Yes Apes fans, Escape has only- sadly- three Apes (or four if you'll count a little baby chimp at the end), which are the original Cornelius (Roddy McDowell) and Zira (Kim Hunter) who along with another brilliant ape escape before the world is destroyed by the atom bomb in part 2. They're scrutinized and gawked, in a quasi deja vu to what Taylor had happen upon him when he arrived on the "ape planet" in part 1. Soon however the two apes (poor Milo meets his end suddenly, and with a cheesy quick montage of various animals reacting across the zoo) become semi-stars... and what was routine in their past, like Zira's experimenting on human subjects, makes them targets.
It's not rocket science, but there is some good, satirical fun this time around, where the low budget and more "human" locations give room for a script that's smarter than a third movie in a series of Planet of the Apes deserves to have. Who can't laugh a little when Zira has her 'grape juice plus', or with Ricardo Montabon's bit part at the end, followed by a tongue-in-cheek mention of the little guy talking. There is a low level of action and suspense, so when the little bits do come up, like the chase on the ship, it's sustained pretty well. And McDowell and Hunter are pretty much second nature to the parts by this time, understanding how to blend the line between campy and serious portrayals of the species known as Ape. It's fun sci-fi for an afternoon.
It's not rocket science, but there is some good, satirical fun this time around, where the low budget and more "human" locations give room for a script that's smarter than a third movie in a series of Planet of the Apes deserves to have. Who can't laugh a little when Zira has her 'grape juice plus', or with Ricardo Montabon's bit part at the end, followed by a tongue-in-cheek mention of the little guy talking. There is a low level of action and suspense, so when the little bits do come up, like the chase on the ship, it's sustained pretty well. And McDowell and Hunter are pretty much second nature to the parts by this time, understanding how to blend the line between campy and serious portrayals of the species known as Ape. It's fun sci-fi for an afternoon.