After more than two decades of Marvel and DC keeping far away from each other, this year has finally brought back comic book crossovers between the two companies, starting with Marvel/DC: Deadpool/Batman #1 in September. While I certainly hope these collaborations between The Big Two don’t end anytime soon, there’s a new Marvel comic book crossover that’s just announced and has my full attention. You’re gonna go bananas when the Fantastic Four collide with Planet of the Apes on the printed page.

Even before Disney acquired 20th Century Fox in 2019 and gained the Apes rights, Marvel goes way back with the sci-fi franchise thanks to its adaptations of the original Planet of the Apes movies and various original stories. This, however, marks the first time that these super-intelligent apes are crossing paths with Marvel Comics superheroes. Written by Josh Trujillo and drawn by Andrea di Vito, the four-issue Planet of the Apes vs. Fantastic Four will see Marvel’s First Family being transported to the futuristic world where apes are the dominant species and humans are now primitive. Here’s the main cover for the first issue illustrated by Greg Land.

In case this cover wasn’t enough of a tipoff, this crossover will take place in the classic Planet of the Apes continuity rather than the reboot universe that was most recently explored in 2024’s Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes. Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic, Sue Storm/Invisible Woman, Ben Grimm/The Thing and Johnny Storm/The Human Torch will join forces with the likes of Cornelius, Zira, Ursus and Dr. Zaius to combat “familiar Marvel foes” who’ve “set their sights on Ape City, setting the stage for a battle royale that fans won’t soon forget.” Below is a sampling of Andrea di Vito’s interior artwork:

Aside from Doctor Doom, it’s unclear if these other Marvel villains will be members of the Fantastic Four’s rogues gallery or if we could see baddies associated with other superheroes being brought into play. Regardless, sending one of Marvel’s most popular superheroes into this dystopian future has the potential to deliver a positively apeshit story. I’m especially looking forward to seeing Reed and Zaius being science bros together.

It’s worth noting that this isn’t the first time Planet of the Apes has crossed over with other popular properties in the pages of a comic book. Back when Boom Studios! was publishing Apes comics, fans were treated to the limited series Star Trek/Planet of the Apes: The Primate Directive, Tarzan on the Planet of the Apes, Planet of the Apes/Green Lantern and Kong on the Planet of the Apes from 2017. Apes-centric comics published by Marvel since the Fox acquisition include the simply-named Planet of the Apes, which took place in the reboot continuity, and Beware the Planet of the Apes, which was set in the classic continuity.

This is just the latest of these now-20th Century Studios franchises that Marvel has paired up with its superheroes, with others including Predator and Alien. Issue #1 of Planet of the Apes vs. Fantastic Four will be released digitally and at comic book stores on February 4, 2026. If you’d like to delve into the live-action side of these two properties, The Fantastic Four: First Steps can now be streamed with a Disney+ subscription, and Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes can currently be accessed with an HBO Max subscription.

From the iconic sci-fi epic starring Charlton Heston as an American astronaut transported into the distant future to the 2001 remake starring Mark Wahlberg and then to the successful reboot series following Andy Serkis’ hyper-intelligent ape Caesar, the Planet of the Apes movies have taken place all over the universe and different timelines. And even though there have been nearly a dozen entries released over the past 50-plus years, watching the Planet of the Apes movies in order is a lot easier than you would think. 

With the franchise once again being a part of pop culture due to Wes Ball’s Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, we’ve gone back and provided a quick yet comprehensive breakdown of the various series, the movies in each of them, and how to watch it all in order. Sit back and relax because we're about to rise, escape, battle, and conquest our way through the Planet of the Apes franchise so far.

The Planet Of The Apes Movies In Order: Release Date

There are a few ways you can go about watching the Planet of the Apes movies in order: by release date or chronologically. If you want to check out the movies in the order in which they were released in theaters, this list found below is your best bet.

• Planet Of The Apes (1968)
• Beneath The Planet Of The Apes (1970)
• Escape From Planet Of The Apes (1971)
• Conquest Of The Planet Of The Apes (1972)
• Battle For The Planet Of The Apes (1973)
• Planet Of The Apes (2001)
• Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes (2011)
• Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes (2014)
• War For The Planet Of The Apes (2017)
• Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes (2024)
  

The Single Canon Order

Before we get into the chronology of the two main series in the Planet of the Apes franchise, there is another order that we can refer to as the Single Canon, in which Rise of the Planet of the Apes is the starting point. Shortly before the release of Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, director Wes Ball told CinemaBlend’s Eric Eisenberg that the two different series have always been “kind of loosely connected” and that you could “have the freedom to play a little bit.”

While this model does leave out Tim Burton’s Planet of the Apes remake from 2001, everything else is included in the Single Canon order. Here’s how it shakes out:

• Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes
• Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes
• War For The Planet Of The Apes
• Kingdom Of the Planet Of The Apes
• Planet Of The Apes
• Beneath The Planet Of The Apes
• Escape From The Planet Of The Apes
• Conquest Of The Planet Of The Apes
• Battle For The Planet Of The Apes

The Planet Of The Apes Movies In Order: Chronologically

The timeline of the original Planet of the Apes movies is a tad bit convoluted if we're being honest. But worry not, as we have put together a list of the movies in order chronologically in case you want to watch the series in this order.

Original Series: Chronological Order

The first leg of the Planet of the Apes franchise kicked off in 1968 and would see a total of five entries before concluding in 1973 with Battle For the Planet of the Apes though two television series — Planet of the Apes and Return to the Planet of the Apes — would follow throughout the mid-1970s. Although they were released later, the final three movies in the franchise are actually prequels that further establish the lore of Planet of the Apes.

Escape From The Planet Of The Apes (Set In 1971)

Set in the final moments of Beneath the Planet of the Apes, the third film in the franchise, Escape from the Planet of the Apes, follows a group of three apes — Cornelius (Roddy McDowall), Zira (Kim Hunter), and Milo (Sal Mineo) — as they attempt to make it off the planet before it is destroyed. But instead of being transported to safety, the trio find themselves on Earth in 1971, where they are captured by humans and subjected to various experiments. The third entry in the franchise touches on many of the same subjects and themes of its predecessor but from a much different perspective.

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Conquest Of The Planet Of The Apes (Set In 1991)

Released in 1972, Conquest of the Planet of the Apes is a direct follow-up to the film that came one year earlier and touches on the rebellion of the primates who have been used as slaves since the conclusion of its predecessor. Set in 1991, the movie mostly follows Caesar (Roddy McDowall), the primate son of Zira and Cornelius, as he leads the rebellion against humanity due to the terrible treatment of his species. Much like how Rupert Wyatt’s 2011 reboot, Caesar slowly builds an army of primates to eliminate their captors and replace their rule with a more peaceful, and ape-led civilization. 

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Battle For The Planet Of The Apes (Set In The Early 21st Century)

With the primates fully in control of Earth, after most of humanity was wiped out in a global nuclear war, Caesar (Roddy McDowall) attempts to make a more peaceful civilization in which the two species can live harmoniously in the early 21st Century. The final film in the original franchise, Battle for the Planet of the Apes shares a lot of similarities with the second and third installments of the reboot series 40-plus years later, in that it is set in a world in which the two species co-exist to an extent. Like its predecessors, the 1973 film touches on themes like racism, war and peace, coexistence, and the negative effects of nuclear arms races.

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Planet Of The Apes (Set In 3978)

Released in 1968, Planet of the Apes follows a group of three American astronauts led by George Taylor (Charlton Heston) as their spaceship crashes on what appears to be an alien planet. Upon exploring the mysterious location, the astronauts are captured by the planet’s rulers, a race of intelligent apes who have established a society not too unlike humanity back on Earth. Upon their capture, the astronauts find themselves being treated as an inferior species and subjected to physical, mental, and emotional abuse. During their imprisonment, the humans uncover dark truths about the foreign planet and one of the most mind-blowing plot twists of all time.

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Beneath The Planet Of The Apes (Set In 3978)

The second film in this series of films (but last chronologically), Beneath the Planet of the Apes, not only deals with the fallout of its predecessor in that it follows an astronaut named Brent (James Franciscus) as he hunts for the crew that came before him, it also dives deeper into the future Earth. This comes in the form of a subterranean society populated by humans whose ancestors gained telekinetic powers following a nuclear blast centuries earlier. The movie also sees the return of Charlton Heston’s Taylor from the original, though not as much as some would have liked.

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Planet Of The Apes (Set In 5021)

Released in 2001, Tim Burton’s Planet of the Apes remake shares a few similarities with the 1968 film of the same name but does make some changes to its story along the way. The film centers on Astronaut Leo Davidson (Mark Wahlberg) who is transported to a mysterious planet after being sucked into a portal as he attempts to save a chimpanzee that’s on a space mission with him. Upon crashing on the world’s surface (this time a jungle instead of a desert), Leo is captured by hyper-intelligent primates and is held prisoner. Over the course of the story, Leo is saved by a sympathetic chimp named Air (Helena Bonham Carter) who helps him escape and mount a rebellion against the tyrannical General Thade (Tim Roth). And not to be outdone by the original’s twist ending, the 2001 remake ends in a rather peculiar fashion.

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Reboot Series: Chronological Order

In 2011, the Planet of the Apes franchise was given new life in the form of a reboot series that would focus on the rise of Caesar, who was brought to life through the motion-capture performance of Andy Serkis, who also provided the voice of the intelligent chimp as he goes from a test subject to the leader of the primate rebellion.

Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes (2011)

Released in 2011, Rise of the Planet of the Apes follows Dr. William “Will” Rodman (James Franco), a chemist who discovers a potential cure for Alzheimer’s disease (his father, played by John Lithgow, is suffering from the effects of dementia) when testing the chemical compound known as ALZ-112 on chimpanzees. It is soon discovered that Caesar (Andy Serkis), a chimpanzee exposed to the compound in his mother’s womb, is a sign of the chemical’s success when his intelligence increases exponentially. But not all good things can last and ALZ-112 leads to aggression in its test subjects, leading to Will placing Caesar in captivity after eight years together. From there, Caesar rebels and forms an army of other primates who’ve grown tired of being mistreated by humans.

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Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes (2014)

Set a decade after the first film in the reboot series, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes plays out in a world that has been ravaged by the primate rebellion as well as a pandemic that was caused by a similar, yet stronger and more volatile chemical compound. What’s left of humanity is hunkered down in small archaic communities with primates largely in control of their world outside humanity’s walls. These two worlds — Caesar leading the primates, and Dreyfus (Gary Oldman) leading the humans — are set on a collision course with disastrous results when cooler heads fail to prevail. An intense post-apocalyptic thriller, Matt Reeves’ 2014 movie is a must-watch.  

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War For The Planet Of The Apes (2017)

War for the Planet of the Apes was released in 2017 and follows Caesar as he and his tribe enter conflict with a rogue military outfit named Alpha-Omega two years after we last saw him. Over the course of the movie, Caesar and his camp go to war with Alpha-Omega and its leader Colonel J. Wesley McCullough (Woody Harrelson), who is obsessed with killing the intelligent leader and making humans the dominant species once again. Picking up where Dawn of the Planet of the Apes left off with Caesar’s personal journey, the third movie in the series sees the chimpanzee attempting to find peace and meaning in his life and the world around him.

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Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes (Set Many Generations Years Later)

Though set for release nearly a decade after its predecessor, Wes Ball’s Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes will take place many generations years after the most recent addition to the reboot series. The movie will follow Noa (Owen Teague), a young chimpanzee who embarks upon a journey alongside some unlikely allies in hopes of finding a better tomorrow for both apes and humans. Though Caesar is long gone by the time the franchise resumes, the impact of the transformative primate leader can still be felt centuries later, both through Noa’s journey and the rule of Proximus Caesar (Kevin Durand), a tyrannical leader with a more violent and ruthless interpretation of the late ruler’s messages. 

Well, this should be more than enough to help you make sense of the Planet of the Apes movies and the franchise's timeline. With Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes being one of the biggest releases on the 2024 movie schedule, this probably won’t be the end of the beloved series.  

I am a sucker for a good movie plot twist, especially because of how rare they tend to be. For every masterful movie ending (or even a scene in the middle) that almost completely changes the nature of, or enhances, the story, there are even more that pretty much ruin the story by not making much sense or just being unnecessary, unoriginal, or just plain offensive. The following are some notable plot twists (or plot reveals) that did not blow my mind but certainly numbed it.

Trevor Slattery Is Not The Real Mandarin (Iron Man 3)

One of the reasons Marvel fans have issues with Iron Man 3 is the reveal that the 2013 superhero flick's main villain, The Mandarin, is actually an actor named Trevor Slattery (played by Ben Kingsley). The disappointment in seeing Tony Stark's archenemy resorted to a cheap joke was acknowledged and, somewhat, corrected in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, which introduced the true Mandarin, Xu Wenwu (Tony Leung Chiu-wai).

The Aliens' Weakness Is Water (Signs)

I am a firm believer that there are some great M. Night Shyalaman movie twists, in addition to 1999's The Sixth Sense, but I do not think the ending of 2002's Signs is one of them. Making the creatures in this alien invasion movie allergic to water is an already weak deus ex machina that is also far too similar to the ending of H.G. Wells' The War of the Worlds, in which Martians die from the common cold.

The Final Battle Was All A Dream (The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2)

I am not a big fan of dream sequence fake-outs, and I personally believe that the final installment of the Twilight movies has one of the more egregious examples. The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2 culminates in an epic battle between the Cullens and Volturi that, soon after, is revealed to have been Alice's (Ashley Greene) vision, which convinces Aro (Michael Sheen) to recede before any violence can take place.

Rey Is Palpatine's Granddaughter (Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker)

You know, 2019's Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is not as low on my personal Star Wars movie ranking as it is for many other fans, but I do agree it has one of the most nonsensical plot twists in any franchise. The reveal that Emperor Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid) is the grandfather of Rey (Daisy Ridley) is a very weak justification for resurrecting a character who really had no business coming back from the dead in the first place, if you ask me.

The Crystal Skull Belongs To An Alien (Indiana Jones And The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull)

I would honestly love to say that I enjoyed the fourth installment of my all-time favorite movie franchise. Unfortunately, I could not get behind the reveal in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull that the titular artifact comes from an extra-terrestrial carcass.

Mary Is Also A Powerful Immortal (Hancock)

Hancock starts off as an inventive take on superhero lore by focusing on a homeless amnesiac and alcoholic with superpowers (played by Will Smith) seeking redemption. Unfortunately, the 2008 non-comic-book-based superhero movie makes things unnecessarily complicated by revealing that Mary (Charlize Theron) is not only a member of the same mystical race but is Hancock's former wife. To make matters worse, the twist was revealed in the marketing.

Agent Rhodes Is The Fifth Horseman (Now You See Me)

Now You See Me, a crime thriller about a group of talented magicians who use their skills in illusion to rob banks, tries to go for a Usual Suspects-esque twist in the 2013 thriller's final resolution. It is revealed that Dylan Rhodes (Mark Ruffalo), an FBI agent who has been obsessively chasing the Four Horsemen, is actually one of them. Yeah, great cover.

Marie Was The Killer The Whole Time (High Tension)

Writer and director Alexandre Aja's French-language breakout feature, 2003's High Tension, proves he is a master of high-wire suspense and inventively brutal kill scenes, but not in crafting compelling twist endings. The reveal that the murderous kidnapper (Philippe Nahon) whom Marie (Cécile de France) has been trying to catch is her own dissociative identity completely contradicts the entire story.

A General Thade Sculpture Replaces The Lincoln Memorial (Planet Of The Apes)

The original sci-fi movie classic, 1968's Planet of the Apes, boasts one of the most ingenious twist endings of all time, while Tim Burton's 2001 remake boasts one of the more confusing and unintentionally comical. Leo Davidson (Mark Wahlberg) returns to what he assumes is his home planet, where he finds a sculpture of General Thade (Tim Roth) where the Lincoln Memorial should be, begging the question, "What?"

Michael Myers Is Laurie Strode's Brother (Halloween II)

John Carpenter's original vision for Michael Myers – the protagonist of his 1978 horror movie classic, Halloween – as an indiscriminate force of evil is tragically undercut by a twist from the 1981 sequel that the filmmaker came up with while inebriated. I personally prefer to ignore the reveal that Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) is the estranged sister of the masked murderer, and I am glad the 2018 requel did, too.

