Line #5 Film/BattleForThePlanetOfTheApes


1	[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/battle_for_the_planet_of_the_apes_8324.jpg]]
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3	The sequel to ''Film/ConquestOfThePlanetOfTheApes'' and the last film in the original ''Franchise/PlanetOfTheApes'' film series, released in 1973. It is set in the early 21st century, after a nuclear holocaust in 1991.
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5	This sequel follows the ape leader Caesar (Creator/RoddyMcDowall) 12 years after a global nuclear war has destroyed civilization. Living with his mate Lisa and their son Cornelius, Caesar creates a new society while trying to cultivate peace between the apes and remaining humans. Caesar is opposed by gorilla Aldo (Creator/ClaudeAkins), who wants to imprison the humans that freely roam Ape City while doing menial labor. To make matters worse, a group of human atomic bomb mutations are out to make life miserable for the peaceful ape tribe. The story is told primarily in flashback with the opening and closing taking place in the year 2670.
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7	This film is likely the inspiration for the two films in the reboot franchise, ''Film/DawnOfThePlanetOfTheApes'' and ''Film/WarForThePlanetOfTheApes''.
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9	----
10	!!This movie contains examples of:
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12	* AfterTheEnd: The apes are in charge because humanity somehow managed to nuke themselves after the events of ''Conquest''.
13	* ApeShallNeverKillApe: TropeNamer. [[spoiler:Cruelly subverted in the film by Aldo]].
14	* AscendedExtra: Kolp, who was one of Governor Breck's functionaries in the previous film, is promoted to being the BigBad of this film.
15	* AsYouKnow: The film has a lot of {{Info Dump}}s delivered in this manner, in particular when Caesar discusses the death of his parents early in the film.
16	* BeneathTheEarth: The lair of the mutants, previously seen in the aptly-named ''Film/BeneathThePlanetOfTheApes''.
17	* BigBadEnsemble: Aldo and Kolp; the former wants to wipe out all humans, and the latter wants to wipe out all apes ''and'' any humans who have allied themselves with the apes.
18	* BittersweetEnding: The apes and the non-mutant humans seem to be reconciled, but Caesar [[spoiler:was forced to kill Aldo, violating the most important of his society's laws, because Aldo murdered Caesar's son]]. The future of ape-human relations is also left quite ambiguous.
19	* {{Bookends}}: Begins and ends with the Lawgiver telling the story to ape and human children.
20	* TheCameo: John Huston as The Lawgiver.
21	* CycleOfRevenge: Discussed by Mendez.
22	-->'''Mendez:''' Governor, somewhere along the line of history, this bloody chain reaction has got to stop! A destroys B. B destroys C. C destroys A and is destroyed by D who destroys E. Before anyone knows where they are, there won't be anyone left to know anything, anywhere!
23	* EvenEvilHasStandards: General Aldo's army of gorillas is very enthusiastic about locking up the humans like animals, and even cheer at Aldo's announcement that they will seize control and ''kill'' all the humans. But when Aldo continues to declare that after they kill the humans, they'll kill ''Caesar'', all his soldiers abruptly fall silent and gape at him in horror: they might disagree with the other apes, but no ape has ever killed another, and it is their most sacred law.
24	* FantasticRacism: Humans are treated as second class citizens ''at best'' by the apes for most of the film.
25	* {{Foreshadowing}}: Everything involving Mendez sets up what will eventually happen in ''Film/BeneathThePlanetOfTheApes'' with regard to the mutants and doomsday weapon.
26	* FailedFutureForecast: The movie was released in 1973, the same year Earth was supposed to be visited by two talking apes from the future according to [[Film/EscapeFromThePlanetOfTheApes the third movie]].
27	* GeneralRipper: Kolp and Aldo, the former of whom orders a nuclear strike on Ape City if all else fails, and the latter of whom slaughters the retreating attackers and tries to stage a rebellion against Caesar's rule.
28	* HeelRealization:
29	** Aldo's followers.
30	--->'''Gorilla soldier:''' Aldo, you killed.
31	** Caesar himself, at the end, once he realizes that his enslavement of the humans, benevolent though it may be, makes him no better than the same humans he led a revolution against in the previous [[Film/ConquestOfThePlanetOfTheApes film.]]
32	* HeKnowsTooMuch: Cornelius has the misfortune to be out late at night playing in the trees within earshot of Aldo's plotting to fatally overthrow Caesar.
33	* LeaveNoSurvivors: What happens to a small group of mutants that escaped Ape City after being ambushed by Aldo and his soldiers.
34	-->'''Aldo:''' No prisoners! NO PRISONERS!
35	* MeaningfulName:
36	** Mandemus, possibly. His names sounds like the legal term ''mandamus'', which involves a writ commanding somebody to perform a certain action. Appropriate, since his job in the film is acting as Caesar's conscience and guarding the Ape City armory.
37	** Much like Creator/DanteAlighieri, Caesar is lead on a journey into the underworld by a guy named Virgil.
38	* {{Novelization}}: Like the films before it, the film got a novelization via Marvel Comic.
39	* NukeEm: Kolp's contingency plan. Which, considering that the weapon he orders his assistant to use happens to be the [[DoomsdayDevice Alpha-Omega Bomb]], would have had catastrophic results if carried out.
40	* NWordPrivileges: An ape can say "no" to another ape, but a human may never say "no" to an ape. After ''Conquest'', the word "no" is basically a [[BrownNote psychological trigger]] for apes.
41	* OmnidisciplinaryScientist: Virgil, who happens to be an expert on everything the plot requires him to be an expert on.
42	* PapaWolf: Caesar. [[spoiler:Too late for anything but revenge, however]].
43	* PoliticallyIncorrectHero: Caesar's attempts to eschew the [[FantasticRacism anti-human sentiment]] that is common among apes mostly come across as condescending and paternalistic. See WhatTheHellHero below.
44	* ReCut: The extended version included in the Legacy Collection improves the film considerably.
45	* ScrewTheRulesIMakeThem: Discussed about Caesar visiting the forbidden city.
46	->'''Aldo''': Why were you there? To visit the city is forbidden.\
47	'''Caesar''': I know. '''I''' forbade it.\
48	'''Aldo''': Then why--?\
49	'''Virgil''': Aldo, if a King forbids his subjects to wear a crown, that doesn't mean he can't wear one himself.
50	* SourSupporter: Mendez is this to Kolp, and eventually manages to turn his supporters against him in his absence. Not that Kolp lives to see the results...
51	* SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute: [=MacDonald's=] brother, [=MacDonald=]. It's clear that the franchise was trying to avert TheOtherDarrin when the original actor didn't want to come back.
52	* TimeDilation: Discussed where it's wondered if human astronauts from before the apocalypse could travel through time in faster than light ships. A scenario is presented where a musician could do a broadcast in London, [=FTL=] travel to New York and listen to it live and then go back in time to cancel the performance if he didn't like it.
53	* TokenGoodTeammate: Mendez to Kolp, again.
54	* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: Governor Breck and the previous film's [=MacDonald=] aren't seen, with the former not being mentioned at all and the latter only getting very briefly referenced and replaced by his brother, presumably meaning they didn't survive TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt.
55	* WhatTheHellHero: [=MacDonald=] and Abe call out Caesar at the end for not protecting humans as well as he should have.
56	-->If we appear to be lacking in gratitude, Caesar, what have we to be grateful for?

Context Film / BattleForThePlanetOfTheApes