Summary
Though it is a bizarre franchise, many fans of the recent films will be surprised to learn just how many films there are in thePlanet of the Apesseries. The franchise stretches back to the 1960s and features a list of great actors and truly wondrous storylines. As such, there have been some fantastic and some not-so-great films in the time since it began.
Withmore films plannedto continue the series, there is no shortage of hype from fans revisiting these previous entries. There are already multiple generations of films, and the variation in budgets and storylines have been wider and more impressive than almost any other franchise in history.
Updated July 12, 2025, by Chris Harkin:The Planet of the Apes franchise has had a major update with the release of Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, alongside the news that this is only the first in a new planned trilogy of films. Not only that, but there are also comics, books, and potentially even video games in the plans for the series as it continues to go from height to height. With the franchise clearly not slowing down anytime soon, this article will continue to be updated as the series evolves.
10Battle For The Planet Of The Apes
IMDB Score: 5.4/10
The final film of the originalPlanet of the Apesseries of movies isn’t one of the most beloved, but it wrapped up the story that needed to be told of the apes and humans' various battles that led to Earth becoming ruled over by the apes, as it was in the first film.Battle for the Planet of the Apesfeatured a fascinating tale about Caesar attempting to hold off a warlike gorilla from attacking humans, who feared what the apes were capable of doing.
Much like other films in the series, this one boiled down to how fear of those who are different can lead to the hatred of them. Apes and humans devolved into all-out warfare, which Caesar was able to eventually resolve peacefully, prompting fans to ask the question: will the world end up destroying itself in every timeline?
9Planet Of The Apes (2001)
IMDB Score: 5.7/10
The attempted reboot beforeRise of the Planet of the Apesset the franchise back on the right track remains the black sheep of the series.Tim Burton’sPlanet of the Apeswas a fascinating entry in the franchise, with an all-star cast that helps make it remain a vital piece of viewing for fans.
Mark Wahlberg, in addition to the likes of Tim Roth and Helena Bonham Carter, told a new version of the classic tale with some major surprises and changes from the film it was rebooting, still featuring an astronaut landing on a mysterious future planet where apes rule over an enslaved human race. Fascinating but mostly forgotten, this entry is an intriguing aside from the rest of thePlanet of the Apesmovies.
8Beneath The Planet Of The Apes
IMDB Score: 6.0/10
Though the entire idea of thePlanet of the Apesfranchise is apocalyptic, there was a time when they went much further.Beneath the Planet of the Apeswas the sequel to the original film, and it featured a second astronaut who had come looking for the first ones to crash there, crashing onto the planet himself and discovering both the animalistic humans and the intelligent apes.
Though the film is a little slow to get going, it quickly moves on from retreading old ground, and whennew astronaut Brentteams up with Charlton Heston’s Taylor, the pair attempt to stop a destructive war between the apes and leftover mutated humans from leading to the destruction of the entire planet. The analogies about the apes turning warlike after gaining sentience and bringing about their own destruction through ignorance made for a fascinating sequel and an ending that shocked everyone. This movie made it seem as if the franchise might be over.
7Conquest Of The Planet Of The Apes
IMDB Score: 6.1/10
A film that was in many ways retold later in the prequel films released more recently,Conquest of the Planet of the Apesfocused on the smart ape left behind by his futuristic parents, bringing about the fruition of the apocalypse that humans brought upon themselves. Having already started taking on apes as pets by this film, humanity was practically asking for an uprising, and Caesar, having been readied by his parents' deaths, rose up against humanity.
This film wasn’t the franchise’s best by any means, but the allegories about humanity putting down apes, preparing themselves, and paving the path for the future world where they themselves were enslaved is truly fascinating. The back-and-forth nature of this relationship and the vicious hatred that each race has for the other are endlessly interesting.
6Escape From The Planet Of The Apes
IMDB Score: 6.3/10
At the point where the franchise got truly bizarre, it was revealed that amarried couple of ape scientistshad escaped Earth before it was destroyed afterBeneath the Planet of the Apes. Even stranger, the shockwave from the destruction takes them back to Earth in 1973, where the astronauts were originally sent.