Plants Are Killing Humans (The Happening)

M. Night Shyamalan's 2008 thriller, The Happening, is considered one of Hollywood's most uproarious so-bad-its-good movies for a multitude of reasons, especially when the source of its main situation is revealed. I honestly admire Shyamalan for attempting an environmentalist statement with one of his films, but I don't know if a story about plants vengefully releasing pheromones with deadly consequences for the human race was the way to do it.

Dill's World Is A Video Game (Serenity)

At first, 2019's Serenity – in which fishing boat captain Baker Dill (Matthew McConaughey) is asked by his ex-wife (Anne Hathaway) to kill her new husband, Frank (Jason Clarke) – starts off as a pretty compelling noir until the random twist reveal brings things to a screeching halt. We discover the entire movie up to that point has taken place in a computer game created by a teenager as a way to cope with the death of his father, who inspired the character of Dill, and the abuse of his stepfather, who inspired Frank.

Aliens Save The Children (Knowing)

In 2008's Knowing, Nicolas Cage plays an astrophysicist who discovers a list of numbers predicting an inevitable doomsday. However, his son, Caleb, and a girl named Abby are among those chosen by an alien race to avoid Earth's destruction and are taken to another planet that resembles the Garden of Eden. If you ask me, this just feels like a jarring way for the story to indulge in its doomsday element and still have a hopeful conclusion, and, if it were me, I would have chosen one or the other.

Bond And Blofeld Are Adoptive Siblings (Spectre)

Remember in Austin Powers in Goldmember when it is revealed that the titular spy and his archenemy, Dr. Evil (both played by Mike Myers), are long-lost brothers? Years later, the 2015's Spectre did a similar thing by making James Bond's (Daniel Craig) nemesis, Blofeld (Christoph Waltz), his adopted brother and expected audiences to take it seriously.

Lomax's Devilish Encounter Was A Fantasy (The Devil's Advocate)

The otherwise fun legal drama The Devil's Advocate spoils its own intriguing supernatural plot by revealing that Florida attorney Kevin Lomax (Keanu Reeves) dreamt up his toxic mentorship with Satan in human form (Al Pacino). Then, the film tries to pile on another twist by showing an eager reporter transform into Pacino right before the credits roll.

Walter Wrote The Book (The Number 23)

Widely considered to be one of Jim Carrey's worst movies is 2007's The Number 23, in which his character, Walter, is gifted a disturbing book by his wife, Agatha (Virginia Madsen), that he becomes dangerously obsessed with. It turns out to be a memoir that Walter himself wrote during his stay at a mental institution before becoming struck with amnesia. Why would his wife decide to give him a book that could potentially resurface these terrible memories in the first place?

Gale Framed Himself (The Life Of David Gale)

Kevin Spacey stars in the title role of 2003's The Life of David Gale as an anti-execution activist who is put on death row after he is accused of murder. The ending reveals that he framed himself for the crime as an elaborate protest of the death penalty. I believe there are more effective and less deadly ways to make his point, though.

Jo Is The Ghost Of Alex's Wife (Safe Haven)

Based on a Nicholas Sparks novel, 2013's Safe Haven stars Julianne Hough as Katie – a woman on the run from an abusive relationship who finds love again with widowed father Alex (played by Josh Duhamel). Along the way, she meets a friend named Jo (played by How I Met Your Mother cast member Cobie Smulders), whom she later discovers is the spirit of Alex's late wife. Was there really any need to suddenly make this romantic thriller a ghost story at the very end?

Teddy Was A Patient The Whole Time (Shutter Island)

To preface, I think 2010's Shutter Island – starring Leonardo DiCaprio as a US Marshal investigating a disappearance at a mental health facility – is one of the actor's best collaborations with director Martin Scorsese. However, the reveal that DiCaprio's "Teddy" is an alternate personality of Andrew Laeddis, who became a patient at the island after murdering his wife, is disappointingly too familiar.

The Final Explosion Was Cris' Vision (Next)

Based on a short story by Philip K. Dick, 2007's Next stars Nicolas Cage as a psychic named Cris Johnson, who is enlisted to help prevent a nuclear explosion. The film ends with the bomb going off before cutting to Cris in a motel bed with Jessica Biel's Liz, revealing that the events of the entire day were all a prediction in his head. I suppose this makes for a happy ending, but a frustrating way to get to it, if you ask me.

All The Characters Exist In A Homicidal DID Patient's Head (Identity)

James Mangold's Identity is not your typical whodunit, as it turns out the entire plot, involving a group of strangers fighting for their lives against an unseen killer at a rundown motel, is all an elaborate fantasy inside the head of a convict with Dissociative Identity Disorder. Admittedly, this ending has actually grown on me over the years, but when I first saw it, I thought it was a cheap cop-out made worse by the final reveal that the murderer was the 10-year-old identity the whole time.

John And Jack Have Been Protecting The Bad Guy (A Good Day To Die Hard)

There are many reasons why 2013's A Good Day to Die Hard is the least liked of Bruce Willis' adventures as John McClane, including its cheap plot twist. The veteran cop and his CIA operative son, Jack (Jai Courtney), discover that the government whistleblower they have been tasked with protecting (played by Sebastian Koch) is actually the mastermind behind an elaborate scheme involving selling uranium on the black market.

David Is His Daughter's Imaginary Friend (Hide And Seek)

It seems like Fight Club's wild twist ending begat plenty of copycats for a while, such as 2005's Hide and Seek. The thriller stars Robert De Niro as a widowed psychologist who discovers that the murderous imaginary friend whom his daughter (played by Dakota Fanning) calls "Charlie" is actually a dissociative identity living in his mind.

The Whole Story Was Ophelia's Premonition (Savages)

Oliver Stone's 2012 adaptation of Don Winslow's novel, Savages, sees pot growers Ben (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) and Chon (Taylor Kitsch) take action when a cartel kidnaps their shared girlfriend, Ophelia (Blake Lively). It all results in the tragic death of all three... or so we think. The deadly sequence turns out to have happened in Ophelia's head, leaving critics and audiences to wonder why the story would waste their time with a fantasy like that.

Kate's Organ Donor Is Tom (Last Christmas)

In Paul Feig's Last Christmas, Emilia Clarke's Kate discovers that her love interest, Tom (Henry Golding), is actually the ghost of the man whose heart now beats in her chest a year after a life-saving transplant. I mean, it's kind of a sweet reveal, but it also feels like a forced way to connect the 2019 rom-com to Wham's 1984 hit of the same name ("Last Christmas, I gave you my heart...").

Tom Is The Killer (The Girl On The Train)

Emily Blunt's Rachel spends much of The Girl on the Train fearing she may have killed her former nanny, Megan (Haley Bennett), in a drunken stupor. However, new information helps her realize that her ex-husband, Tom (Justin Theroux), has been feeding her false information for years and discovers that he killed Megan, who was also his mistress. I was honestly pretty turned off by this 2016 psychological thriller from the get-go, but this twist ripped off from a Dateline special really put the nail in the coffin for me.

Benson Is "Ben's Son" (I Still Know What You Did Last Summer)

The reveal in I Know What You Did Last Summer that the guilty teens were stalked by Ben, a man they were convinced they accidentally killed a year earlier, was certainly improbable but accepted by slasher fans who had seen worse. However, the reveal in the 1998 sequel that Will Benson (Matthew Settle) is not only the villain but also the original killer's son especially stretched the limits of believability.

It Was All An Alien Experiment (The Forgotten)

In 2004's The Forgotten, Telly Peretta (Julianne Moore) discovers that people suddenly have no memory of her deceased son because of an extra-terrestrial experiment to test if a parent's bond with their child can be broken. The twist is interesting in concept, but absolutely laughable in execution, especially in scenes when people are literally sucked up into the sky by the invaders.

Freddy Krueger Was Guilty After All (A Nightmare On Elm Street)

Wes Craven's A Nightmare on Elm Street is certainly not a movie that needed a reboot, but the 2010 remake almost justified its existence by introducing the possibility that its villain might not have deserved to be killed by a mob of angry parents. Unfortunately, the film would ultimately waste its potential by revealing that the dream-haunting Freddy Krueger (Jackie Earle Haley) was, indeed, a child predator.

Ray Is A Figment Of Rachel's Imagination (Sweet Girl)

Netflix's 2021 action film Sweet Girl stars Jason Momoa as Ray, whose search for the truth behind the pharmaceutical company that could have saved his wife's life puts him and his daughter, Rachel (Isabela Merced), in danger. As it turns out, Ray has been dead for two years, and young, petite teen Rachel, suffering from both PTSD and DID, managed to take out her enemies all on her own.

Rooster Is The Killer (Righteous Kill)

The best movies starring both Robert De Niro and Al Pacino are the ones that keep them largely estranged, unlike 2008's Righteous Kill. However, this crime thriller really suffers from its twist, revealing that Rooster (Pacino) is the killer that he and Turk (De Niro) have been trying to find the whole time.

Tyler Dies On 9/11 (Remember Me)

In Remember Me, Robert Pattinson and Emilia de Ravin play Tyler and Ally, whose lives begin to turn around after meeting in the summer of 2001. However, their relationship reaches an upsetting fate when Tyler (Pattinson) is revealed to have been at the World Trade Center at the time of the terrorist attacks on September 11. Critics and audiences were rightfully perturbed by the way this already sappy romantic drama turned a real-life tragedy occurring less than a decade earlier into heartstring-tugging bait.

Ending a story is hard, just ask Monty Python who had a very hard time (and budget issues) with the ending of The Holy Grail. When a film ends well, it's often with one iconic scene that really sticks with the audience forever. Sometimes it's the most enduring image of the movie and this is a list of scenes like that. Iconic scenes that really stick the landing at the end.

Fight Club

It's really hard to believe that Fight Club wasn't really a hit when it was released in 1999, especially given the epic ending. Not only does it tie up a disturbing bow on the whole movie, but the visual, of a city collapsing is simply stunning. If those two things are not enough, having The Pixies' "Where Is My Mind" play over the exploding city is one of the best uses of music in a movie, ever.

Oppenheimer

Director Christopher Nolan pulled off an amazing trick in Oppenheimer. With his trademark use of time in a movie, he managed to tell the whole story of Robert Oppenheimer (Cillian Murphy), including what happened after The Manhattan Project but still managed to bring the film to a climax with the big boom of the first nuclear bomb test. All of that set the end, with a focus on Oppenheimer himself internally debating if it was all the right thing to do.

Psycho

Leave it to Alfred Hitchcock to end a movie with a quiet bang that leaves the audience freaked out and thinking about days and even years later. The end of Psycho, with Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins) staring into the camera as we hear his internal monologue, is about as perfect an ending as a movie can have.

Dead Poets Society

You simply cannot think about Dead Poets Society without thinking of that iconic ending first. As John Keating (Robin Williams) walks out of his classroom after being fired, all of his students stand on their desks in tribute, reciting "O Captain! My Captain!" from the famous poem by Walt Whitman. It is guaranteed to bring a tear to your eye every time you see it.

The Breakfast Club

Over the 90 or so minutes of The Breakfast Club, audiences all get to know each one of the characters intimately. Vice Principal Vernon (Paul Gleason) reads Brian's words as the audience hears Brian (Anthony Michael Hall) explain how each student is unique, but how they have to appreciate each other. They may be a brain, an athlete, a basket case, and a criminal, but they all have the problems of any teenager.

The Truman Show

The Truman Show is one of Jim Carrey's best films and the ending is a big part of that. The emotion of his sailing trip across "the ocean" and the moment he arrives at the door is harrowing. The joy of seeing Truman finally escape captures the audience perfectly and Truman waving goodbye as he walks out the door ends the movie in the best way possible.

The Silence Of The Lambs

The worst part about the end of The Silence Of The Lambs is that you find yourself actually rooting for a psychopathic serial killer. The movie, if you don't remember, ends with an escaped Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins) in disguise tracking his nemesis, Dr. Chilton (Anthony Heald) as he gets off a plane in a tropical location.

Thelma & Louise

There really isn't a more epic ending to a movie than Thelma & Louise. After being chased across multiple states after committing a justified crime, the two titular characters decide to literally ride off into the sunset - or off a cliff - as the police are closing in on them. In it together to the end.

The Godfather

There is nothing in cinema quite like The Godfather saga. There are some amazing scenes all throughout the two...okay, three... movies. None are more arresting than the final scene of the first movie when Michael (Al Pacino) fights with, and lies to, Kate (Diane Keaton) before leaving the room to greet his other family members. The door closing in Kate's face is tragic, but incredible.

Chinatown

Despite the last line of dialog in the movie, it's impossible to forget Chinatown, especially its tragic ending as Evelyn (Faye Dunaway) is killed attempting to finally escape the clutches of her domineering and, frankly, evil father played by John Huston. Jake (Jack Nicholson) is understandably distraught, yet all he can do is forget about it.

Planet Of The Apes

With one of the best twists in film history, the ending of Planet Of The Apes is so unforgettable that it has become a part of pop culture. Even people who have never seen the movie, starring Charlton Heston as an astronaut stuck on what he thinks is a distant planet, know how it ends when he discovers he's been on Earth the whole time.

Field Of Dreams

The premise of Field of Dreams is that if he (Kevin Costner) builds it "he" will come. The "he," of course, is Costner's character's father. The movie ends with the two characters having a catch on the baseball field as the camera pulls out to reveal a line of cars headed to watch a game at the magical field. Finally, they come.

The Usual Suspects

The Usual Suspects has one of the most beloved twists ever and the way it ends, with the reveal that Kevin Spacey's character is Keyser Söze, and with that final breath...poof, one of the most epic final scenes ever.

Dr. Strangelove

You can't really end a movie in a more epic way than having nuclear weapons exploding over and over. From the moment Korg (Slim Pickens) hitches a ride on one of his bombs, to the montage of actual nuclear explosions, the end brings to a point the absurdity of nuclear war.

Casablanca

There aren't many movies that have multiple quotes that have become part of the lexicon like Casablanca. Playing it again, hills of beans, looking at you... the list goes on and on. The final shot of Rick (Humphrey Bogart) and Renault (Claude Raines) walking off into the fog is right up there with the greatest endings ever, with that iconic quote from Rick to Renault about the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

Sunset Boulevard

There are few ending scenes as uncomfortable (and wonderful) as the final scene in Sunset Boulevard. Norma Desmond's slow walk down the stars, with the over-the-top facial expressions by actor Gloria Swanson is sooooo disconcerting, and when the camera comes to a stop on Swanson's face and she delivers that famous line, "Alright, Mr. DeMille, I'm ready for my close-up" is spine-tingling.

Reservoir Dogs

Quentin Tarantino's debut movie is one of the best movies by a first-time director ever. His brilliant script ends as tragically as a movie can with virtually all the characters dying. The last two, Mr. Orange (Tim Roth) and Mr. White (Harvey Keitel) are the most heartbreaking.

Whiplash

The only way to end a movie as intense as Whiplash is with a scene befitting that intensity and the final drum solo of the movie when it all comes together for Miles Teller's character. The movie is hard to watch and tension built up until that final release is felt by audiences as much as it shows in Teller's face. It's brilliant.

The Graduate

The best thing about the ending to The Graduate is just how unsure both Benjamin (Dustin Huffman) and Elaine (Katharine Ross) are when they take their seats on the bus. Sure, on the surface it's a pretty standard ending to a Rom-Com, with the two lovebirds facing the future together. But as the shot lingers, it's clear both are nervous about that future, unsure that they've made the right decision. It's an excellent ending.

The Thing

The thing about the ending of The Thing is that it really is all about one line. One iconic line. After all MacReady (Kurt Russell) and Childs (Keith David) have been through, they are left by themselves in the cold. When Childs asks what they should do, MacReady can only say, "Why don't we just wait here a little while...and see what happens."

