This is the most underrated sci-fi film franchise of the 21st century

Rise of the Planet of the Apes, and its sequels
On demand

AS A sci-fi fan, you learn not to dwell on the films that could have been. Whether it’s Alejandro Jodorowsky’s unmade Dune, Guillermo del Toro’s cancelled take on At the Mountains of Madness, or the versions of Return of the Jedi that Davids Lynch and Cronenberg could have made, it’s best not to torture yourself over cinematic what-ifs.

That’s why I had given up hope of there being a new instalment of the most underrated sci-fi film franchise of the 21st century so far. Though well received by critics and audiences alike, none of the four films have won Oscars or seem to have made much of an impact on pop culture. But then, earlier this month, we got confirmation that a fifth movie was on the way.

I’m talking, of course, about the rebooted Planet of the Apes films. We’re all familiar with the Charlton Heston film from 1968 (based on Pierre Boulle’s original novel) in which astronauts wake up after centuries in stasis and crash on a strange planet ruled by intelligent primates. It’s brilliant and timeless, especially thanks to its iconic twist: that the crew have in fact returned to Earth, many years after human civilisation has ended. Between that film’s abiding lustre and the many sequels it spawned, plus one previous ill-advised reboot, you might be wondering why Hollywood was interested in more.

Thankfully, the first of the new crop, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, was a reimagining, which focused on the start of the interspecies conflict. The film’s sympathies lay squarely with the primates, chief among them Caesar (Andy Serkis), a young chimp with heightened intelligence due to being exposed to an experimental Alzheimer’s treatment in utero.

After being forced out of his human family’s home and witnessing how he and other animals are mistreated, Caesar’s burgeoning awareness leads him to radicalise his fellow apes. Hand-wavy science aside, Rise marries spectacle and substance in a way few blockbusters have achieved since, and its cutting-edge motion-capture animation still holds up.

Then came Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, set around a decade after the primates created their own society in the Muir Woods of California. In this version of 2026, humanity has largely succumbed to simian flu, a deadly consequence of the treatment that gave the apes their intelligence.

Like most great sequels, Dawn complicates the order of things, giving us humans to root for and a fantastic ape villain, the bonobo Koba (Toby Kebbell). A master manipulator with a harrowing past, the extent of Koba’s treachery is positively Shakespearean: he prods and plots against Caesar, pushing the colony towards disaster. Part cold-war drama, part Greek tragedy, Dawn is arresting and beautifully made.

Rounding out the trilogy, War for the Planet of the Apes is a revenge thriller. (No spoilers, aside from saying it is utterly ferocious.) The most recent film in the series to date is Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, made in 2024 and set 300 years after Caesar’s time. It follows a new chimp, Noa (Owen Teague), as he encounters the remnants of humanity and, crucially, its tech.

It seems the new film, as yet untitled and with no release date, will be set closer to the timeline of the original Planet of the Apes (3978, in case you’ve forgotten). If you haven’t seen any of its predecessors yet, trust me – they’re well worth your time.

Bethan Ackerley is a subeditor at New Scientist. She loves sci-fi, sitcoms and anything spooky. Follow her on X @inkerley

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Comedian Dana Gould transposes a key character from Planet of the Apes, the orangutan Dr Zaius, into a name-dropping, old-school talk show host. Expect showbiz anecdotes, blue humour and remarkable prosthetics. Don’t ask me why it works. It just does.