Review: Planet of the Apes (1968) and Beneath (1969)

Planet of the Apes:

• I find Taylor to be quite an interesting character. He's played by the awesome voice of Charlton Heston, and seems not to mind when finding out the female astronaut is dead due to the 18 year time leap. He then finds Nova attractive despite her being part of a group that completely screwed up their supplies.
• The build up to the lines, "take your paws off me you damn dirty ape," is great.
• The ending is memorable, due to fears of the cold war.

It's a fine example of screenwriting, acting and directing. Well worth an Academy Award for something.
10/10

Beneath the Planet of the Apes:
There's definitely big problems with this film that made people forget the rest of the series.

• They write off Taylor before doing it permanently. Charlton Heston had an ingenious ending for this film though.
• The mutants are quite nuclear and their special effects are a bit unpolished.

I really liked Brent, but he's definitely a step down from Taylor. Sort of like how I didn't like Godfather Part II's inclusion of characters that weren't in the first film.
The deaths in the end I really didn't see coming, although eventually you see the end coming, albeit it was suspenseful.
The mutants with nuclear bomb inspired powers also seem to be 2001 inspired, albeit no one knows for sure, who came with what idea first. The mutants love and religion based on the bomb is quite poetic and indicative of some right wing convictions.
7/10