There Will Be Blood

The final act of There Will Be Blood is one of the most intense scenes in any movie, ever. The physical and metaphysical battle for Daniel Plainview's soul is violent. In the end, after Plainview (Daniel Day-Lewis) and Eli (Paul Dano) are finished, and Eli is dead, Plainview can only turn to his butler and say, "I'm finished." He is finished in almost every way

Inception

Much like the rest of the movie, the ending to Christopher Nolan's Inception is left open to interpretation by the audience. When Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio) spins the top at the end to determine if he's in the real world, he never actually looks at it, leaving him, and us, to wonder just where he is.

Primal Fear

Edward Norton's character (or characters) in Primal Fear are terrifying and the end, with its nod to Hitchcock's Psycho, leaves the audience with a most uneasy feeling. What did we all just watch and what is real? Those are the questions we are asked and we don't have all the answers.

Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind

Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind is one of the most unconventional romances in film history. It asks the question we all ask sometimes, are we destined to be one other person in our lives? The ending doesn't really answer it, but it is clear that two souls can be connected whether we want them to be or not.

Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid

Sure, it's the "Hollywood" ending to a kinda true story in Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid. In the end, in classic Western style, our heroes are surrounded with no chance to escape, they choose to go out guns blazing. Of course, in real life, the fate of the real Butch and Sundance has been open to a lot of conjecture. Did they survive? Well, the movie freezes just as they burst out of their hideout, and we never see the final gunfight, so maybe they did. It's part of what makes it one of the best Westerns ever.

Se7en

It doesn't get more disturbing than the end of Se7en. John Doe (Kevin Spacey) is in control the whole time and he proves it with the delivery of "the box," getting exactly what he wants from Mills (Brad Pitt), and the audience is left with that pullback from the camera on the helicopter as we hear radio chatter about what's happened. It's one you just can't stop thinking about for days.

The Shawshank Redemption

The end of The Shawshank Redemption could be subtitled "Red's Last Journey" as he makes his way across the country, and across the border to reunite with Andy on the beach. It's a touching ending to the best movie of the 1990s.

Citizen Kane

Obviously, Citizen Kane is one of the most iconic movies of all time, and the ending is no small part of why people love it so much. The image of the burning sled called "Rosebud" at the end not only answers what Kane (Orson Welles) hinted at in the first scene of the movie, but it leaves the audience to ponder just what life, even one like Kane's, really means in the end.

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

For much of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, we don't really see just how important Big Chief is. In the end, though, it's Big Chief who not only sets McMurphy free by suffocating him, but he frees himself of the hospital and all his internal baggage that he's found so hard to let go of. It's a tragically beautiful ending to a wild movie.

The Bridge On The River Kwai

So much of war is futile and no movie expresses that more succinctly than The Bridge On The River Kwai. The whole movie is a battle between the Japanese guards and the Allied prisoners, and it's a battle with nature, and the titular bridge, which, in the end, of course, is blown up. What is the point of it all?

Schindler's List

The raw power of the final scene of Steven Spielberg's masterpiece Schindler's List is undeniable. The black-and-white movie turns to color as the real-life survivors place stones on the real-life grave of Oskar Schindler. It brings even more weight to the cost of the Holocaust than you could possibly expect and it's as powerful a moment as has ever been in any film, ever.

It's A Wonderful Life

The Christmas classic It's A Wonderful Life has become a bit of a trope in recent decades, but you still can't deny how sweet and wonderful the ending is as an angel finally earns his wings.

I don’t know about all of you, but I’m loving Terminator: Zero. Though I haven’t finished the 2024 Netflix series, the anime set in the universe of James Cameron’s all-time great sci-fi movie franchise has a great story and wild animation. As I’ve been watching, I can’t help but think about other franchises I would love to see get the anime treatment at some point in the future.

Some of these picks have already been turned into live-action TV shows or animated series, but they have never received a proper anime series that approaches the source material with a fresh set of eyes and a new perspective. I think each of these properties would be well-suited for the medium and a ton of fun to watch.

Alien

With the box office success of Alien: Romulus and FX’s upcoming Alien: Earth live-action series coming in the near future, it’s safe to say the iconic franchise is alive and well. What better way to capitalize on the success of Alien’s resurging popularity than by giving it an anime series set somewhere in the property’s sometimes confusing timeline?

It wouldn’t have to be about Ellen Ripley, though Neil Blomkamp’s awesome sequel idea would be awesome in anime form, and instead could be about new characters living through the pattern of finding a strange organism, having it burst out of someone’s chest, and then trying to escape an almost perfect xenomorph. In an ideal world, there could be multiple seasons with each telling a new story set somewhere deep in space. 

Predator

Though there is reportedly a finished Alien vs. Predator anime series locked up in the Disney vault, according to Bloody Disgusting, there’s a good chance we’ll probably never get to see what the show had in store for us. That said, I would still love to see a series based on at least Predator, as the franchise has shown time and time again that it can work when creative forces are willing to try new things.

With animated anthology series like What If and Tales of Jedi finding audiences, I think a Predator anime set in different historical periods would be cool to see. We could have one season set in feudal Japan, another set during the French Revolution, another deep in the heart of Africa, and so forth. Disney really needs to make this happen.

Mad Max

I understand that Fuiosa: A Mad Max Saga didn’t perform well at the box office and we may never see another movie set in George Miller’s wasteland because of the bomb, but that doesn’t mean the franchise has to be over and done with, right? Well, imagine if Warner Bros. turned its attention to creating an anime series in the vein of Terminator: Zero that tells one of Miller’s unproduced ideas on a smaller (and probably less expensive) scale. 

There was a pretty sweet Mad Max: Fury Road prequel comic series that was released around the same time as the 2015 action flick, and I think that could be a cool series to adapt and fill in some of the gaps between the Mel Gibson-led movies and the more recent additions to the franchise. This four-issue series explored various characters from the wasteland and I would love to see those stories unfold in an animated series that combines elements of anime and Miller’s distinct visual style.

Planet Of The Apes

Planet of the Apes has grown a great deal over the years, going from a popular book to a landmark film to a massive multimedia brand with movies, TV shows, cartoons, and multiple reboots. Because Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes has given new life to the franchise, I think now’s a good time to come out with an anime series set somewhere in the franchise’s timeline.

I’m fully aware of the Return to the Planet of the Apes Saturday morning cartoon that aired on NBC back in 1975, but the show only lasted a single season and shouldn’t prevent an anime based on the property from seeing the light of day. The gap between War for the Planet of the Apes and Kingdom is a vast one, so it would be cool if we got to see at least some of what happened in the hundreds of years between the two. 

Stargate

I have fond memories of Stargate as a kid, and I’ll never forget the first time I watched it at a friend’s sleepover the summer between second and third grade. There was just something about the look and tone of Rolan Emmerich’s sci-fi adventure that prevented me from looking away from the screen or thinking about it while I was trying to sleep that night. Thirty years later, I want to see an anime series that either revisits one of the best ‘90s sci-fi movies or at least is set in its universe.

Yeah, there have been a few TV shows (both live-action and animated) based on one of Kurt Russell’s best movies, but I would love a nitty-gritty and incredibly violent series with stylized animation and all that anime flair. Hell, you could even bring back Russell and James Spader to reprise their roles and take us off to another alien world with a culture modeled after a different ancient civilization. 

Men In Black

Remember Men in Black: The Series, the cartoon based on the hit Will Smith movie? If not, make sure to check it out because it’s a ton of fun and further expands upon the lore and characters of the sci-fi action flick. That said, the show has been off the air for nearly 25 years at this point, and I think now would be the perfect time to retool the franchise as an anime.

I mean, Men in Black is one of the best comic book movies not from DC or Marvel, and there’s a lot that could be explored from the short-lived yet influential six-issue run. It would be great to see Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones come back and voice their famous characters, but if they weren’t willing or able to, I still think there’s enough fun to be had in this sandbox. 

Metal Gear Solid

There has been a lot of talk about a Metal Gear Solid movie over the years, but I, for one, have grown tired of waiting for the upcoming video game adaptation to finally come to fruition. However, I do have an idea for how Konami could introduce its iconic tactical espionage action series to a new audience: anime. 

There are unofficial anime series inspired by Hideo Kojima’s landmark action video game, but none of those have ever had the seal of approval from Komani or anyone associated with the franchise. I would be fine with anything set in the world of Metal Gear, be it straight-up adaptations of the games or new stories about Solid Snake, Liquid Snake, and Les Enfants Terribles, the shadowy government project that cloned Big Boss to super soldiers. Maybe even a proper ending for Metal Gear Solid: The Phantom Pain. 

I don’t know if any of these will happen (they should), but there are a lot of great 2024 TV shows we can watch right with a Netflix subscription, like Terminator: Zero.

We are not against the idea of remaking a movie and believe some are as good, if not even better, than their predecessors, particularly because they managed to stand on their own by bringing something new to the table. Unfortunately, those types of remakes are merely a dime a dozen, while the rest end up being shameless carbon copies or simply fall short of the original’s quality by lacking any imagination. With all due respect to any audiences who may enjoy these films for one reason or another, the following are our choices for movie remakes that failed to uphold the legacy of what came before.

Psycho (1998)

For as many great horror movie remakes as there actually are, Gus Van Sant’s version of Alfred Hitchcock’s 1960 classic, Psycho, is not considered one of them. Reason being: the Vince Vaughn-led thriller copies one of the all-time best horror movies almost shot-for-shot and has since been deemed a prime example of why filmmakers should avoid that approach.

Guess Who (2005)

Guess Who stars Bernie Mac as a Black man who takes an immediate dislike to his daughter’s (Zoë Saldaña) boyfriend (Ashton Kutcher), particularly because he is white. This race-swapped update of Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner throws out the commentary on diversity — which was deeply important for its time and still moving today — in favor of generic comedy that lazily rips off Meet the Parents.

Planet Of The Apes (2001)

It is really not much of a surprise that most of the least-liked Tim Burton movies are remakes, especially his Mark Wahlberg-led take on 1968’s sci-fi classic, Planet of the Apes. Critics and audiences noticed how the director’s signature style is completely missing from the clumsy narrative of the otherwise visually impressive reimagining, but cited as the biggest flaw is the nonsensical attempt to change the ending. 

The Wicker Man (2006)

Neil LaBute’s update of the chilling 1973 cult favorite, The Wicker Man, has had its fair share of rewatches, but only to bask in Nicolas Cage’s hilariously unhinged performance as a cop searching for a missing girl on a mysterious island. No one watches it because they find it at all scary or narratively tight and, especially, not for LaBute’s reinvention of Summerisle’s Neo-pagan community as a vitriolic matriarchy.

Taxi (2004)

Not enough American audiences know about the original Taxi (not to be confused with the 1970s sitcom) — a 1998 French action-comedy from writer Luc Besson about a bumbling cop with a poor driving record enlisting a cabbie to help him catch a notorious gang. Most only know about director Tim Story’s version starring Queen Latifah as the driver and Jimmy Fallon as the cop which was deemed low on laughs and lackluster in action.

The Tourist (2010)

Starring Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie, The Tourist is a thriller about a man unwittingly chosen to pose as a woman’s lover, who is a wanted criminal, in Venice, Italy. The film is more famous today for Ricky Gervais’ incessant roasting of its convoluted plot line at the Golden Globes and less for being an English-language adaptation of the 2005 French film, Anthony Zimmer.

Meet Joe Black (1998)

Director Martin Brest’s update of 1943’s Death Takes a Holiday is a prime example of a not-so-great movie with a great concept, being that the Grim Reaper (Brad Pitt) takes human form and falls for the daughter (Claire Forlani) of his latest victim (Anthony Hopkins). Unfortunately, Meet Joe Black mainly suffers from an unnecessary three-hour runtime that makes it a chore for many to watch.

Black Christmas (2019)

The first remake of Black Christmas from 2006 is not nearly held in the same regard as Bob Clark’s 1974 holiday horror movie classic, but has been retroactively viewed as a fun, underrated slasher by many. However, the egregiously ham-fisted social commentary and convoluted plot of Blumhouse’s attempt at an update has likely robbed itself of the same potential.

RoboCop (2014)

Director José Padilha’s reimagining of Paul Verhoeven’s futuristic classic, RoboCop, attempts to give Joel Kinnaman’s portrayal of Alex Murphy more of a personality post-upgrade. Ironically, the overall film lacks much of a soul, in addition to the biting satire that made the 1987 original stronger than your average action film.

Godzilla (1998)

Hollywood’s first attempt to Americanize pop culture’s most famous Kaiju, literally, does not have enough meat on its bones, with the titular creature being reduced from a beefy behemoth to a frail cross between a raptor and a T-Rex. What Roland Emmerich’s Godzilla really suffers from, however, is an over-reliance on childish humor and astonishingly stark lack of any real tension or urgency for a disaster movie. At least the soundtrack was good, though.

A Nightmare On Elm Street (2010)

With brilliant performances by horror movie icons Robert Englund as Freddy Krueger and Heather Langenkamp as Nancy Thompson, A Nightmare on Elm Street was an instant slasher classic that never bore a need for an update. Some might say that Oscar nominee Jackie Earle Haley at least tried to give a worthy performance as the sinister dreamweaver, but few believe the filmmakers tried to live up to the legacy of Wes Craven’s classic with this unimaginative nightmare that almost forced star Rooney Mara into early retirement.

The Women (2008)

Director George Cukor’s adaptation of Clare Booth’s play, The Women was hailed as a clever satire of gender dynamics with razor-sharp wit and wonderful performances by the likes of Joan Crawford and Norma Shearer. Despite an all-star cast including Meg Ryan, Jada Pickett Smith, Annette Bening, and more, writer and director Diane English’s modernized take was criticized as being, well, the quite opposite of its predecessor’s quality.

The Fog (2005)

Despite crafting one of the greatest remakes of all time with The Thing, many of John Carpenter’s movies have been cursed with updates of lesser quality, with The Fog being one of the most widely reviled examples. Critics and audiences agree that there is not a shred of originality or genuine suspense in director Rupert Wainwright’s take on the story of a coastal town terrorized by the ghosts of shipwreck victims.

Swept Away (2002)

From writer and director Lina Wermüller — the first female Best Director Oscar nominee — 1974’s Swept Away is an Italian rom-com starring Giancarlo Giannini and Mariangela Melato as castaways who unexpectedly fall in love. Nobody expected — or wanted — to see Madonna lead a remake directed by her then-husband, Guy Ritchie, who later called the experience of releasing the critical and commercial failure “painful.”

Prom Night (2008)

The original Prom Night from 1980 — starring reigning Scream Queen Jamie Lee Curtis — may have its fair share of slasher movie cliches, but it was one of the first to pioneer those tropes. However, the remake from nearly three decades later — starring Brittany Snow as a high school senior stalked by a maniac from her past — has absolutely no excuse.

Rollerball (2002)

While not quite remembered as a classic today, the James Caan-led Rollerball was praised in 1975 for its unique attempt at satirizing corporate influence through a story about a deadly sport in a dystopian society. Director John McTiernan’s version — starring Chris Klein, LL Cool J, and Rebecca Romijin — was criticized for choppy editing and a non-sensical story, let alone the removal of the original’s social commentary.

Get Carter (2000)

Michael Caine stars in the acclaimed 1971 crime thriller Get Carter as a London mobster seeking vengeance for his brother’s death. People have questioned why the Oscar-winner agreed to appear in the widely panned Americanized update starring Sylvester Stallone in the title role and some have suspected it was the paycheck. 

The Haunting (1999)

What makes the 1963 adaptation of Shirley Jackson’s The Haunting of Hill House one of the best haunted house movies is its more nuanced and cleverly ambiguous approach to the source material. Director Jan de Bont’s The Haunting, however, throws all psychological complexity out the window in favor of a generic ghost story with cheesy scares.

The Heartbreak Kid (2007)

The late Charles Grodin gives one of his best performances in the hilarious, bittersweet 1972 rom-com classic, The Heartbreak Kid, as a man who meets the woman of his dreams while on his honeymoon with his wife, whose emerging flaws lead him to regret the decision. Peter and Bobby Farrelly teamed up with Ben Stiller for what was ultimately deemed a less funny and more grating imitation of director Elaine May’s original.

Flatliners (2017)

Joel Schumacher’s Flatliners from 1990 was a pretty good thriller exploring the complexities of death, but critics also agreed at the time that the film did leave room for improvement. Most critics would also agree that Niels Arden Oplev’s modernized version — in which original star Kiefer Sutherland also appears — did not fulfill its potential by not taking advantage of its philosophical themes and not applying any imagination to its “scarier” moments.

