The Planet of the Apes movies are some of the most influential sci-fi movies ever made and some of the most underappreciated as well. Compared to other sci-fi franchises like Star Wars, the Apes movies never had a lasting pop culture foothold until the prequel trilogy revitalized them.

With Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes releasing on May 24, 2024, the series has enjoyed some newfound interest. Given how creatively distinct the Apes movies are from each other and how surprisingly intricate their lore actually is, they vary in quality and entertainment value.

Updated by Jordan Iacobucci on March 3, 2024: Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes officially hits theaters in May, continuing the story of the beloved rebooted franchise. The upcoming film marks the tenth entry in the Planet of the Apes franchise, which has had its ups and downs over the last fifty years. This movie list has been updated to adhere to CBR's most recent standards for formatting.

9 Planet Of The Apes (2001) Is the Franchise's Most Boring Entry

Many audiences think the Planet of the Apes remake is one of the worst remakes in history, even if it's not as bad as some claim. The remake's biggest fault was that it was rather unambitious compared to other installments, which solidified it as the franchise's most boring entry.

2001's Planet of the Apes had a huge twist ending and impressive production design. That said, isolated scenes and concept art were more entertaining than Planet of the Apes' story. Overall, this movie just didn't capture the fandom's attention as much as its successors and stands out as the clear worst entry in the franchise.

8 Battle for the Planet of the Apes Was Interesting but Missed the Mark

For some time, Battle for the Planet of the Apes was the last Planet of the Apes movie. This was because Battle of the Planet of the Apes killed whatever interest audiences still had for the franchise. The fifth Apes movie was the franchise at its most perfunctory, and its low budget was hard to ignore.

Battle for the Planet of the Apes missed the mark, even though it had an interesting sci-fi premise about a conflict between Ape City and post-nuclear war humans. It didn't delve into its themes enough, and it recycled the ideas of previous movies. The most interesting feature was how it was loosely remade into Dawn of the Planet of the Apes and War for the Planet of the Apes.

7 Escape From the Planet of the Apes Introduced Time Travel

Since Beneath the Planet of the Apes made sequels impossible by literally killing the planet, Escape from the Planet of the Apes solved this with time travel. Dr. Cornelius and Dr. Zira fell into a time warp that dropped them in 1973. Although it wasn't altogether terrible, the third Apes movie was a clear cash-grab.

Dr. Cornelius and Dr. Zira engaged in dated parodies of celebrity worship before the army hunted them down. Escape from the Planet of the Apes tried to be an absurdist buddy comedy and a biting social commentary at the same time. This indecisiveness made it a jarring watch rather than a consistently enjoyable one.

6 Conquest of the Planet of the Apes Was a Blatant Political Commentary

The Planet of the Apes movies were always politically charged social commentaries, but Conquest of the Planet of the Apes was the most blatant about it. In the fourth Apes movie, the apes were slaves to humans. Caeser, the only ape who could talk, inspired his brethren to rise up and overthrow mankind.

At worst, some of the historical parallels of Conquest of the Planet of the Apes are offensive by today's standards. The apes being allegorical stand-ins for real marginalized groups has many unfortunate implications. Despite these faults, Conquest of the Planet of the Apes was a fiery cautionary parable about society's cruelty.

5 Beneath the Planet of the Apes Is Arguably the Weirdest Installment

The sequel to the original Planet of the Apes, Beneath the Planet of the Apes is easily the weirdest Apes entry. The movie revealed that telepathic humans were living underground. What's more, they worshipped a cobalt bomb. It ended with Col. George Taylor, the original movie's hero, activating the missile and killing the planet.

Beneath the Planet of the Apes may have come from a place of pure nihilism and spite, but it's still a uniquely defiant sequel. It had no interest in fanservice, and it was determined to end the franchise before it even began. Beneath the Planet of the Apes is one of the most bizarre sequels ever made, and it deserves more credit for standing out.

4 Rise of the Planet of the Apes Revived the Flagging Franchise

Rise of the Planet of the Apes may have revived the Planet of the Apes franchise, but it was still the weakest link in the prequel trilogy. The movie's biggest fault was having Dr. Will Rodman be the lead instead of Caesar. Will was a serviceable but boring sci-fi protagonist who predictably paid the price for playing God.

Whenever Rise of the Planet of the Apes cut back to Caesar, the pacing picked up. The movie always became more emotional, exciting, and tense whenever Caesar was onscreen. What's more, Caesar's rise as the apes' leader was more compelling than Will's hubris. There's a reason why the sequels dropped Will in favor of Caesar. The film showed the true breadth and scope that the Planet of the Apes films could explore, immediately winning over audiences to the franchise's fresh start.

3 Dawn of the Planet of the Apes Showcased a High Level of Moral Complexity

A consistent theme in the Planet of the Apes movies was that the apes were just as bad (or even worse) than the humans they claimed to be morally better than. All the movies played with this idea, but Dawn of the Planet of the Apes was the best realization of this theme because it was a war movie.

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes showed humans and apes at their most admirable and detestable. Their inevitable clash wasn't exciting; it was tragic and wholly avoidable. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes did a great job of exposing man's worst tendencies while still being an exciting blockbuster.

2 Planet of the Apes (1968) Is an Incredible Reflection of Humanity's Follies

The original Planet of the Apes is one of its franchise's best entries. The 1968 movie is an incredible reflection of humanity's follies. To top it all off, Planet of the Apes was also a compelling character study about the nihilistic Col. George Taylor.

Planet of the Apes' commentary on society's worst faults still rings true today. Planet of the Apes may show its age, but its messages and themes have been copied countless times, and few other films could even match a fraction of its ambition and impact. Furthermore, the film's last moments contain one of the most iconic final lines in cinema history. While not as technologically impressive as the more recent films, it is difficult to top this inventive classic.

1 War for the Planet of the Apes Is a Deeply Poignant Finale

The Planet of the Apes movies' core thesis was that humans, not apes, would end mankind. Every movie after the original tackled this theme with varying degrees of success. War for the Planet of the Apes was the most successful in this regard, so much so that it even surpassed the original.

The best thing about War for the Planet of the Apes wasn't its stellar acting and effects but its cathartic story. Despite what its title implied, War for the Planet of the Apes was more about Caesar and the apes escaping to a new home while humanity killed itself. To call War for the Planet of the Apes a "grand finale" would be a disservice to its somber poignancy and tragedy.