Beneath The Planet Of The Apes (1970)

An astronaut (James Franciscus) sent on a mission to discover what happened to the previous astronaut (Charlton Heston) and his crew who went missing crash lands on a planet in the year 3955. Not only will he discover the city of apes that astounded the prior astronaut, he will discover something even more horrible. Directed by Ted Post (HANG 'EM HIGH), this was the second of the original PLANET OF THE APES franchise which consisted of five films in total. While it lacks the freshness and surprise value of the original 1968 film, it's commendable that it doesn't give us more of the same but goes in a different direction. It's relentlessly downbeat and has one of the most nihilistic conclusions in all cinema. Franciscus is the focus of the film's narrative with Heston appearing only at the beginning and the end of the film. Franciscus lacks Heston's strong screen presence which is the film's loss. Maurice Evans and Kim Hunter in ape form and Linda Harrison in human form return from the 1968 film. With James Gregory, Victor Buono, Paul Richards, Natalie Trundy, Jeff Corey and Don Pedro Colley.