Down To Earth (2001)

Fun fact: the Academy Award-nominated Heaven Can Wait — starring co-writer and co-director Warren Beatty as a football player put in the body of a slain millionaire after he is taken too soon — was already a remake of 1941’s Here Comes Mr. Jordan. With Down to Earth, Chris Rock reimagined the story from the point of view of a struggling comedian, but to far less acclaim.

The Amityville Horror (2005)

One of the most famous horror movies based on a true story is the 1979 adaptation of Jay Anson’s book, The Amityville Horror, which chronicles the Lutz family’s alleged account of living in a house that was the site of a grisly murder. Director Andrew Douglas’ remake with Ryan Reynolds and Melissa George tells the same story but with little to no story amendments and far less effective scares. 

The Pink Panther (2006)

There is a chance that Steve Martin could have been a great successor to the role of bumbling inspector Jacques Clouseau had the script for director Shawn Levy’s reboot of The Pink Panther lived up to his talents. Instead, the comedic caper resorts to the lowest hanging fruit for every gag and makes Martin’s Clouseau hopelessly incompetent beyond redemption. 

One Missed Call (2008)

Director Takashi Miike’s thriller One Missed Call — in which people receive voicemails foretelling their own death — did not receive very good reviews in 2004. However, it has been retroactively regarded as a classic when compared to Eric Valette’s remake, which was even more harshly criticized for being a boring mess worth hanging up on.

The Island Of Dr. Moreau (1996)

The main reason why the 1977 adaptation of H.G. Wells’ The Island of Dr. Moreau received mixed reviews was its understandable struggle to craft convincing makeup effects on its human-animal hybrid characters. That was clearly not the issue with the mid-1990s update, which suffered from countless infamous on-set issues — from Marlon Brando refusing to learn his lines to director Richard Stanley’s firing — that were chronicled in the 2014 documentary, Lost Soul.

Death Race (2008)

Producer Roger Corman’s cheesy dystopian B-movie, 1975’s Death Race 2000, stars the likes of David Carradine and Sylvester Stallone as contestants in a cross-country car chase where murder is encouraged. Paul W.S. Anderson’s Jason Statham-led update reduces the title and reimagines it as a gritty prison drama, but was still regarded as more of an over-the-top mess.

Conan The Barbarian (2011)

Jason Momoa is a great choice to fill Arnold Schwarzenegger’s shoes in the title role of Conan the Barbarian. Unfortunately, Marcus Nispel’s interpretation of the story proves to be an uninspired farce in the eyes of its critics.

Halloween (2007)

Fans of the Halloween movies might agree that writer and director Rob Zombie’s reimagining of John Carpenter’s 1978 classic is not even the franchise’s weakest and even earns points for some inventively brutal kill scenes. Yet, its attempt to humanize Michael Myers — a killer originally envisioned as nothing more than a force of pure evil — is seen as a mistake by most.

The Day The Earth Stood Still (2008)

We will give director Scott Derrickson credit for attempting to darken the source material by reimagining The Day the Earth Stood Still as an indictment of humanity’s ignorance of environmental warnings. Unfortunately, the execution of the remake — starring Keanu Reeves as Klaatu — lacks all that made the original interesting.

Charlie And The Chocolate Factory (2005)

Less a remake and more another adaptation of Roald Dahl’s classic novel, director Tim Burton’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory does boast many wondrous visuals. Yet, it still pales in comparison to 1971’s Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, particularly for Johnny Depp’s uncomfortably creepy performance as the eccentric chocolatier.

All The King’s Men (2006)

Updating a black-and-white Best Picture Oscar winner from 1949 into a modern color feature with a star-studded cast — including Sean Penn and Kate Winslet — would seem like a slam-dunk success. However, writer and director Steve Zaillian’s adaptation of author Robert Penn Warren’s influential political drama, All the King’s Men, was criticized for Penn’s over-the-top performance, an incoherent story, and other flaws that led people to give it the dreaded “Oscar bait” brand.

The Ladykillers (2004)

Despite, arguably, surpassing 1969’s True Grit with their 2010 version, most agree that Joel and Ethan Coen’s The Ladykillers vastly pales in comparison to the original 1955 comedic crime film starring Alec Guinness and Peter Sellers. Say what you want about Tom Hanks’ eccentric lead performance, but he may be the funniest element in this middling story of criminals who meet their match in their feisty landlady (Irma P. Hall).

Let these films be a lesson of what not to do when updating a previous work of art for modern cinema.

As a franchise film, Wes Ball's Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes is a title born in a precarious position. The most recent run of Planet Of The Apes movies, known to fans as the Caesar Trilogy, definitively concluded as a narrative in 2017 with the release of Matt Reeves' War For The Planet Of The Apes, and the new 2024 blockbuster was created in the hopes of launching a new era for the canon. With new talent both in front of and behind the camera, there has been a hope for box office consistency – and today, it looks like that hope has been fulfilled.

Not only is Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes the new number one film in the domestic Top 10, but its opening weekend ticket sales are perfectly in line with the performance of the previous three movies in the series. Check out the full chart below and join me after for analysis.

Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes Performs Up To Franchise Expectations

In case you haven't noticed, movie-going changed greatly due to the COVID-19 pandemic. For the last four years, the industry has been in recovery mode and waiting for ticket sales to bounce back to where things stood prior to 2020. This in mind, there's a sigh-of-relief feeling that accompanies a franchise title demonstrating consistency, and that's exactly what we have this weekend with the performance by Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes.

According to The Numbers, the tenth film in the Planet Of The Apes franchise (counting Tim Burton's 2001 remake) made $56.5 million in the last three days, echoing the draw of the Caesar Trilogy. While Matt Reeves' Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes from 2014 exists as a bit of an outlier with its franchise-best opening weekend, having made $72.6 million in its debut, the new movie is off to a better start than both War For The Planet Of The Apes ($56.3 million) and Rupert Wyatt's Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes ($54.8 million).

The 2024 blockbuster has been building up buzz since the start of the month, with positive first screening reactions followed by mixed-positive reactions from critics (I personally gave Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes a 3.5 star review), and these box office results show that audiences were really excited to see a new installment of this franchise. While Andy Serkis was a key consultant behind the scenes, he and Matt Reeves have moved on to the world of The Batman – but still, movie-goers are hyped to see a new story set in the exciting sci-fi world that is brought to life with stunning digital artistry.

There are some questions about sustainability of success in the weeks ahead. War For The Planet Of The Apes got high marks from audiences in 2017, including an "A-" grade from CinemaScore surveys and an 84 percent approval rating from movie-goers on Rotten Tomatoes, but it still fell from first place to fourth place in its sophomore weekend with a 63 percent drop (when it was notably in competition with Christopher Nolan's Dunkirk). Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes got softer results from those aforementioned metrics (a "B" grade from CinemaScore and a 78 percent on Rotten Tomatoes), and it will be dealing with three new wide releases arriving on the big screen this Friday.

Despite its second week drop, War For The Planet Of The Apes still made $146.9 million domestically by the end of its run and $489.6 million worldwide – and if the sequel can end up doing that kind of business, the future will be bright. Wes Ball has discussed ambitions to launch a new Planet Of The Apes trilogy with Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes, and hopefully its numbers will inspire executives at 20th Century Studios to soon give the green light to the next installment of his vision.

The Fall Guy Has An OK Second Weekend, Crosses $100 Million Worldwide

As noted in my box office column last week, David Leitch's The Fall Guy didn't exactly set the world on fire in its opening weekend – and that was a pretty big deal considering that the Ryan Gosling/Emily Blunt-starring celebration of stunt performers was the title positioned to kick off the summer blockbuster season for 2024. Given that it only made $28.5 million in its first three days, there was every expectation that it would be bumped down to second place by Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes... but it can be said that there are silver linings to grasp.

Silver Lining #1 is that The Fall Guy didn't totally see its ticket sales fall off a cliff in its second weekend – which was possible given that it's a title that targets the same demographics as the new Planet Of The Apes film. Compared to its debut, the movie about making movies saw its numbers drop 51 percent – adding another $13.7 million to its domestic haul.

Silver Lining #2 is that the film has hit its first box office milestone (albeit in far from record time). Thanks to ticket sales both at home and abroad, The Fall Guy has now entered the nine-figure club, having made $103.7 million to date. That means it is now the twelfth biggest blockbuster of 2024 thus far – having made more than SJ Clarkson's Madame Web ($100.3 million) and Alex Garland's Civil War ($103.1 million), but less than Samantha Jayne and Arturo Perez Jr.'s musical remake of Mean Girls ($104.4 million). That looks good... until you remember that The Fall Guy had a much bigger budget than all of those productions, with Deadline pinning the figure between $125-150 million.

What will happen with The Fall Guy, Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes, and the rest of the titles in the Top 10 when Sam Taylor-Johnson's Back To Black, John Krasinski's IF, and Renny Harlin's The Strangers: Chapter 1 arrive in theaters on Friday? Be sure to head back here to CinemaBlend next Sunday to check out the box office results – and check out our 2024 Movie Release Calendar to discover all of the films set to be released between now and the end of the year.

Six years after War For The Planet of the Apes capped off Caesar’s trilogy, we’ve entered a new era for the franchise with the release of Wes Ball’s The Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes. While Andy Serkis is notably not part of the series for the first time in over a decade, the director did contemplate finding a place for the mo-cap king during production. 

When CinemaBlend’s own Eric Eisenberg spoke to Wes Ball about the latest of 2024 movies, he got candid about why Andy Serkis or Caesar did not make his way into the new installment. In his words: 

Following the last trilogy of Planet of the Apes movies, Serkis is an invaluable voice in the franchise. With that in mind, Wes Ball did approach him early in the production to get his feedback. 

Ball and Serkis were already acquainted because of the fantasy flick, Mouse Guard, which ended up being scrapped. As the director shared, he contemplated having Serkis debut a new human role, but he later decided it would be a little too on the nose, and perhaps take audiences out of the movie’s experience. 

As far as Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes’ place in Caesar’s timeline, the movie takes place “many generations” after the death of the legendary ape. So it just wouldn’t make sense for Serkis to come back as Caesar. As Ball continued: 

During production, Andy Serkis had the chance to offer some major advice to the star of Kingdom of the Apes, Owen Teague and the other actors. As Teague previously told CinemaBlend, Serkis told him not to focus “too hard on the physicality” and to delve into the character just like one would with any human character. 

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes was met with positive first reactions after its premiere. The movie’s reviews from critics and audiences alike have generally regarded Wes Ball’s movie as a success. The film is expected to open in the $50 million range this weekend and become the No. 1 new release. 

You can check out Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes in theaters now and make sure to read about how to watch all the Planet of the Apes movies in order at home right here on CinemaBlend. 

In reality, the history of the Planet of the Apes movies spans almost 60 years, with 10 entries to its name. However, the world inside one of the best sci-fi movie franchises crosses years, decades, even centuries in the story it tells. With that in mind, and in celebration of the 2024 movie Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, I felt it was a good time to focus solely on Caesar’s legacy in the modern run of films. 

So, as briefly but as detailed as possible, I’m going to share with you all the history of the Planet of the Apes (Caesar’s Version). As such, there’s room for updates and refinements, as Kingdom isn't out yet. Not to mention there's plenty of tie-in media worth mining. 

If you want to catch up on history the long way, you can use your Hulu subscription to watch the entire Caesar trilogy. But. for now, let's jump back to the beginning of the Planet of the Apes. 

2011 - The Capture Of Bright Eyes/Birth of Caesar

Rise of the Planet of the Apes sees Bright Eyes captured in the wild, and eventually giving birth to Caesar (Andy Serkis). Killed due a violent misunderstanding between herself and her human handlers, lab assistant Robert Franklin (Tyler Labine) is ordered to kill all the remaining test subjects. 

Which left Dr. Will Rodman (James Franco) to raise the baby ape he couldn’t kill himself. In the aftermath, scientific breakthroughs would be achieved, with Casear becoming the leader that would change the world. 

Dr. Will Rodman’s ALZ-112 Virus Kickstarts Ape Evolution

Through his experiments at the GenSys, Dr. Rodman attempted to find a cure for Alzheimer’s Disease. Creating the ALZ-112 virus as a potential treatment, that pathogen was used in laboratory experiments on apes, with Bright Eyes being part of those trials.

In raising Caesar, he notices that the leaps and bounds of cognitive function are a sign that he’s onto something. Further experimenting on Charles (John Lithgow), his Alzheimer’s patient father, the benefits of this wonder drug seem to advance both humanity and ape kind. That symbiosis would be short lived.

2016 - Dr. Will Rodman Invents The ALZ-113 Virus

With ALZ-112 losing its potency with Charles Rodman, Will goes back to the drawing board and creates the ALZ-113 virus. Designed to combat the immunity that his father has built to the treatment, tests are eventually carried out on a fresh batch of ape subjects; including Caesar’s future lieutenant/nemesis Koba (Christopher Gordon/Toby Kebbell). 

Meanwhile, Caesar is held in captivity at this point, after assaulting next door neighbor/airline pilot Douglas Hunsiker (David Hewlett). Meeting other Planet of the Apes figures like Maurice (Karen Konoval) who will join his eventual rebellion, a fateful jailbreak would bring the first conflict between humans and apes to a head. 

Caesar’s Rebellion Rages Through San Francisco

Escaping from the corrupt facility that held them, Caesar and his fellow apes head to GenSys labs, releasing the ALZ-113 test subjects. Some of the apes lose their lives in the skirmish which raged through San Francisco, and into the sanctuary of the Muir Woods. 

In a tearful goodbye, Caesar and Dr. Rodman say their goodbyes, with Rise of the Planet of the Apes’ protagonist proclaiming “Caesar is home.” Save for a cameo of unused footage in Dawn, it is presumed that Dr. Rodman dies in the gap between this origin story and its first sequel. 

For ape kind, the future is looking pretty bright at this moment. But, in the world of humanity, the darkest hours are looming ahead.

The Simian Flu Pandemic Begins

In a previous lab accident involving a test with Koba, lab assistant Robert Franklin is exposed to ALZ-113 in its aerosol form. That was all it took to make the man fatally ill with what would eventually be known as the Simian Flu. 

Acting as Patient Zero for the Planet of the Apes pandemic, Franklin accidentally infects Douglas Hunsiker, just as he's leaving for work. Boarding an international flight he's scheduled to pilot, Douglas begins to have a nose bleed as he walks through the terminal. 

Thus began the Simian Flu Pandemic, which wipes out the majority of humanity, leaving the survivors to try and eke out an existence. In the aftermath, the dawn of apes would lead to total war between the species, as a result of further tragedies detailed in tie-in media, such as author Greg Keyes’ novel, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes: Firestorm.

2026 - Contact Between Apes And Humanity Is Re-Established

As Maurice points out early on in Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, “ten winters” pass between the first Matt Reeves-directed sequel and the events of Rise of the Planet of the Apes. What’s also confirmed, thanks to details from Dawn’s official website, is that contact between apes and humans has broken down in the decade between.

Those who have survived, like Malcolm (Jason Clarke), Dreyfus (Gary Oldman), and the rest of the San Francisco Human Colony, are immune to the Simian Flu. Struggling to survive, it’s in this period that humans and apes would re-establish contact; for better or worse. 

Caesar And Malcolm’s Partnership Rediscovers Electric Power

Malcolm’s main mission in Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is to restore a hydroelectric dam. With this plant up and running, the San Francisco colony would find itself thriving once again, and with the ability to contact the outside world. There’s just one problem: that dam is in close proximity to Caesar and his apes.

With a newborn at home, and a decade of dominance under his belt, the ape statesman begrudgingly allows the humans to complete their efforts. Unfortunately, another tide of rebellion is brewing, thanks to the actions of Koba, an ape who values defending against humanity over his loyalty to Caesar. 

Koba Launches A Coup Against Caesar

A growing rift between Caesar and Koba leads to a failed assassination attempt that wounds Caesar. As the lead ape is thought to be dead, Koba’s coup to sabotage human/ape relations progresses, now that the major obstacle has seemingly been removed. Seizing arms and corralling humans and ape dissidents alike, Koba breaks the golden rule of the Ape kingdom: “Ape not kill ape.” 

