OK, this is getting a little too screwed up. The Apes Series is rounding the bend to come full circle, but this film doesn't pay attention to what was said in the last film.

This is the story of the child of Zira and Cornelius, who were killed in the last picture. Caesar has been raised by Armando, the owner of the circus he was born in. Caesar and Armando get themselves in trouble (Freedom of speech apparently is dead); Armando is taken into custody, Caesar gets away and tries to blend into a society where apes are slaves.

Caesar is sold into slavery and is bought by the Governor of the city. Conquest of the Planet of the Apes is all about slavery. Many of the images and dialog could have come out of the American South two hundred years ago. Caesar can not accept the slavery system, and conspires to topple it.

What doesn't work in this time line is that Apes haven't had time to evolve into creatures that Caesar can enlist into his Army. Conquest of the Planet of the Apes takes place in 1991 only 20 years after the last film, which had said it would take 500 years for the Apes to revolt. Had the story followed the time line of the previous picture, there would have been less of a leap of faith.

This is a good story of slavery, but since it must live in the Apes universe, it falls flat on its face.

Dust Bag Full

Film Facts

Cast
• Roddy McDowall
• Don Murray
• Natalie Trundy
• Hari Rhodes
• Severn Darden
• Lou Wagner
• John Randolph
• Asa Maynor
• H.M. Wynant
• David Chow
• Buck Kartalian
• John Dennis
• Paul Comi
• Gordon Jump
• Dick Spangler
• Joyce Haber
• Hector Soucy
• Ricardo Montalban

Directed by J. Lee Thompson

Released in 1972

MPAA Rating: PG

Reviewed by Mongo