Top 20 Epic Planet of the Apes Moments

“Planet of the Apes” (1968)

Arriving on a seemingly alien planet, astronaut George Taylor, played by Charlton Heston, makes his way through a world where humans are mute and primitive and apes rule. At every turn, things become more and more bizarre as he suffers abuse. It culminates in a moment where he is caged and eventually tortured by being sprayed with a high-powered water hose. This is of course evocative of how police would use hoses on civil rights protestors just a few years prior, as the early “Apes” films often utilized allegory for social injustice. Beguiled and tormented, Taylor is broken by a world where he has become a beast; he screams the now iconic line, “It’s a madhouse!”

“Rise of the Planet of the Apes” (2011)

The embodiment of corporate greed and selfishness, Steven Jacobs is the ultimate antagonist in “Rise.” The long-suffering test ape Koba comes to resent Jacobs for the years of abuse inflicted upon him by humans. After gaining sentience and escaping with Caesar, Koba survives Jacobs attempting to have the simians gunned down via helicopter. Jacobs begs for his life from Caesar as the now crashed helicopter hangs precariously over the San Francisco Bay. Caesar turns, nods to a figure revealed to be Koba, and Jacobs realizes it’s over for him as the bonobo sends him plummeting to a watery grave. This perfectly ends the arc of one film’s villain while setting up another for the next installment in one fell swoop.

“Escape from the Planet of the Apes” (1971)

In this cold open, the spacecraft from the original “Planet of the Apes” is seen floating in the Pacific Ocean. It’s quickly revealed that, unlike the previous two entries, the third “Apes” movie takes place in the near present day. The military scrambles to recover the craft from the waves and soldiers arrive on the beach to see it towed to shore. Echoing the original three astronauts emerge, and the general warmly greets them. However, he quickly trails off once they take their helmets off. Rather than Charlton Heston, or any other human for that matter, three apes are revealed to be in the spacesuits and the title appears onscreen.

“War for the Planet of the Apes” (2017)

When “War” opens, it’s revealed that Caesar's apes have been pursued by a human militia for two years, led by a ruthless leader simply known as “the Colonel.” Despite Caesar showing mercy to his men, the Colonel storms Caesar’s base, killing his wife and son, leading Caesar down a dark path of vengeance to hunt down and kill him. When the two come face to face, it isn’t the violent confrontation one might expect, as Caesar has been taken hostage as they discuss vengeance, cruelty, and the fate of the world. The scene features spectacular performances from both Woody Harrelson as the Colonel and Andy Serkis, whose powerhouse portrayal led many to claim he was snubbed from Oscar recognition due to motion capture bias.

“Dawn of the Planet of the Apes” (2014)

It is an impressive feat to both be completely saddened by a scene on an emotional and intellectual level, yet somehow be incredibly excited on a visceral level. Koba’s attack on San Francisco, shattering the hard-won peace while death and destruction reign down around him, manages to do both. Although we’ve dreaded the inevitable conflict that almost all of the characters have strived to avoid throughout the film, when it arrives, it can only be described as awesome. Koba rides through the streets of San Francisco on horseback with a machine gun in each hand, firing indiscriminately, jumping through flames. The scene is capped by a long tracking shot in which Koba hijacks a tank, crashing it into the city gates in a haunting sequence.

“Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes” (2024)

Set hundreds of years after the previous entry, “Kingdom” introduces a new protagonist, Noa, an ape from a simple society that is in touch with nature and raises eagles. However, it does not take long for Noa to become embroiled in the machinations of the devious and power-hungry Proximus Caesar. Noa’s introduction to Proximus comes when he is led into his fortress, holding back the crashing waves of the sea. Proximus emerges, spouting the words of Caesar, but twisting them for his own benefit. Proximus, played perfectly by Kevin Durand, manages to be both intimidating and charismatic as he shouts to his indentured servants, “What a wonderful day!” It’s so compelling, it's difficult not to say it along with him.

