Yes, it's entertaining. Certainly, much of it is funny, and while campy in spots, it's not outlandish as its predecessor. Somehow, Cornelius and Zira make it back to the time around Taylor's life, in his own spaceship. They witnessed the destruction of their world, and with a reversed time notification on the ship, they realize that they are on the destroyed planet centuries before. The government and military realize that the preservation of humans in the future means that Zira (who has discovered that she is pregnant) must not give birth to a live baby and must be sterilized. But with Cornelius realizing what is going on, the two decide to take drastic measures which even their new human friends can't help them with.
The future Victor Newman, aka "the mustache", aka Eric Braeden sans mustache, is the villain here, a presidential adviser who believes that the arrival of Cornelius and Zira is the beginning of the end, even if that end won't be for more than a dozen generations. Escaping to hide in the circus run by Ricardo Montalban, Hunter prepares to have her baby while Cornelius does what all expectant fathers do: strive to protect his family and Braeden moves in for the kill.
With the first half funny but filled with tension because it's obvious where this will go, it still continues to make strong points of the fear of whomever is in control to remain in power. The extended footage of Hunter and McDowall as the major characters after supporting Charlton Heston and James Franciscus in the first two films makes them the heart and soul of the series because they are extremely likable, especially Hunter. When they go out for a shopping spree, it becomes delightfully silly, especially the bashful Zira who suddenly feels like a diva in her designer outfit.
This shows two humans who are practically identical to Cornelius and Zira in compassion and gentility, and ironically in the same profession. Bradford Dillman and Natalie Trundy (who would wear the chimpanzee make-up for the last two films) are sensational as they break through the shells of the petrified time travelers, and Sal Mineo, in a small role as the third ape who traveled back in time, is very good as well. There are tons of funny moments as Cornelius and Zira attempt to adapt in the human world, but the cruelties of the humans brainwashed by the evil Braeden makes you want to hiss them.
The saga has to continue to come full circle, but there's heartbreak in store for the two chimpanzees who would have been better had they not escaped, even though that would have meant the circle of the world being incomplete. Montalban enters the film as it takes a serious tone, and his cameo takes the plot into its further twist. The final arc of the story is filled with tension, and I can't imagine there being one dry eye in the movie theater as this ended. Like the first film, this ends with the "wow" moment where everybody probably stayed quiet and digested everything they had just seen.
The future Victor Newman, aka "the mustache", aka Eric Braeden sans mustache, is the villain here, a presidential adviser who believes that the arrival of Cornelius and Zira is the beginning of the end, even if that end won't be for more than a dozen generations. Escaping to hide in the circus run by Ricardo Montalban, Hunter prepares to have her baby while Cornelius does what all expectant fathers do: strive to protect his family and Braeden moves in for the kill.
With the first half funny but filled with tension because it's obvious where this will go, it still continues to make strong points of the fear of whomever is in control to remain in power. The extended footage of Hunter and McDowall as the major characters after supporting Charlton Heston and James Franciscus in the first two films makes them the heart and soul of the series because they are extremely likable, especially Hunter. When they go out for a shopping spree, it becomes delightfully silly, especially the bashful Zira who suddenly feels like a diva in her designer outfit.
This shows two humans who are practically identical to Cornelius and Zira in compassion and gentility, and ironically in the same profession. Bradford Dillman and Natalie Trundy (who would wear the chimpanzee make-up for the last two films) are sensational as they break through the shells of the petrified time travelers, and Sal Mineo, in a small role as the third ape who traveled back in time, is very good as well. There are tons of funny moments as Cornelius and Zira attempt to adapt in the human world, but the cruelties of the humans brainwashed by the evil Braeden makes you want to hiss them.
The saga has to continue to come full circle, but there's heartbreak in store for the two chimpanzees who would have been better had they not escaped, even though that would have meant the circle of the world being incomplete. Montalban enters the film as it takes a serious tone, and his cameo takes the plot into its further twist. The final arc of the story is filled with tension, and I can't imagine there being one dry eye in the movie theater as this ended. Like the first film, this ends with the "wow" moment where everybody probably stayed quiet and digested everything they had just seen.