Common Sense Note

Parents need to know that Planet of the Apes is the original 1968 sci-fi movie that yielded several sequels, one remake (that became its own franchise-launcher), two TV series, as well as toys and games; it was extremely popular in its day and still has many fans. It's one of those rare sci-fi movies that's based on thoughtful ideas but also contains fighting and action. Characters fire guns, a little blood is shown, and characters die. Humans are held prisoner and mistreated, and there's violent struggling. A decomposed corpse is shown in one shocking scene. Several male astronauts are naked (nothing sensitive shown) and sex is discussed. Language is mild, but contains uses of "God," "damn" and "hell." With the success of Rise of the Planet of the Apes, and with the promise of new sequels coming, teen sci-fi fans may want to go back and watch this. Though the MPAA gave it a "G" when it was released, it would never receive that rating today.

Sexual Content

The male astronauts go swimming and lose their clothes. They run through the jungle naked, though nothing sensitive is shown. The main character is given a "mate," (a female human who does not speak), and he talks about all the "lovers" he had back on earth. He mentions a female astronaut, who died during the journey and was supposed to be the "new Eve."

Violence

In a scary scene, a female astronaut dies and decays in her stasis chamber, which malfunctions. Other characters die. The apes shoot guns. The hero's throat is wounded, rendering him unable to speak for a time. A little blood is shown. The apes keep humans as prisoners. The humans are sometimes mistreated, though not exactly tortured. A human and an ape have a hands-on fight in a cage, and there is a great deal of arguing, struggling, and chasing.

Language

Language is not very frequent, but includes "Goddamn," "oh my God," "hell" and several uses of "damn," including the famous line: "Take your stinking paws off me, you damned dirty ape!"

Social Behavior

The movie raises questions about faith versus science, and suggests that science is the more open-minded path. But it's also a cautionary tale that raises the question: What could man have done to wipe himself out? It also suggests that cruelty due to ignorance is a bad thing.

Consumerism

Not applicable

Drugs / Tobacco / Alcohol

Charlton Heston's character smokes a cigar in an early scene.