Launching an armed attack on San Francisco, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes sees Koba shattering the fragile truce that could have led to a new golden age. As a result, his human counterpart, Dreyfus, makes a decision to call in military reinforcements, just before power is once again cut.

Caesar Kills Koba, With War On The Horizon

Recovering from the attempt on his life, Caesar returns to the battlefield in an attempt to stop Koba. As the two apes fight for their respective views on humanity, Caesar gains the upper hand. Allowing Koba to drop to his death, his justification in breaking his own law is that his former friend is no longer seen as an ape.

Experiencing another tragic farewell, the once and future leader of the Planet of the Apes spares Malcolm and allows him to escape. Both man and ape lament that peace eluded their grasp, which gives way to Caesar seemingly regaining the trust of his fellow apes. Unfortunately, peace is no longer an option, and the War for the Planet of the Apes is underway. 

2028 - The Alpha-Omega Batallion Launches A Sneak Attack On Caesar

Per the opening titles to War for the Planet of the Apes, we jump another two years into the future. After the events of Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, the Simian Flu seems to have done its job, until a new complication rears its head. 

Continuing the fight to save humanity, Colonel J. Wesley McCullough (Woody Harrelson), also known as “The Colonel,” and his Alpha-Omega Battalion launch raids on Caesar and his forces. Aided by turncoat apes who are still loyal to Koba, Caesar loses son Blue Eyes (Max Lloyd-Jones) and wife Cornelia (Judy Greer) to The Colonel’s forces; with Cornelius being his only remaining family. 

A Mutated Simian Flu Starts To Silence Humanity

As stated by Ellie (Keri Russell) in Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, the humans that survived the initial Simian Flu pandemic were pretty much assumed to be immune. While that was once true, the history of the ALZ virus family has only proven how resilient this pathogen truly is. 

Over a decade after ALZ-113’s inception, War for the Planet of the Apes sees its latest form causing muteness and loss of intelligence in humans. This is best seen in Nova (Amiah Miller), a young girl who becomes allied with Caesar and his apes; as well as detailed in The Colonel’s own story about killing his own infected son. 

That twist leads Colonel McCullough to a major disagreement with his superiors. The powers that be wanted to find a cure; he wanted to kill all carriers of the Simian Flu, in the name of his “holy war” for humanity. In a grand case of “Might makes right,” the colonel secured a mountain stronghold of weapons in the name of his quest.

Caesar’s Campaign Against The Alpha-Omega Battalion

In the wake of his family’s death, Caesar becomes obsessed with settling his score with The Colonel. Killing traitors, and defending his small party of companions against human threat, he is eventually captured not too long after Maurice starts to question his motivations. Which leads to the eventual revelation that Caesar’s entire tribe was captured in his absence. 

For a moment, Colonel McCullough and the Alpha-Omega Battalion have Caesar and his apes cornered in captivity. However, a daring escape plan allows the savior of the Planet of the Apes a moment to exact his revenge. In a dark form of mercy, Caesar spares The Colonel, but allows him to commit suicide as he’s succumbed to the mutated Simian Flu.

It's soon a moot point, as enemy human forces attempt a raid on The Colonel's encampment. Between that confusion, as well as the apes escaping/fighting back, the event known as the Battle of the Border raged on. 

Caesar’s Tribe Escapes To Freedom

Caesar and his apes escape the batallion’s camp, which is eventually destroyed through both an explosion and its burial under an avalanche, just as rival human forces move in to secure presumptive victory at the Battle of the Border, secures the defeat of these military forces.

The freedom of apes comes at a cost though, as Dr. Rodman’s metaphorical son is mortally wounded by an arrow, just as he's about to toss a grenade into a leaking fuel reserve. Eventually succeeding, it initially doesn't look like Caesar's wound is fatal. However, as he and Maurice sit on the edge of the new home that ape-kind will begin its next chapter of history, he is revealed to be dying. 

Making a final pledge to his friend and leader, Maurice assures him, as he speaks with his freshly found voice, “Son will know who was father, and what Caesar did for us." With one last smile, and a tear rolling down his cheek, Caesar dies in the dawn of a new day. 

C. 2328/2428 - The Reign of Proximus Caesar

While Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes has been officially revealed to take place “Many Generations Later,” director Wes Ball has gone on record in the “Inside The Kingdom” featurette as setting this new chapter roughly three to four hundred years after War of the Planet of the Apes. As we’ve seen in the first trailer for Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, and beyond, a lot has changed.

While our new hero Noa (Owen Teague) is part of a sect known as the “Eagle Clan,” the major power player is Proximus Caesar (Kevin Durand), a self-proclaimed ape emperor. With a plan to learn as much from humanity as he can, in the name of maintaining dominance, Proximus seemingly preaches the word of Caesar. The truth is something that Noa will eventually learn on his journey, along with plenty of other secrets the elders have been keeping locked away. 

There’s a plan for a brand new trilogy of Apes movies, with Wes Ball’s potential sequel comments promising “a new tree to climb” in wake of Caesar’s legacy. As the epic Planet of the Apes story continues with Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, new doors will open with fresh paths for future tales to travel. Where that journey goes next is exciting, especially when taking into account the hard fought history that took place so long ago.

The following contains MINOR SPOILERS for Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes.

The Planet of the Apes film franchise has been around since 1968. I have been around only slightly less time than that and have been a fan of movies for as long as I was aware movies were a thing. And yet for some reason, I’ve never seen any of the multitude of Planet of the Apes movies, including the most recent, very popular trilogy.

Planet of the Apes may have won an Oscar for its makeup effects in the 1960s, but as a kid, I think I found it all a little silly-looking. While the most recent trilogy certainly didn’t look like the older films, because I wasn't a Planet of the Apes fan, it was just never a high priority. The movies have been on the “to watch,” list, but that list only gets longer regardless of how many movies I watch. 

I considered trying to watch all the Planet of the Apes movies in order before Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes came out, but I ran out of time. So regardless of never having seen any of the previous films, and not knowing the best Planet of the Apes movies from the worst, I found myself in a dark theater this week to watch the brand-new entry in the franchise. Not only did I agree with our own Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes review and think it was a pretty good movie, but it was actually a great place to start for somebody who had avoided the franchise so far. 

Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes Doesn’t Require Any Previous Franchise Knowledge 

While I haven’t seen any Planet of the Apes movies, that’s not to say I don’t know anything about them. I’m certainly aware of the big twist at the end of the original movie and the excellent Spaceballs joke that came from it, and I have a general understanding of what happened in the Rise trilogy. I know the name Caesar and that he was the primary ape character in the trilogy.

But that’s about the extent of what I know. Kingdom of the Planet Apes takes place in the same continuity as the Rise trilogy, and possibly the same continuity of all the films since the Planet of the Apes timeline isn't exactly clear.  But if you’re even worse off than me and don't know anything about the previous trilogy, that's ok. The movie opens with a bit of on-screen text and a brief scene that tells you literally everything you need to know going into the events of Kingdom.

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is set so far apart from any previous film in the franchise that none of them can have any direct impact on the story. The specifics of the previous movies don’t matter to the audience because they don’t matter to the characters. If you can accept the premise that apes are the dominant species on the planet, there’s really nothing else that any other movie is going to tell you that’s important.

The Previous Trilogy Feels Like Lore To Flesh Out The World 

The events of the previous trilogy do pop up, but not in any way that requires the viewer to have direct knowledge of what actually happened. The name Caesar is first spoken by one of the warrior apes under Proximus Caesar. Our protagonist ape, Noa, isn’t even familiar with the name or what it means when he first hears it. It’s been generations since whatever happened happened, and Noa's clan doesn't concern themselves with such things.

Still, the little details matter. Maybe they refer to specific events in the last three movies, I have no idea. Whether they do or not, what they feel like without that knowledge are details that make the world of the intelligent apes feel more real and lived in. A reference to Caesar in Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes feels like the first time somebody mentioned The High Table in a John Wick movie. You understand what it is and what it means in the world without needing the details, but it helps you understand how the pieces fit together.

Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes Might Be Better Without Previous Knowledge 

What makes it even more interesting is that if you come into the movie without previous knowledge, I think it might be better. Kingdom of the Planet of The Apes presents two different versions of Caesar as interpreted by two different groups of characters. Proximus sees Caesar as a warlike figure, he uses the mantra “Apes together strong” as a call to unify all apes, by force if necessary, under one leader. Raka, however, says Caesar was more peaceful and compassionate, and wanted to prevent violence between apes.

Which of these views of Caesar is the accurate one? I don’t know. With generations having passed, it’s possible either of these interpretations could be right or could be wrong. Or maybe Caesar fell someplace in between and they are actually both wrong to some extent. 

I like this idea. So much time has passed, and record-keeping was seemingly never a priority, that history is open to interpretation. Nobody is entirely sure what happened before. Some people are learning about these details for the first time, but what the truth is isn’t important. What matters in Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is simply what certain characters believe and how that impacts the decisions they make. 

I’m More Interested Than Ever To Watch The Previous Apes Trilogy, And Maybe The Rest Of The Franchise

I have to admit, though, after seeing Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, I’ve become more curious than I was before about the previous films. From my perspective, it’s essentially the “prequel trilogy” for Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes. And I do want to know more about Caesar. Just what sort of character was he, really? Which of these differing views of him was right? I’m much more interested in that question now.

And who knows, maybe after I watch the Rise trilogy, I’ll want to go back and watch the original Apes movies too. They may be dated in a lot of ways, but they are generally well-regarded, and there must be something there if the franchise has survived this long. Except for the Tim Burton-directed Apes remake, I hear that one is pretty terrible.

The following contains spoilers for 32 movies with great cliffhanger endings. 

One of the things that usually defines the cinematic experience is that movies, unlike an episode of TV,  tell a complete story. They have a beginning middle and end. While sequels are always possible, that only means more adventures with our favorite characters. However, not all movies end quite so cleanly.

Many movies end on cliffhangers, with heroes either not completing the story by the end of the movie and finding themselves in jeopardy, or some new threat looming its head as the credits roll. This is often done when movie sequels are already planned, or at least expected. Other times it seems to happen just because filmmakers think it will be cool. Here are 32 times movies ended in cliffhangers, whether we eventually got a resolution or not.

 Back to the Future 

Back to the Future appears to have a happy ending. Marty has, however accidentally, changed his family life for the better. Or at least so he thinks. In the final moments, Doc Brown returns from the future to tell Marty that something is wrong with his kids. A big "To Be Continued..." promised us more to the story, which came after a very long four years. 

 The Matrix Reloaded 

While not technically called Part One, The Matrix: Reloaded was filmed alongside its sequel, so it's little surprise that the movie ended on a big cliffhanger. Agent Smith makes the jump from the Matrix to the real world somehow. Neo has shown some ability to use his abilities outside of The Matrix, and Zion is in danger. What is going on and what will happen next?

Avengers: Infinity War 

There has been no movie franchise in the last two decades as big as the Marvel Cinematic Universe and so it's not surprising that the biggest cliffhanger in recent memory was the end of Avengers: Infinity War. Half of our heroes were erased from existence and fans had to wait a year to find out what happened to everybody. 

The Italian Job (1969)

If we're talking cliffhangers, then it's impossible to leave out discussion of the original The Italian Job, a movie that ends with the cast hanging from a literal cliff. The thieves are on one side of the bus handing off a ledge, the loot is on the other, and Michael Caine is in between, trying to figure out how to get the goods without killing everybody.

The Thing 

One of the most talked about endings of all time. John Carpenter's The Thing sees an Antarctic research team battling an alien threat that can take the form of anybody. In the end, only two men remain and the alien might be dead, or one of the two survivors might not be a man at all. While some have suggested The Thing ending has a clear answer we never saw a true resolution.

 Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest 

There are currently five films in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise starring Johnny Depp's Captain Jack Sparrow, but the character's fate was in question after only the second movie. Dead Man's Chest ended with Jack Sparrow taken to Davy Jones' Locker. His crew has plans to rescue him however, with help from an unlikely source, Geoffrey Rush's Captain Barbossa, who up until the final shot of the film, had been dead himself.

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse 

Sony's animated Spider-Verse movies are viewed by many as the best cinematic version of Spider-Man we've ever seen. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse's ending gave fans an incredible story that left all our favorite heroes in a difficult position. Miles is in a universe other than the one he knows, the prisoner of an alternate version of himself. Gwen Stacy is mounting a rescue mission that hasn't even begun when the credits roll. 

 Halloween 

Considering just how many Halloween movies there have been over the years where Michael Myers wreaks havoc it's easy to forget that the original Halloween left fans wondering just what would happen next following its ending. Michael Myers is shot multiple times and falls off a balcony for good measure. He appears motionless at the bottom, seemingly dead. But when we look again his body is gone, leading the audience to wonder if the fight was really over.

John Wick: Chapter 2 

The first John Wick movie was a self-contained story that saw our hero set a particular goal, and achieve that goal. However, by doing so, he set in motion the events of John Wick: Chapter 2, which in turn, left viewers with a major cliffhanger at the end of that film. The entire assassin world is out to get John Wick, and all John can do is start to run. 

Star Wars: The Force Awakens 

During all of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, the audience has one question. What happened to Luke Skywalker? The final moments of the film only partially answer the question. Luke has been found, but why he is where he is, and how he'll respond to being found is not revealed until the opening moments of Star Wars: The Last Jedi.

Kill Bill: Volume 1 

Kill Bill makes it clear from its title that Vol 1 is only going to give us part of the story, but beyond the fact that The Bride has yet to get revenge on all the Deadly Vipers at the end, the first movie teases the audience with a piece of news the main character doesn't yet know, that he daughter is still alive. 

Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning, Part One

By the end of a Mission: Impossible movie you can usually count on Tom Cruise's Ethan Hunt saving the day. Unfortunately, by the end of Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One, the day is not yet saved. While Ethan has the key that is needed to help stop the rogue AI, the location of that AI, is still a big mystery. 

Alita: Battle Angel 

James Cameron worked for years to turn Alita: Battle Angel into a film, and in true Cameron fashion, the movie didn't do anything by half measures. The film didn't simply tease a sequel, but demanded one, revealing a villain, played by Edward Norton, in the final moments who was meant to be part of sequels that have yet to materialize. Fans have wanted to see Alita sequels for years, but a follow-up to this cliffhanger is increasingly unlikely. 

The Divergent Series: Allegiant 

Following successful franchises like Harry Potter and The Hunger Games it became common for franchises to split their final stories in half. Unfortunately, this was bad news for The Divergent Series as it left its characters in the middle of their final adventure with a cliffhanger ending, before deciding to end the series without making the last Divergent movie, so the cliffhanger would never be resolved.

Godzilla (1998) 

Roland Emmerich's attempt at a Godzilla movie in the late '90s was not well received by critics or audiences. It's not the best Godzilla movie by a long shot. The movie would never get the chance to improve with a sequel, which is too bad considering the film had a solid cliffhanger. The movie would reveal that this version of Godzilla was female, and had laid eggs before dying. More of the creatures were going to be born, and who knows what they would have done.

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug 

J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit is one of the most popular novels of all time, so it seems unlikely that anybody watching The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug didn't know what was going to happen after the second movie of the trilogy ended. However, for those few, the movie did conclude with a very angry Smaug flying to Laketown to destroy everything, and that's a pretty good cliffhanger. 

Saw III 

While the entire Saw franchise is a sort of bizarre horror soap opera, Saw III saw the greatest cliffhanger ending where Angus Macfayden's Jeff would fight his way through a series of traps only to lose his wife, and learn that Jigsaw had also captured his young daughter. What's worse, as the majority of Saw IV would actually be set prior to the events of Saw III, we wouldn't actually see this cliffhanger resolved until the opening of Saw V.

Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back 

One of the all-time great cliffhanger endings. Han Solo has been captured and frozen in carbonite. Luke Skywalker has lost a hand and learned that Darth Vader is his father. What's been lost to the decades however is that it wasn't until Return of the Jedi that we learned for sure Vader was telling the truth. At the time fans had to simply wait to see how the trilogy would resolve.

