always interesting because of the quality differences of the scenes shown from the film. In this case the DVD transfers still win out. It is amazing how good much of the behind the scenes footage looks.

AUDIO
Mixed with the intent of only being shown on TV the sound is surprisingly good with music being separated between the Front Left & Right locations. Leaving the Center Channel delegated for dialog. Occasionally a visual transition, such as a wipe, white-out or explosion is panned or spreads out into he Surrounds making a surprising effect.

EXTRAS
Original Theatrical Trailers: PLANET OF THE APES, BENEATH THE PLANET OF THE APES, ESCAPE FROM THE PLANET OF THE APES, CONQUEST OF THE PLANET OF THE APES, BATTLE FOR THE PLANET OF THE APES. TV Spot for “Behind the Planet of the Apes”, Cross Promotion Trailer, Fox Interactive Presents, “Behind the Scenes of the PLANET OF THE APES Game.

Disc

PRESENTATION
Packaged to fit in with the boxed set of features this yellow tinted cover is comprised of two photos (one of Caesar again! Is this character someone’s favorite at FOX?!). The Main Menu screen is animated with music from PLANET. The insert, now I’m going to bitch, is a single piece of the heavy gauge paper with ONLY Scene Selections. For this special release, available only to those who put up the bucks for the box set a booklet should have been done.

SIGHTS AND INSIGHTS
FOX was never for the DVD format, but the man responsible for that stance has left - and seemingly, as left the company struggling to make up for lost time. This rushed, and cheaply put together box set wreaks of that state of mind. Granted it all looks nice on a shelf but like a jeweler who looks into an imperfect diamond - there are many flaws. My dealings with FOX go back to the early 80’s when all 5 films were first released on video Cassette through the now defunked, PLAYHOUSE VIDEO, a division of FOX. Later I assisted in the widescreen laser releases (I know, they were terrible, except BENEATH). Back then budget was the problem and the lasers were released with little quality and sold at high cost. The technology was such that without a major restoration of the elements the video masters would only look so good. So I’m well aware of the problems the current people had in procuring the results, although flawed, for these DVDs. However, my complaint is with the management at FOX and their lack of respect for the product, and of course the consumer. Undeniably the best thing about this box-set release is the BEHIND THE PLANET OF THE APES original documentary. But the credit goes to the creators of that documentary, FOX just allowed legal clearance. (The original Edward G. Robinson screen test was planned for the first PLANET Laser, but the legal clearance was unattainable.) Much has been said about these transfer not being done for 16x9 TV. That’s because these are the same transfers made for the last laser editions, released just as DVD debuted. This box set is little more than a way to make up for a probable loss on that format - thus the recycling of the masters without enhancements. There are too many minus here:
1. PLANET’s sound re-mix into 5.1 is wrong - music mixed at the wrong sound level.
2. All 4 sequels were originally in MONO, only three have been re-mixed into stereo.
3. Transfers are not 16x9
4. The same trailers are included with each film when there are other trailers (shown in the documentary) which should have been used. Or TV spots, or radio spots.
5. Deleted scenes, referred to in the documentary should have been made available as bonus materials on each film. Or script excerpts when film was no longer available. Even stills would have been nice. Hell the prolog for ESCAPE was never mentioned in the documentary. What about including the alternate version of the speech given at the end of CONQUEST. Along with the more violent footage. Perhaps the biggest mistake was choosing the shorter version of the 5th film, BATTLE. I personally worked with FOX in locating a missing 10 minuets for a laser release that never saw the light of day.
6. No Commentaries. Granted, not everyone is alive, but I can’t believe no one could be gotten (Directors, actors, make-up men, set designers, composers, costume designers) who couldn’t contribute in some way.
7. No isolated music scores. Especially for CONQUEST and BATTLE which were never released as soundtrack albums. 8. No extensive Photo Galleries. The small amount on PLANET and BENEATH is more an insult than a extra.
9. Packaging discrepancies - wrong characters associated with films. Wouldn't it have been easier to simply use the original posters? The rights were available, they are used as end credit backdrops in the BEHIND THE PLANET OF THE APES.
It all adds up to a messy rushed release. Reviewers are usually given “screeners” or test copies but none were made available for this entire box set. This review is based on a box set I purchased, as any consumer would. It was purchased online at a discount from the SRP (Standard Retail Price). So, my evaluation is not only backed with a knowledge of the product, and the company, but as consumer. It seems this release was forced upon the DVD department at FOX to capitalize on the APES remake in production. And like the continuing cycle that makes up the APES saga... I feel these are film that will be visited yet again at a later date, hopefully done better. I contacted FOX but was unable to get an intelligent answer from the 4 persons I spoke to. None knew anything about the technical end of the business or the format. (One was a Director of Public Rleations) None were able to connect me to a person knowledgeable either on the history of the films or on their masterings. There has been a change at FOX and I fear for the quality of the future releases of films that were produced prior to the date of birth of those working there.

REVIEW by Scott Michael Bosco©