The apes, initially welcomed by humanity, are distrusted and, in turn, distrustful of the humans. This sort of paranoia was very relevant at the time during the Cold War and led to the humans bringing about their own destruction, as the apes hid their child safely in a zoo before being killed. The paradoxical nature of the plot is slightly confusing, but the themes ofEscape From the Planet of the Apeswere some of the very best in the franchise.
5Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes
IMDB Score: 7.2/10
The newestPlanet of the Apesfilm found itself in entirely new waters, set around 300 years after the death of Caesar and the events ofWar for the Planet of the Apes. This left it with a lot to do, from setting the scene of the new world and introducing characters to telling an entirely new, exciting adventure and progressing the series from what was a clear ending point in the last entry.
Featuring a young ape warrior, Noa, whose eagle tribe is attacked by the forces of warlord Proximus Caesar, fans are treated to seeing how little of history has survived. Noa doesn’t even know the words “human” or “Caesar” when he is first introduced. A fascinating and fantastical adventure,Kingdom of the Planet of the Apesstarted a new legacy for the franchise while maintaining the blockbuster status the films have become known for.
4War For The Planet Of The Apes
IMDB Score: 7.4/10
The ending of the trilogy of prequel films, which seemed to bring many of the ideas from the original series full circle,War for the Planet of the Apessaw Caesar losing even more. His wife and first-born son are killed, launching him into a war with the humans, which feels truly final in nature. Caesar proved he really was willing to give everything for his people as he attempted to protect them from the wrath of the humans who still sought to enslave apes, as shown in examples bycharacters like Bad Ape.
With humans starting to become mute as the Simian Flu mutates and turns them into mindless animals, the world from the first film in the franchise seemed to be truly gone. This film was a great conclusion to the life of Caesar, despite continuing the series trend of being heartbreaking.
3Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes
IMDB Score: 7.6/10
The second of the rebooted prequel films,Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, took time forward ten years following the previous film. The fall of humanity had mostly occurred by this time, with the Simian Flu having wiped out most of the population and leaving a few sparse groups of people still standing.
The fascinating plot saw Caesar trying to control his large group of intelligent apes, includingvicious ones like Koba, and hold them back from a larger confrontation with humans. Unfortunately, with dissenters on each side seeking violence, they were unsuccessful, and the movie had another heartbreaking ending as apes and humans turned irrevocably against each other.Dawn of the Planet of the Apesmade incredible statements aboutwar and conflict, showcasing how communication is vital. It was truly devastating.
2Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes
The idea of a rebootedPlanet of the Apesfranchise with modern CGI was always going to generate a lot of interest, even after the failed reboot in 2001. And bringing in the iconic Andy Serkis to take up the role of Caesar was also a huge move, which providedRise of the Planet of the Apeswith a blueprint for success. Telling the story in modern-day, with scientists working on chimpanzees and accidentally giving them heightened intelligence, made for a brilliant origin story that moved slowly.
Only taking the first steps towards the eventualdownfall of humanity, this film managed to be heartfelt and did not need a great focus on action scenes in the first two acts to create something iconic. With a great cast, a heartstring-pulling story, and a huge amount of rewatchability on its own,Rise of the Planet of the Apesremains one of the very best in the franchise, and it kick-started the end of humanity by ending with thespread of the Simian Flu.
1Planet Of The Apes (1968)
IMDB Score: 8.0/10
The originalPlanet of the Apesfilm starred Charlton Heston as an astronaut who crash-landed on a strange planet ruled by talking apes. After finding out that humans also exist on the planet, he eventually comes to realize that he has landed on Earth, many years in the future after an apocalyptic war.
With Roddy McDowell’s Caesar introduced and the fascinating allegories made by the film, it was an instant classic that remains beloved by many for the influences it had on the science-fiction genre. It also set up the franchise with the shock ending, providing many potential places to go from there, a mantle that has been taken up over the years to create a truly lasting series.