Evil Dead II 

The first Evil Dead movie ends on a sort of cliffhanger when it is implied that the evil was not, in fact, dead. However, the sequel goes even harder when Ash vanquishes the evil by using the Necronomicon to open a portal to suck in the monsters. Unfortunately, he is also pulled through and the movie ends with him having traveled back in time to the past. How will he get out of this?

Super Mario Bros. 

While many people have worked hard to forget the live-action Super Mario Bros. movie, anybody who was a fan is very disappointed the movie wasn't a bigger hit. The film ends with Samantha Mathis' Daisy busting down Mario and Luigi's door to ask them for help. She doesn't say why, and we'll never know since a sequel never happened.

The Birds 

Alfred Hitchcock was one of the greatest film directors ever and his movies frequently ended with a twist or with some sort of finale that had people talking as they left the theater. The Birds sees every winged creature on Earth attacking humanity. There's no explanation for it, nor is there an explanation for why the birds stop attacking at the end of the film. Will they attack again? It's far from clear, but the movie certainly implies the story is not over.

Split 

M. Night Shyamalan is known for twists, but not necessarily cliffhangers. His multiple-personality monster movie Split appears to be just another of the director's mysterious films until the final scene reveals that Split is taking place in the same universe as the superhero film Unbreakable, and it's clear that a clash between The Beast and David Dunn is coming. 

It Follows 

Horror movies often have cliffhanger endings, as it's the perfect way for the horror to last all the way to the end. It Follows sees a monster transmitted via sex murder a number of teenagers, and while the evil appears to have been defeated by the end, in the final shot, something is following our characters. It's probably nothing...probably. An It Follows sequel has been discussed. That's all I'm saying.

28 Weeks Later 

28 Weeks Later was not a direct sequel to the original 28 Days Later, but it did continue the story of the world where the rage virus has ravaged The U.K. By the end of the film, however, we learn that the virus has made the jump to France, and potentially all of Europe. Whether there's any hope of survival at all is the only question left to ask.

The Dark Knight 

The first of Christopher Nolan's Batman movies teased us with the inclusion of The Joker, but that's not quite the same thing as a cliffhanger. The Dark Knight, however, ends with Batman on the run, with the city he protects believing he's the enemy. Now that is a cliffhanger.

Dune 

We knew Denis Villeneuve's Dune: Part One wouldn't tell the entire story of Frank Herbert's novel. The only question was where would it end. While the movie doesn't leave any characters in jeopardy at the moment, it is still sure to give us a flash forward of one possible future for Paul Atraides, making us wonder just what would happen to him.

Fast X 

While Fast X wasn't given a title that implied it would be a "part one" we knew that another movie was planned after this one, so it wasn't exactly a shock when the movie ended on a cliffhanger. However, the Fast X ending saw half the team seemingly die in a plane crash while everybody else was looking to drown under the water of an exploding dam. That's a pretty furious ending.

Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom 

While there have been several Jurassic Park movies, most of them end with the major threat, whatever it may be, having been dealt with. This made Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom a bit different as the film ended with dinosaurs having escaped into the continental United States. We knew this would change everything in the world but we'd have to wait for the next movie to see how. 

Planet of the Apes (2001) 

The original Planet of the Apes had one of the all-time great twist endings, and so it's little surprise that 2001's remake tried to do something to top it. Astronaut Mark Wahlberg believes he's made it home, only to find a version of his reality that Apes have taken over. What did it all mean? The movie's lackluster box office meant we would never find out.

Spider-Man: Far From Home 

Additional scenes during the credits of Marvel movies are commonplace now, but they usually tease the future of the wider franchise. Spider-Man: Far From Home, however, did something a little bit different by taking this moment to actually reveal Spider-Man's identity as Peter Parker to the world. What would happen next would be a major question for fans until Spider-Man: No Way Home answered it.

X2: X-Men United

For some the ending of X2: X-Men United might not have actually seemed like a cliffhanger. While Jean Gray dies saving the X-Men, that's a downer ending, not a cliffhanger. However, the movie's final moments give us an image of a phoenix, a reference to the Phoenix Saga from the X-Men comics, and a note for knowing fans that more was to come. 

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 

The second of the three live-action Spider-Man franchises was clearly planning for a big finale to its trilogy. The Amazing Spider-Man 2 ended with a man, cloaked in shadows walking through a collection of gear that belonged to Spider-Man's greatest comic book enemies. The movie teased the creation of the Sinister 6, but we never saw them, and exactly who this character was supposed to be was never revealed. 

Many of these movies eventually saw their cliffhangers resolve. For others, it seems no answer was ever planned. But who knows lots of movies in recent years have seen sequels decades after their original installments, so maybe seeing how these cliffhangers play out is still possible. 

There has been much talk in the last 13 years about a potential remake of The Planet Of The Apes. When Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes was created as a prequel that would show how the dynamic between humans and simians changed, it inspired conversation about how sequels could move the narrative closer and closer to the original story before developing a fresh version of the classic.

That may still be a plan in the minds of one or two executives at 20th Century Studios – but it’s not something that Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes director Wes Ball would ever be interested in pursuing.

As captured in the video up top, I had the chance to interview Ball late last month during the Los Angeles press day for his new film, and in addition to talking about his perspective on the Planet Of The Apes canon and his work on the upcoming Legend Of Zelda movie, we also discussed the future prospect of a new Planet Of The Apes remake. With the filmmaker hoping to develop a new trilogy for the franchise, I asked if there existed pressure to eventually make such a project, and he explained why that idea is a nonstarter for him. Said Ball,

Basically, it helps to look at Andy Serkis’ Caesar Trilogy and Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes as in-canon prequels on the Planet Of The Apes timeline instead of being a wholly separate thing. There’s no reason to re-tell the story of astronaut George Taylor because the version that features Charlton Heston is already a part of the continuity.

Of course, fans will remember that we already got a Planet Of The Apes remake from director Tim Burton in 2001, and it didn’t go over particularly well with the general public. It was ultimately a box office success, making over $360 million worldwide, and the special effects work is phenomenal – but the movie was dismissed by critics and its reputation pales in comparison to the beloved 1968 movie.

As for the new generation of movies, Wes Ball doesn’t expect that fans will see the films link up with the original blockbuster for a long, long time, but when that time comes, he sees no point in redoing that story. He continued,

If you’re looking to binge all of the Planet Of The Apes movies in the run-up to the release of Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes, which arrives in theaters this Friday, May 10, you can easily do so via a Hulu subscription. Also be sure to stay tuned here on CinemaBlend in the coming days for more from my interviews with Wes Ball as well as the stars of the new film.

The timeline of the Planet Of The Apes franchise is not what one would call straightforward. Beneath The Planet Of The Apes is a direct sequel to the original Planet Of The Apes, but it ends with the Earth literally exploding, and then Escape From The Planet Of The Apes reveals that two characters were able to travel back in time prior to the explosion – which then sets up the events that follow in Conquest Of The Planet Of The Apes and Battle For The Planet Of The Apes. Meanwhile, the movies with Andy Serkis a.k.a. the Caesar Trilogy are semi-remakes of those middle chapters, but also interpretable as prequels to the original.

If you’re a fan of this franchise, part of the fun of it all is untangling the continuity – but for Wes Ball, the director of the new film Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes, the name of the game was simplification. Last week, I spoke with the filmmaker during the movie’s Los Angeles press day, and when I asked if he considered all of the aforementioned titles to be in canon, he explained his take on the matter:

Part of what aids that looseness in the Planet Of The Apes franchise are leaps in time. The events of each movie don’t pick up immediately after the previous chapter, and it’s left partially to the audience’s imagination to understand how the in-canon world has changed. This is certainly the case with Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes, which is firmly canonical with War For The Planet Of The Apes but set “several generation later.”

Wes Ball Focused On Franchise Pillars, But Time Travel Has Funny Consequences

As “Before” and “After” guardrails for the new blockbuster, 1968’s Planet Of The Apes and the Caesar trilogy provided material to build on that wasn’t creatively restricting. At the same time, Wes Ball explained that some of the DNA from the original sequels is in the film. The director continued, saying,

That’s actually how I prefer to look at the Planet Of The Apes continuity personally: the time travel in Escape From The Planet Of The Apes establishes a separate timeline from the franchise’s seminal film instead of creating a loop. Meanwhile, the Caesar Trilogy and Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes (which is hopefully going launch its own trilogy) is a depiction of the original timeline that will eventually lead to the events in the original.

The new movie doesn’t provide any firm answers as to whether or not this is the proper way to interpret the Planet Of The Apes franchise, but that’s in part because Wes Ball wants fans to be talking about this kind of stuff on their way out of the theater:

With a cast including franchise-newcomers Owen Teague, Freya Allan, Kevin Durand, Peter Macon and more, Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes is already building big hype in advance of its release, and it will be in theaters everywhere this Friday, May 10.

It’s been seven years since we watched Andy Serkis’ Caesar take his last breath after leading his fellow apes to the oasis in War for the Planet of the Apes, but when the action picks back up in the upcoming installment, more than 300 years will have passed. The new movie Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is set to hit theaters on May 10, but early screenings have already started, and people are taking to social media with their first reactions. Let’s see what they think.

In the newest offering of the Planet of the Apes franchise, ape king Proximus Caesar (Kevin Durand) has begun enslaving other groups. A young ape Noa (Owen Teague), who hails from one of those clans, teams up with a human girl named Mae (Freya Allan), or “Nova,” as the ape calls her, as they each set out to fulfill their plans for the future of apes and humans. First reactions to Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes has been positive, with Emily Murray of GamesRadar writing on X (Twitter): 

That’s got to be good news for Apes fans, especially with the possibility that this is the first of a new trilogy following the previous three movies that centered around Caesar. Russ Milheim of The Direct also says this movie left him excited for what’s yet to come from this story, and even a few pacing issues don’t dull what director Wes Ball has created. Milheim writes: 

Several of those who saw a screening of the upcoming 2024 movie are praising its direction, calling Wes Ball the perfect choice to lead the series forward. Caitlin Tyrrell of ScreenRant says: 

Griffin Schiller of FilmSpeak even compares this “visual feast” to a specific Star Wars offering, writing: 

Critic Perri Nemiroff agrees there was no better filmmaker to helm this reboot than Wes Ball, whose proficiency with visual effects resulted in the movie looking incredible. In a series of tweets, Nemiroff also lauds the choice to set the story so far into the future and says Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is perfectly cast. In the critic’s words: 

Michael Lee of Geeks of Doom thinks this movie doesn’t quite surpass Caesar’s story in the previous trilogy, but the ground seems fertile for many stories to come from this world. Lee says: 

With the previous three movies being “nearly perfect,” in the opinion of Next Best Picture’s Matt Neglia, it’s somewhat of a relief to this critic that the newest installment is as strong as it is. Neglia writes: 

We’ll learn more about what to expect when reviews come out next week, but fans who were nervous about the direction that Wes Ball would take the franchise can seemingly breathe a little easier now. In the meantime, if you want to refresh yourself on the previous three movies, they are available to stream with a Hulu subscription. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes and War for the Planet of the Apes are also available with a Max subscription. 

Five years after War for the Planet of the Apes closed out Caesar’s trilogy of stories, the 2024 movies will bring audiences back to the Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes. What we know about director Wes Ball’s “new chapter” in Apes history is that it will show us what’s happened eons after Andy Serkis’ revolutionary hero died leading his people to the promised land. 

There’s a good reason for that, even though Ball himself understands that there’s another spinoff fans are still hoping to see. During a chat with ScreenRant at this year’s WonderCon, the Maze Runner helmer fully admitted to knowing that the story of Cornelius, Caesar’s son, is something folks are still anticipating.

When addressing why that tale isn’t what’s on the menu at this moment, Wes Ball spoke to his own fandom with these remarks: 

A centuries long gap certainly helps when you’re trying to maintain the longevity of a franchise, especially one as long reaching as Planet of the Apes. With a handful of centuries separating the end of War for the Planet of the Apes and the beginning of Kingdom, there’s so much ape history we’ll probably be clued into in this new adventure. But we don’t necessarily have to see it just yet. 

I kind of agree with Wes Ball and his team’s approach to Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes’ story. While I’d really like to see how Cornelius and the first generation of ape civilization forge their way ahead, it’s admittedly a story that can always be revisited later on. Meanwhile, jumping ahead presents a new challenge that, without question, keeps things fresh. 

There’s obviously pressure when it comes to how this legendary sci-fi movie franchise will continue on. At the same time it would have been greater if they just picked up the torch immediately after Caesar’s death. Those “ new opportunities” are plentiful with a little more distance than one would expect from such a huge saga, and considering Wes Ball has an Apes trilogy plan, that story has even more free reign to roam without worrying about butting into existing history. 

Will we ever see the story of Cornelius? That’s a question that’s still outstanding. But for now, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes represents a new start in the aftermath of Caesar’s heroism. You can travel there yourself, when the film opens in theaters on May 10th. 

In 2021, Denis Villeneuve released one of the best sci-fi movies of all time with Dune, his massive adaptation of Frank Herbert’s landmark novel of the same name. Three years later, the second part of the expansive saga about Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet) conquering his fear, surviving the unforgiving desert planet of Arrakis, and fulfilling his destiny is out in the wild with the long-awaited Dune: Part Two. 

If you’re a fan of the first film and have either seen the sequel (or at least plan on watching it soon), there’s a good chance you’re looking for other movies and TV shows to watch that deal with similar topics, settings, or themes. If that’s the case, you’ve come to right place, because we’ve put together a list of sci-fi stories, historical epics, and all-time great TV shows that should do the trick while holding out for a possible Dune: Part 3.

Blade Runner 2049 (2017)

Before Denis Villeneuve turned his attention to the Dune franchise, he breathed new life into another great sci-fi property with Blade Runner 2049. Picking up years after Ridley Scott’s 1982 masterpiece, this rich cinematic experience set in a near-future technicolor dreamland (or nightmare, depending on who you ask) was something you had to see to believe. Its story following Officer K (Ryan Gosling) as he unearths a nearly forgotten secret is the stuff of wonder and feels very much at home with Dune.

Rent/Buy Blade Runner 2049 on Amazon.

Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior (1982)

Any of the Mad Max movies are a good option for Dune fans, but the film that fits in the most in this case is the franchise’s second chapter. Subtitled The Road Warrior, George Miller’s 1982 dystopian film follows Max Rockatansky (Mel Gibson) as he becomes the reluctant (and out of place) leader of a peaceful group of nomads who’ve become the target of the charming, violent, and diabolical Lord Humungus (Kjell Nilsson). Deserts, tribes with unique cultures, heroes rising to the occasion, it’s all here.

Rent/Buy Mad Max 2 on Amazon.

Stargate (1994)

If you are a fan of epic sci-fi stories about groups of people becoming trapped on a desert alien planet then Roland Emmerich’s Stargate is going to do the trick. Much like Dune, this 1994 adventure film introduces otherworldly beings, dastardly villains, and unlikely heroes who must rise to the occasion, learning something about themselves and the universe around them in the process.

Stream Stargate on Pluto TV.
Stream Stargate on Tubi. 

The Expanse (2015 - 2022)

Futuristic settings, space travel, the colonization of planets, and the uncovering of far-reaching conspiracies that could spell disaster for the galaxy are just a few of the similarities shared by both Dune and the long-running sci-fi series, The Expanse. If you’re a fan of the sci-fi genre in general, this series, which is based on James. S.A. Corey’s novel of the same name, is going to be something you won’t want to miss.

Stream The Expanse on Prime Video.

Star Wars (1977 - Present)

This is probably a given, but Star Wars is the perfect option for fans of Dune. Both properties have rich lore, obsessive fanbases, and tell enchanting stories about fulfilling one’s destiny. Few film franchises capture the hero’s journey better than these beloved films, and the various trilogies in the galaxy far, far away do a masterful job of showing what happens to once-noble characters who became obsessed with power, revenge, and complete control.

Stream the various Star Wars movies and shows on Disney+.

Lawrence Of Arabia (1962)

One of the best biopics of all time, Lawrence of Arabia, recounts the life of British archaeologist and army officer T.E. Lawrence (Peter O’Toole) as he finds himself leading a group of rebels on an epic journey across the Arabian desert after going against his superior’s orders. This cinematic masterpiece is epic in both scope and scale, and offers a lot for fans of Dune, even though it’s far from being a sci-fi film.