“War for the Planet of the Apes” (2017)

Matt Reeves and Mark Bomback, who wrote “War,” took inspiration from a number of classic films when working on this conclusion to the rebooted trilogy. One source they mentioned was the 1963 Steve McQueen classic “The Great Escape,” and it’s not difficult to see which scenes that movie shaped. As Caesar and the other apes have been imprisoned, a plan to bust them out is hatched by his allies, including fan favorite Maurice and newcomer Bad Ape, played by Karin Konoval and Steve Zahn, respectively. In addition to being a great sequence calling back to classic filmmaking, Bad Ape, Maurice, and the human child Nova help to provide the rather serious entry with some much-needed compassion and comic relief.

“Beneath the Planet of the Apes” (1970)

After being absent for most of the sequel, Tayor and the film’s protagonist, another time-displaced astronaut named Brent, discover the terrible secret hiding beneath the planet of the apes. The giant nuclear bomb, the Alpha-Omega venerated by mutant humans, was one with the power to destroy the entire world. The apes attack the underground and in the battle, the bomb is almost set off. However, tragedy is seemingly averted. That is until a final gunfight erupts and Brent and Taylor are both gunned down. Dying, Taylor falls, his hand slipping on the bomb’s final trigger. As the screen fades to white, an omniscient voice tells us that the Earth is dead in an ending that was bold, if a bit of a downer.

“Dawn of the Planet of the Apes” (2014)

After the apocalypse, humanity and apes had lived in separate societies for a decade, seemingly unaware of each other’s continued existence until a chance encounter. Seeking to preserve the peace through a showing of force, Caesar, in full war paint, marches his ape army to the gates of the human settlement. Scores of them making their way through the overgrown ruins of the city was emphasized by the powerful score of composer Michael Giacchino, which referenced the original film’s score while still feeling unique and modern. As Caesar stares down the humans, he shouts, many hearing an ape speak for the first time, that he doesn’t want war but will fight to protect his own in a moment that reverberated through the franchise thereafter.

“Planet of the Apes” (1968)

Not long after encountering a group of feral humans, the three astronaut travelers see something that confounds them even more, a gorilla on horseback. The trio has little time to react, as the sound of horns signals the beginning of the hunt. The humans, including the three space travelers, are soon made prey for the apes. The thrilling and tense scene sees the gorillas chase them down with nets and rifles with them being indiscriminately captured or killed. The humans cut through the stalks of corn in a shot that has often been imitated.

“Rise of the Planet of the Apes” (2011)

In “Rise,” we see Caesar the chimpanzee grow from a newborn to a revolutionary. Over the course of the film, he struggles with a sense of identity. An ape raised by a human, Will, Caesar is unsure where he belongs. The home he had known, and the iconic window he looked out, were taken from him, and he was placed in a cage. However, Caesar came to realize he had been confined all along, and at the end of the film, went to the place he knew he could roam free and unleashed, leading his kind there to freedom. Will chases after him out of love, asking him to come home with him, but Caesar refuses. He already is home.

“Conquest of the Planet of the Apes” (1972)

True to form, the penultimate chapter in the original continuity features a heavy dose of social commentary relevant to the time, most evidently in the ape revolution at the end. The film sees apes turned into slave labor for the humans, that is until a leader, this continuity’s Caesar, rises, empowering the slaves. The final act sees them arm themselves and overthrow their oppressors with imagery reminiscent of prison riots like the one that had taken place in Attica. “Conquest” also draws parallels between the enslavement of apes and the real history of slavery in the U.S.

“Dawn of the Planet of the Apes” (2014)

While Caesar was raised seeing the best aspects of humanity, Koba was raised seeing the worst, his body bearing the scars of “human work.” Thus, as humans and apes come into contact, Koba also seeks to push them into conflict, turning him from Caesar's loyal second-in-command into a bloodthirsty usurper. Koba plays the fool, using drunk men’s perception of his intellect against them, asking for a drink, which they oblige with laughter. Koba’s clever ruse turns to cruelty as he spits the alcohol in their faces, taking a weapon and ruthlessly gunning them down. Later on in the film, Koba will use that same stolen gun to enact his ultimate betrayal, shooting Caesar, igniting a brutal coup.

