Fantastic Fest Review: "Conquest of the Planet of the Apes" - The Unseen Cut

re: Fantastic Fest Review: "Conquest of the Planet of the Apes" - The Unseen Cut

Zen Cat — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 18:26:42 GMT

This review is being dissected over at:

movies.groups.yahoo.com/.../pota

re: Fantastic Fest Review: "Conquest of the Planet of the Apes" - The Unseen Cut

Scott Von Doviak — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 17:53:42 GMT

Not yet, but I'll be sure to let you know when the check clears!

(I think my point was that this cut isn't much different. But if that wasn't clear, allow me to summarize thusly: "This cut isn't much different. There's a little more blood, and the tacked-on end of Caesar's speech is gone.")

re: Fantastic Fest Review: "Conquest of the Planet of the Apes" - The Unseen Cut

Lupo — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 16:35:02 GMT

That was an entirely pointless review. You basically just listed the same plot points that were in the original version, then said, "Hey, the new ending was fucking awesome!" and yet, you didn't even bother to explain what was different about this cut, other than to say it had more blood. No research, no insightful criticism, no commentary other than some juvenile Ain't It Cool News-style blabbering. Honestly, what has happened to journalism? I sincerely hope you didn't get paid for this.

re: Fantastic Fest Review: "Conquest of the Planet of the Apes" - The Unseen Cut

danrimage — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 13:44:04 GMT

I fucking KNEW that that wack-ass addendum to McDowell's final speech was a studio add-on. It would make a much more powerful finale with the apes triumphant and full of hatred (as well as making vastly more sense).

The next sequel after this was the similarly hamstrung and underwhelmingly touchy-feely Battle for the Planet of the Apes, in which man and ape are trying to live side by side in harmony. I imagine that that version was sanctioned after the fire and bloodshed potential of the finale of Conquest was watered down to weak as piss hippy sermonising.

The thing I always liked about the Ape movies was their essentially nihilistic, bleak worldview....all of them end on harsh notes of despair and hopelessness that you'd be hard-pressed to find in any blockbuster nowadays.