Stream Lawrence of Arabia on Tubi.
Rent/Buy Lawrence of Arabia on Amazon.
Buy Lawrence of Arabia on Blu-ray on Amazon.

Game Of Thrones (2011 - 2019)

Okay, Game of Thrones may not be the first thing that comes to mind when discussing TV shows for Dune fans, but this is honestly one of the best options. The political in-fighting, the wars between houses with claims to the throne, and intense battle sequences are just some of the similarities between the two properties, but they don’t stop there.

Stream Game of Thrones on Max.
Buy Game of Thrones on Amazon.
Buy Game of Thrones on Blu-ray on Amazon.

Planet Of The Apes (1968)

What do Dune and Planet of the Apes have in common besides both being based on iconic sci-fi novels? Well, for starters, both tell incredible fish-out-of-water stories about strong characters finding themselves in strange lands where they’re forced to prove themselves. There’s also the whole rebellion aspect of the movies, as well as great lore that continues to be explored by fans all these years later.

Stream Planet of the Apes on Starz.
Rent/Buy Planet of the Apes on Amazon.

Foundation (2021 - Present)

The Apple TV+ original series, Foundation, follows a group of exiles as they try to save the Galactic Empire from utter destruction by taking an unlikely and dangerous course. Inspired by Issac Asimov’s novel of the same name, the series is full of epic space travel, alien lands, and a massive scope that is impressive to say the least.

Stream Foundation on Apple TV+.

Arrival (2016)

Arguably Denis Villeneuve’s best movie, Arrival is a technical, visual, and emotional masterpiece that was more than deserving of all the praise it has received since its 2016 release. Starring Amy Adams, the movie follows a team of scientists trying to communicate with new extraterrestrial visitors before the world’s military leaders can do what they do best: blow everything up.

Stream Arrival on Paramount+.
Rent/Buy Arrival on Amazon.
Buy Arrival on Blu-ray on Amazon.

Nausicaä Of The Valley Of The Wind (1987)

One of Hayao Miyazaki’s first feature films, Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind very much feels like the anime version of Dune, both in its setting and story. Released in 1984, this animated epic follows Nausicaä (Sumi Shimamoto), a young princess who can communicate with various lifeforms on her ravaged and dying planet as she attempts to prevent a formidable kingdom from using a powerful weapon that could make life for everyone much, much worse.

Stream Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind on Max.
Rent/Buy Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind on Amazon.

The Matrix (1999)

There are a plethora of similarities between Dune and The Matrix, all of which make this 1999 sci-fi flick a must-watch for fans of Denis Villeneuve’s epic, if they haven’t already seen it. Both of these movies center on characters deemed to be “The One,” both argue the dangers of unchecked technology, and both touch on rebellion. Most of all, both of these movies are so much fun to watch.

Stream The Matrix on Max.
Rent/Buy The Matrix on Amazon.

Previous Dune Adaptations

If you’re a fan of Villenuve’s masterpiece, then you should definitely watch David Lynch’s 1984 Dune, as well as the incredible documentary film, Jodorowsky’s Dune, which detailed all the work the Chilean-French filmmaker put into his ill-fated adaptation that never came to fruition in the 1970s. There’s also a 2000 miniseries titled Frank Herbert’s Dune, but it isn’t currently available to stream or purchase.

Stream Dune on Max.
Rent/Buy Dune (1984) on Amazon.
Rent/Buy Jodorowsky’s Dune on Amazon.

Well, this should be more than enough for all the Dune fans out there. But if you want to know about all the new films coming to theaters (and streaming services) after Dune: Part Two makes its debut, take a look at our 2024 movie calendar for all the latest.

A good plot twist can send shivers down your spine and give you a nice hit of dopamine as it changes everything you thought about a movie or TV show. Here is our list of some of favorite mind-blowing plot twists that shook us to our core. 

WARNING: MAJOR Spoilers ahead!! 

Vader Is Luke’s Dad - Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back

Darth Vader telling Luke that he is Luke’s father is maybe the #1 most mind-blowing plot twist in film history. It seems quaint to many of us now because it’s always been a part of our lives, but think back to what it was like when you first saw the revelation. It was crazy, no one saw it coming. The Empire Strikes Back had a few surprises, including the bad guy winning in the end, but this moment tops them all. 

The First Flashforward - Lost

The final two episodes of Season 3 of Lost were intense, and when they got to the end, audiences were treated to one of the most “what the!” moments in TV history when they realized what they thought was one of Jack’s flashbacks was actually a flashforward when he tells Kate they “have to go back” to the island. It changed the show forever and it's hands down the best episode of Lost.

It Was Earth All Along - Planet Of The Apes

The original Planet of the Apes from 1968 started with Charlton Heston’s character, George Taylor awakening from hibernation after a long space journey when he and his fellow astronauts crashed into an unknown planet. Apes of different kinds rule the planet and humans are treated more or less like animals. The shock comes in the last show when Taylor discovers he traveled through time, not space, and awoke on Earth many years in the future. 

Off With The Main Character’s Head - Game of Thrones

For fans of Game of Thrones, the penultimate episode of Season 1 proved anything in the show was possible and it would be smart not to get too attached to any one character. In the episode, the hero of the story, Ned Stark (Sean Bean) is executed and nothing would be the same for the rest of the show’s epic run. 

The Greatest Trick The Devil Ever Pulled - The Usual Suspects

It’s true that some viewers latched on to the idea that Verbal Kint (Keven Spacey) is an unreliable narrator, but very few anticipated the twist at the end revealing Verbal to be the mysterious Keyser Soze. Just when everyone puts it together, poof…he’s gone. Brilliant. 

He’s Been Dead This Whole TIme - The Sixth Sense

Director M. Night Shyamalan has made an entire career out of twists and turns and last-minute revelations. It’s a formula that goes way back in his filmography, most notably with the film that established him as a big-time director, The Sixth Sense. The twist, of course, is learning Bruce Willis’ character, Malcolm Crowe, is one of the dead people who Cole (Haley Joel Osment) sees. 

The Unexpected Mole - 24

Nina (Sarah Clarke) was a fan favorite in the first season of 24. She helped Jack (Kiefer Sutherland) get out of a lot of tight spots as his eyes and ears at CSU’s headquarters. A fan favorite, that is, until it turns out she’s been a mole along. It only gets worse when she kills Teri Bauer, Jack’s wife. Nina goes from a hero to a villain in a matter of minutes. 

She’s Safe! - Gone Girl

Gone Girl smartly hides its first twist, that Amy (Rosamund Pike) was not kidnapped or killed, but set the whole thing up herself. That’s not the only turn the movie takes though. Later, Amy also framed Desi (Neil Patrick Harris) for her kidnapping, clearing Nick of suspicion. The twists don’t end there, either. As Nick prepared to expose Amy’s crime, she told him she was pregnant with their first child. Nick changes his mind, keeping Amy’s secret, and staying in their marriage. It’s dark, but it’s a heck of a ride. 

Surprise, They Are Triplets - This Is Us

The pilot episode of This Is Us sets up its twist brilliantly with an interstitial explaining how many people are born on the same day, right before meeting Jack (Milo Ventimiglia) and Rebecca (Mandy Moore) when Rebecca goes into labor with triplets on Jack’s birthday in 1980. In the present day, audiences meet Randall (Sterling K. Brown), Kate (Chrissy Metz), and Kevin (Justin Hartley), but it’s not until the final scene of the episode that it all comes together that Rebecca lost one of the triplets, but she and Jack adopted Randall the same day after he was abandoned at a fire station. 

Rosebud - Citizen Kane

One of the most famous twists in cinema history is also one of the earliest. In 1941, Citizen Kane tricked audiences into wondering for the entire movie what Charles Foster Kane’s (Orson Welles) final word, “Rosebud,” meant. At the end of the movie, they learn it was a beloved sled from his innocent youth, things he had lost a long time ago. 

Bernard Is A Host - Westworld

Jeffery Wright’s performance as Bernard in Westworld was one of the brightest spots on an uneven show. Audiences loved him and when it turned out he was a “host”, it was mindblowing for many. As is the nature of shows like Westworld plenty of people “called it” in online discussions, and there were clues to Bernard’s true nature, but for the rest of us, it was a real “wow” moment. 

Who Exactly Is Norman Bates? - Psycho

Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho created a template for modern horror movies that directors are still following today, to great success. One of the most influential moments in the movie is the reveal at the end just who is Norman Bates’ (Anthony Perkins) mother. Before the end, we just see glimpses of her in windows, and comments by Norman. It’s not until the final scenes that we learn she’s been dead for years and Norman has been dressing like her, or even becoming her? 

Agatha All Along - WandaVision

Another TV show that drops plenty of hints for the big twist is Marvel’s WandaVision. As audiences were left wondering who was behind all the weird things happening in Westview. It turns out, it was Wanda’s neighbor Agnes – or Agnes (Kathryn Hahn) all along. It’s one of the most fun reveals on this list as well. 

The Wizard Is A Conman - ​​The Wizard Of Oz

When Dorothy (Judy Garland) finds herself transported to Oz in The Wizard Of Oz, the only way home, as she understands it, is to visit the Wizard, who can help. Along the way, she meets some friends who all need something from the power Wizard. Of course, when they arrive in the Emerald City, they learn the truth, the Wizard is just a conman. What a nightmare! 

The Bad Place - The Good Place

The reveal at the end of Season 1 of The Good Place is just a lot of fun. It’s not so much of a “holy cow” moment as it is an “I love it! moment. Instead of being in the “good” place, aka Heaven, it turns out Eleanor (Kristen Bell) is in the other place, the “bad” place. 

The Big Reveal - The Crying Game

The Crying Game is an emotional movie that takes place during The Troubles in Northern Ireland, but it’s the reveal that Dil (Jaye Davidson) is transgender. Davidson, who retired after only acting in two movies, won all kinds of awards for the role that shocked audiences everywhere, but in retrospect, opened up a new, better, more honest understanding of transgender people. 

Sharon Lives - Once Upon A Time In Hollywood

It’s pure Quentin Tarantino to reveal a twist that not only changes the movie, but history itself. He did in Inglourious Basterds with the death of Hitler and he does it again, perhaps to better effect, in Once Upon A Time In Hollywood. Instead of Charlie Manson and his crazy followers killing Sharon Tate (Margot Robbie), Dalton, and Booth unwittingly save her by distracting the family. 

Waking Up In A Different Show - Newhart

Newhart in the ‘80s was Bob Newhart’s second sitcom that hit big, after The Bob Newhart Show in the ‘70s. Although neither show was connected at all, with Newhart playing completely different characters, in a different place, they both came together in the final episode when Bob Newhart awakens in bed, on his old show, revealing the second show was all just a dream of his first character. People talked about it for weeks. 

John Doe’s Plan Is Revealed - Se7en

Se7en is a movie that sticks with you long after the credits roll. Kevin Spacey’s performance as the serial killer John Doe is perfect, and it all comes together in the end when he finally reveals his grand plan. Audiences never expected David’s (Brad Pitt) wife, Tracy (Gwenyth Paltrow) to be as involved as she was and what a tragedy it is, setting in motion the end of Doe’s plan, to make David “wrath” and himself as “envy.”

The Whole Family Is In On It - Get Out

Jordan Peele got everyone talking about his directorial debut Get Out when it was revealed to the audience that not only were Rose’s (Allison Williams) parents performing twisted experiments on African-Americans, but Rose herself was involved, tricking her boyfriend Chis (Daniel Kaluuya) into going home with her to be a victim. Always question things when they seem off.

Helly’s Outie Is An Insider - Severance

One of the most talked about shows of 2022 was Apple TV+’s Severance. Questions abound throughout the first season, but what makes the twist so good is that it’s a huge reveal, that viewers didn’t even know they needed to know. Helly’s (Britt Lower) “outie” is in fact part of the family that is responsible for the twisted company’s project in the basement. 

The Narrator Is Tyler Durden - Fight Club

David Fincher is a master of late reveals and his movie Fight Club, based on the book by Chuck Palahniuk, is no exception. Though the movie was a box office disappointment it’s since become a quintessential cult film. It’s a mindblowing moment when you put together that Tyler Durden (Brad Pitt) is just an alter-ego of The Narrator (Edward Norton).

Dan Is Blogger - Gossip Girl

For six seasons, fans wondered who was behind the Gossip Girl blog in Gossip Girl. Finally, after years of speculation, it’s revealed that Dan (Penn Badgley) is actually the voice behind the screen, despite being voiced by Kristen Bell throughout the show. Of course, other characters filled the role of the Gossip Girl, but Dan was the man, it turned out. 

Leland Palmer Killed Laura - Twin Peaks

The central mystery of David Lynch’s Twin Peaks is the murder of Laura Palmer. For one and a half seasons, it’s all the fans talked about it. When it was finally revealed in Season 2 that it was Laura’s father, Leland who did the deed. David Lynch wasn't happy with Season 2, but audiences loved it. 

It’s All In The Title - The Game

The Game is not one of David Fincher’s most talked about movies, but it should be. It has a fantastic, mindblowing reveal at the end when Nicholas (Michael Douglas) learns that all the craziness that he’s been through is all part of an elaborate game set up by his brother (Sean Penn). The rush for the characters and fans of the movies is intense when we learn the truth together. 

It’s People - Soylent Green

Soylent Green is a movie that is almost exclusively known for its plot twist. In a dystopian future, people subsist on a food called Soylent Green. It’s a mysterious food that in the end, is revealed to be human. Soylent Green is people! It’s become part of pop culture, but it’s a movie few people have actually watched. 

Parasite

The South Korean drama Parasite took the world by storm upon its release and a big reason why is the fantastic twist. On its surface (literally) the movie is a comment on the class struggle in South Korea, but below, it's a wild story about a poor family literally living in the basement of a wealthy family's house. The reveal is truly mindblowing and what sets it apart from other films dealing with the struggle. 

Earth Isn’t All That - Battlestar Galactica

For the first three seasons of Battlestar Galactica, the last remaining humans searched for their home Earth while battling the Cylons along the way. In the final episode of the penultimate season, they finally arrive home, ending their journey. When a group from the Galactica travel down, however, they find the planet in ruins, and uninhabitable due to nuclear radiation from a war centuries earlier. It’s a devastating moment, but in the end, they do find a home. 

The Deed Was Done - Memento

Director Christopher Nolan’s Momento has a lot of twists and turns, given the nature of the film, as Leonard (Guy Pearce) searches for his wife’s killer and the structure of the film's forward and backward timeline. When Leonard finally puts the pieces together, he finds that he got vengeance a year early and had been manipulated by Teddy (Joe Pantoliano) to do dirty work for him. Teddy becomes Leonard’s next target. 

Irene Is Moriarty - Elementary

In Elementary, Sherlock Holmes (Jonny Lee Miller) has an ongoing battle with Jane Moriarty (Natalie Dormer) and often feels the pain of his lost love with Irene Adler. The twist is that Irene and Jane are, in fact, the same person. The relationship between them is very complicated and continues through the run of the show to present problems for Sherlock. 

Modern Times - The Village

M. Night Shyamalan's The Village has one of the better twists in the director’s filmography. The movie is set in 19th-century America, or so we think. The elders of the titular village do everything they can to keep the people in the village because only they know that it’s actually the 21st Century.

Jason’s Mom - Friday The 13th

In one of the all-time great plot twists in horror movie history, Jason Vorhees, the killer of summer campers is not actually Jason, but his mother. She is bent on murdering the campers to avenge her son’s death years earlier. 

This week, fans of the Planet of the Apes franchise were treated to an epic Super Bowl trailer from the upcoming entry from the series. As Wes Ball’s Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes inches a bit closer to the time period that the original movie was set in, CinemaBlend talked with the movie’s new star about his thoughts on the movie that started it all. 