“Beneath the Planet of the Apes” (1970)

The sequel to the original “Apes” really got weird with things, including introducing a group of intelligent mutated humans who lived underground. Descended from the survivors of the nuclear holocaust inflicted upon the world by humanity, the group of mutated physic humans live in the ruins of St. Patrick’s Cathedral. Like everything else about their society, the location has been twisted by the fallout with the group venerating the nuclear warhead possessing the power to end the world. Taking familiar hymns and twisting them, they perform religious rites to the “Divine Bomb,” culminating in revealing their true selves.

“Rise of the Planet of the Apes” (2011)

Everything comes to a head when Caesar and his recently enlightened apes attempt to escape to the redwoods, only needing to cross the Golden Gate Bridge to find freedom and peace. However, this proves to be easier said than done as San Francisco Police create a barricade, attempting to stop them in their tracks. The final setpiece does not disappoint, as the apes use their ability to climb and their newfound proclivity for strategy to battle their way through the mist across the bridge. Caesar’s most powerful ally, the gorilla Buck, sacrifices himself for their dream to be realized, jumping at the helicopter firing at the apes and taking it down.

“Planet of the Apes” (1968)

Trapped in a world where humans are mute, Taylor is imprisoned after temporarily losing his voice and his captors debate his intelligence and ultimate fate. Unable to speak, Taylor escapes his cage, making his way through the ape city before the gorillas close in on him, snaring him in a net. Seizing him, Taylor finally finds his voice, exclaiming a line that only Charlton Heston could pull off, “Take your stinking paws off me you damned dirty ape!" The apes, hearing a human speak for the first time, stand shocked, and the trajectory of the film is altered. The line and its delivery have become iconic with the American Film Institute even naming it as one of the top hundred movie quotes of all time.

“War for the Planet of the Apes” (2017)

It makes sense then that Caesar, the central figure for the entire trilogy, was elevated to almost mythic proportions, with Matt Reeves making allusions to him becoming a figure like Moses for his apes. It makes sense then that after saving them from slavery and oppression, leading them across the desert to the promised land. Caesar, looking on as his followers joyously celebrate their new oasis home, only his closest confidant, right from the start, Maurice, witnesses Caesar's last moments. They speak kind words to one another about the future, one Caesar earned for them with his sacrifice. With his last breath, Caesar smiles with a tear running down his cheek. And if we're being honest, tears were running down ours as well.

“Dawn of the Planet of the Apes” (2014)

In a spectacular final battle, Koba, the usurper, who fights for himself, faces off against Caesar, the rightful and selfless leader in a brutal battle. Taking place atop an unfinished tower, the bestial brawl sees them swinging and punching as a new day dawns around them. As an explosion rocks the foundations, Casar helps his fellow apes while Koba begins firing on them. With Koba distracted by rage, Caesar leaps at his rival, striking the final blow. Koba tries one final time to appeal to Caesar’s better nature, but Caesar rejects his once-blind trust in the traitor and drops him to his death. Although Caesar has won, there is no going back. With the sunrise, a new world has truly dawned.

“Rise of the Planet of the Apes” (2011)

Giving voice to a revolution is a powerful thing indeed, and “Rise” managed to make that concept quite literal. Suffering at the hands of his cruel caretaker, Dodge Landon, Caesar decides to no longer take the abuses, stealing the drug that will turn himself and his apes smarter. When Caesar stands up to Dodge, he echos the famous line spoken by Taylor in the original, but then, as the music builds to a crescendo and disappears, an ape for the first time speaks, a guttural, bestial cry, but one brimming with newfound humanity, “NO!” The sound design, performance, and motion capture all work in tandem to make this a powerful moment of defiance that will set Caesar on the path he will follow for three films.

“Planet of the Apes” (1968)

This moment has become so ingrained in the DNA of pop culture that it is almost impossible to watch the film without knowing the spoiler at the end. However, for audiences watching it for the first time, and Taylor, the revelation was remarkably shocking. At the film’s climax, Taylor rides down a desolate beach and sees something obscured to the audience, which causes him to look puzzled. He shouts, realizing that the planet of the apes has in fact been Earth all along, and he curses humanity for decimating the world. Slowly, to drive the point home, the shot zooms out, revealing the Statue of Liberty, long ruined, sinking into the sand as the waves crash over a defeated Taylor.

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