When I spoke to Owen Teague, who got to ride horses in a mo-cap suit through the Australian wilderness as a teen ape named Noa, I shared my own core memory of seeing 1968’s Planet of the Apes when I was a kid. I was rather terrified to see a world run by apes, and he could relate, sharing this:  

As Teague explained, he finds that it's a common experience among fans of the franchise to have experienced the film at a time when they “probably too young” considering that was his first relationship with the franchise as well. However, when he recently watched the movie as a 25-year-old who is now part of the Planet of the Apes movies himself, he didn’t find it as scary. That being said, he gave a few reasons why he still finds the first movie in the series to be “a bit unnerving” between the ape costumes… or Charlton Heston’s teeth. As Teague continued: 

Teague has a long history with the Planet of the Apes movies, especially pointing to the most recent trilogy of films that began with 2011’s Rise of the Planet of the Apes, continued with 2014’s Dawn of the Planet of the Apes and ended in 2017 with War for the Planet of the Apes. The actor is also an Andy Serkis fan, between the mo-cap expert’s work in King Kong and as Caesar in the Apes trilogy. 

CinemaBlend also learned that Teague’s hero Andy Serkis was actually considered to be in this new Apes movie, but the director decided against it because his voice was too much like Caesar. Even so, Teague got to speak with Serkis about his own process and best tips for playing an ape in the franchise, along with going to “ape camp” to sharpen his performance. 

During my interview with Owen Teague, he reacted to Wes Ball’s hopes to make Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes the start of a trilogy. The actor shared that he “would give anything” to get to play Noa for three films in the Apes franchise. 

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is among the 2024 movies that is coming out this summer season, with its release date coming on May 10. Ahead of its release, check out how you can watch the Planet of the Apes movies in order. If you want to rewatch the 1968 version specifically, it’s available to watch through Starz. 

During this weekend’s big Super Bowl Sunday telecast, 20th Century Studios gave us a new look at Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes with a fresh trailer. The new chapter of the long-running franchise follows the trilogy starring Andy Serkis’ Caesar, and could very well be the start of another trilogy from director Wes Ball, who has shared hopes to build out the storyline across three movies. When CinemaBlend spoke to Kingdom star Owen Teague, the actor shared his thoughts on building out his character to that extent. 

CinemaBlend spoke with Owen Teague after joining Wes Ball in Burbank, California (alongside select press) to see footage from Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes as the production on one of the most anticipated 2024 movies continues to go through post-production. After Ball shared his aspirations following the release of the next Apes movie, we asked Teague about potentially leading the next three films from the franchise. In his words: 

After Wes Ball helmed the Maze Runner movies, the director is ready to jump into another high profile trilogy with the Planet of the Apes, and his leading actor is completely on board. Owen Teague plays Noa, a teenage ape who becomes the center of an incredible adventure that will have him developing a relationship with a human and learning more about humanity’s past 300 years after Caesar’s reign. As Teague also continued: 

The Planet of the Apes franchise began with the 1968 movie starring Charlton Heston, where a group of astronauts awaken from a deep hibernation to find themselves crashed on a planet where apes rule the world and have a rather intelligent government and society. The major plot twist of the movie comes at the end when we learn that they’d been on Earth all along and an apocalyptic nuclear war had destroyed humanity. 

As Teague shared in our interview, he’s excited to explore and continue to explore the franchise moving closer to the events of the first movie where apes really do rule the whole world and are having dinner parties and so forth with one another. The actor noted there’s a new dynamic to explore with Kingdom that could inspire many more films. 

When CinemaBlend got to see footage with Wes Ball, the director also discussed how Andy Serkis was involved in Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes. You can check out the new movie in theaters on May 10. 

During Sunday’s Super Bowl LVIII, tons of trailers dropped for big 2024 movies to get excited for, between the first look at Deadpool & Wolverine, Ariana Grande as Glinda in the first Wicked trailer and an epic new Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes trailer. In regards to the latter, it was established Caesar’s reign ended generations ago, but that doesn’t mean Andy Serkis wasn’t still considered and involved behind the scenes in the making of the franchise’s latest installment. 

Alongside select press, CinemaBlend recently had the chance to learn about the making of the upcoming Apes film with director Wes Ball in Burbank, California where the filmmakers are currently finishing post-production on the film ahead of its May release date. During the edit bay visit, Wes Ball said this about Andy Serkis’ involvement in Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes: 

As Wes Ball shared, when he signed on to Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, he had already established a relationship with Andy Serkis after working with him on the scrapped Mouse Guard movie and wondered if he could involve the mo-cap expert in his movie. Considering the setting of the movie, Serkis could not return as Caesar and after hearing the actor read some lines from Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, he realized it wasn’t right to have the voice of the fallen king in it. That being said, Serkis was involved in another way. As Ball continued: 

While Andy Serkis is not among the Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes cast, he was involved in helping all the actors playing apes with their performances. Wes Ball shared that the actors went to “ape camp” for two months ahead of stepping on set with their mo-cap suits to play the characters and had the support of Andy Serkis to give them a few pointers. 

You wouldn’t know where everything started by the Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes trailer, which dropped during Sunday’s game. Check it out below: 

While Serkis is not officially part of the production’s cast, it’s pretty special he had such an influence on the film. Andy Serkis has previously talked about Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, too, saying he thinks it’s gonna “blow people’s minds” once it comes out. You can see Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes in theaters on May 10. 

Did you see that coming? Because I certainly didn't with these excellent plot twists.

There comes a time in everyone's life when we watch a movie, and it's going all fine and dandy, and then a twist happens so suddenly that it's something we would never expect.

Perhaps it's someone's true origins that finally reveal themselves or who the murderer is in some of the best horror movies. Regardless, these twists will sit with you for days, making you think about how you didn't see that coming. These are some of the best.

And obviously, this article is full of spoilers, so there’s a movie on the list that you haven’t seen, you might want to skip that section.

Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (1980)

Director: Irvin Kershner

Cast: Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher

Plot Twist: Luke finds out that his enemy, Darth Vader, is actually his father.

Why It’s The Best Plot Twist: This not only sets up the rest of the Star Wars franchise but also sets Luke on an even more determined path to beat the Empire, which he does in the next movie with the help of his allies. It's from this twist that we get to know who Anakin Skywalker is, and years later, people still regard him as one of the best Star Wars characters.

Psycho (1960)

Director: Alfred Hitchcock

Cast: Anthony Perkins, Vera Miles, John Gavin, Martin Balsam, John McIntire, Janet Leigh

Plot Twist: Norman Bates had already killed his mother before the main character arrived.

Why It’s The Best Plot Twist: The twist is as classic as it can get, and is considered one Alfred Hitchcock’s best movies. It still hits, even now, if you’ve never seen the film before.

Get Out (2016)

Director: Jordan Peele

Cast: Daniel Kaluuya, Allison Williams, Bradley Whitford, Caleb Landy Jones, Stephen Root, Catherine Keener

Plot Twist: The Armitage Family lures Black people into their home in order to transfer the brains of wealthy people into their bodies in order to have their physical traits.

Why It’s The Best Plot Twist: I don’t know what the world I was expecting when Jordan Peele made his directorial debut, but it was most certainly not Get Out and its crazy twist. Out of everything, this is one of those twists that legit no one ever saw coming and when it does, all you can hope for is that Chris somehow finds his way out.

Fight Club (1999)

Director: David Fincher

Cast: Brad Pitt, Edward Norton, Helena Bonham Carter

Plot Twist: The Narrator and Tyler are actually the same person, and the Narrator did everything Tyler did.

Why It’s The Best Plot Twist: There are so many cool behind-the-scenes facts about Fight Club, but the twist truly makes you want to rewatch the film over and over again to see all the little hints that you missed that lead to it. Such a good one.

Us (2019)

Director: Jordan Peele

Cast: Lupita Nyong’o, Winston Duke, Shahadi Wright Joseph, Evan Alex, Elisabeth Moss, Tim Heidecker

Plot Twist: The doppelgänger is actually the real Adelaide.

Why It’s The Best Plot Twist: I feel like a lot of people say this twist was predictable but I distinctly remember sitting in the movie theater, shocked that this was what was going down. I legit did not know who to root for at the end, or if any of the feelings I had during the film were valid towards the main character, knowing what I know. That’s the sign of a good twist.

Parasite (2019)

Director: Bong Joon-ho

Cast: Song Kang-ho, Lee Sun-kyun, Cho Yeo-jeaon, Choi Woo-shik, Park So-dam

Plot Twist: The former housekeeper of the Parks has kept her husband living in a secret bunker under the house for years.

Why It’s The Best Plot Twist: Parasite won Best Picture at the Oscars in 2020, and it deserved every award, and its twist is just as good. It turns the film into a much different one, pivoting down a darker road that none of us expect – but it’s great either way.

Friday The 13th (1980)

Director: Sean S. Cunningham

Cast: Betsey Palmer, Adrienne King, Harry Crosby, Laurie Bartram

Plot Twist: The killer is actually Jason’s mother.

Why It’s The Best Plot Twist: Fun fact – the Jason that we all know from the Friday the 13th movies didn't even appear in the first film. He wasn't the person killing all the teenagers in the first film. Of course, we see him later on, but the fact that there was just a vengeful mother that killed all these teenagers truly makes you gasp each time.

Saltburn (2023)

Director: Emerald Fennell

Cast: Barry Keoghan, Jacob Elordi, Rosamund Pike, Richard E. Grant, Archie Madekwe, Carey Mulligan

Plot Twist: Oliver orchestrated his meeting with Felix at Oxford in order to get close to his family and take them out one by one so he could take Saltburn for himself.

Why It’s The Best Plot Twist: Ya’ll, say what you want about Saltburn and some of the super gross moments that this film has – its twist is pretty great. Oliver seemed like such a really weird but socially awkward guy but to find out he’s really just this mastermind behind legit everything, it definitely shakes you to your core. Although I could have done without the bathtub scene.

Scream (1996)

Director: Wes Craven

Cast: Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, Matthew Lillard, Skeet Ulrich, David Arquette

Plot Twist: The killer is actually two people – and they are the boyfriend and friend of Sidney.

Why It’s The Best Plot Twist: We had plenty of interesting villains prior to Scream, but the idea of two killers both working together so effortlessly while also being so close to the victim was such a great idea at the time, and spawned the entirety of the Scream franchise.

Orphan (2009)

Director: Jaume Collet-Serra

Cast: Vera Farmiga, Peter Sarsgaard, Isabelle Fuhrman, CCH Pounder, Jimmy Bennett

Plot Twist: Esther is actually an older woman who suffers from a hormonal disorder that stunts her growth, and poses as a little girl to kill people.

Why It’s The Best Plot Twist: Orphan was so successful in its twist that the series itself has inspired a prequel, which I’m not even sure how you do that considering the actress who played Esther is now much older. Either way, the twist still gets you and instantly makes you wary of literally any child.

Citizen Kane (1941)

Director: Orson Welles

Cast: Joseph Cotten, Orson Welles, Dorothy Cominore, Everett Sloane, Ray Collins

Plot Twist: Rosebud is Kane’s childhood sleigh, the last thing that brought him true happiness.

Why It’s The Best Plot Twist: It’s a profound twist that truly teaches you that sometimes, money and fame isn’t what you want, but just pure memorable moments, and those of which that we can’t ever experience ever again.

Atonement (2007)

Director: Joe Wright

Cast: James McAvoy, Keira Knightley, Saoirse Ronan

Plot Twist: Cecilia and Robbie were never reunited, and both died due to incidents that occurred during World War II. Their love story and happy ending was just a novel.

Why It’s The Best Plot Twist: You never expect this as the film goes on, and when it hits, it is so hard and breaks your heart in the best way possible – and then makes you want to rewatch to see what the clues were that lead to this twist, paired with great acting.

Seven (1995)

Director: David Fincher

Cast: Brad Pitt, Morgan Freeman, Gwyneth Paltrow, John C. McGinley

Plot Twist: David Mills’ wife has been killed as part of the serial killer’s plan.

Why It’s The Best Plot Twist: This is a brilliant twist, because not only does it shock the viewer, but it completes the story too, where the sins killer gets his envy sin, as well as his wrath sin before he is killed.

American Psycho (2000)

Director: Mary Herron

Cast: Christian Bale, Willem Dafoe, Jared Leto, Josh Lucas

Plot Twist: Bateman might not have actually killed his victims and they might still be alive.

Why It’s The Best Plot Twist: As someone who loves American Psycho and had her friends watch it, it's great to see how people react to this twist. It makes you rethink the entire film, wondering if you imagined him killing those people as well. Were they killed? Are they alive? You never know.

Longlegs (2024)

Director: Osgood Perkins

Cast: Maika Monroe, Blair Underwood, Alicia Witt, Nicolas Cage

Plot Twist: Lee’s mother has been Longleg's accomplice for years in exchange to let her daughter live.

Why It’s The Best Plot Twist: As someone who still stands by the fact that Longlegs is one of the best movies of 2024, this twist was one that I think I expected but not to the extent that it was given. I knew that Lee’s mother had something to do with this but the amount of bloodshed she spread was almost too much for me to handle. It gets you rethinking the entire movie and all the little hints that she dropped throughout the film.

Interstellar (2014)

Director: Christopher Nolan

Cast: Matthew McConaughey, Anna Hathway, Jessica Chastain, Bill Irwin

Plot Twist: The ghost trying to help Murphy is actually her father from another dimension.

Why It’s The Best Plot Twist: Interstellar is my favorite Christopher Nolan movie; a big reason is this moment. Not only does it speak to the love between a father and a daughter, it’s a great way to tie up the film and take the sci-fi nature to the next level.

Oldboy (2003)

Director: Park Chan-wook

Cast: Choi Min-sik, Yoo Ji-tae, Kang Hye-jung

Plot Twist: Mi-do is actually Dae-su’s daughter – and they had fallen in love.

Why It’s The Best Plot Twist: This twist is like ten levels of gross but also heartbreaking in a lot of ways, but way more horrifying when you think about it. Like, I don’t even know how to explain why this is a great twist – it just is because this is the kind of stuff you legit never expect in any film, and yet, Oldboy gave it and more.

Planet Of The Apes (1968)

Director: Franklin J. Schaffner

Cast: Charlton Heston, Roddy McDowall, Maurice Evans, Kim Hunter, James Daly, Linda Harrison

Plot Twist: The planet isn’t new – it’s Earth, and it’s been taken over by apes.

Why It’s The Best Plot Twist: I mean, this is probably one of the most classic twists of all time, and it spawned an entire franchise surrounding this premise. The idea of believing you’re on a different planet because it’s so different from yours, but discovering it’s the same one but just changed…terrifying.

The Sixth Sense (1999)

Director: M. Night Shyamalan

Cast: Bruce Willis, Toni Collette, Olivia Williams, Haley Joel Osment

Plot Twist: The psychologist that was helping Cole was actually dead the entire time.

Why It’s The Best Plot Twist: We can't have a twist article without mentioning at least one M. Night Shyamalan movie, and The Sixth Sense is undoubtedly the one that ranks the highest. You never see this coming when you first watch the film, and the twist is so iconic that so many people parody it now.

The Descent (2005)

Director: Neil Marshall

Cast: Shauna Macdonald, Natalie Mendoza, Alex Reid, Saskia Mulder

Plot Twist: Sarah, seems to find a way to escape, but then at the very end, it's revealed that she hallucinated her escape and that she is still stuck in the caves – and the crawlers are coming closer and closer to kill her.

Why It’s The Best Plot Twist: I think for anyone who is terrified of horror movies, this is your worst fear. You think you’re going to get out, and then you reach the end but it’s actually not – you’re still stuck in this same mindless pattern of mazes. That’s terrifying and renews a sense of dread for the viewer.

Shutter Island (2010)

Director: Martin Scorsese

Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Ruffalo, Ben Kingsley, Michelle Williams

Plot Twist: Teddy is Andrew Laeddis, who was imprisoned after killing his manic-depressive wife after she drowned their children. His delusion came from the guilt he felt over killing his wife, and for his children's deaths, so he created this persona inside his head to cope.

Why It’s The Best Plot Twist: I could go on for hours about this twist. There are plenty of signs that lead to it, but only if you rewatch the film after. And the moment it hits, it’s heartbreaking and intriguing all the same because it makes you want to figure out if you could pick up the twist before it’s revealed.

Gone Girl (2014)

Director: David Fincher

Cast: Ben Affleck, Rosamund Pike, Neil Patrick Harris, Tyler Perry

Plot Twist: Amy orchestrated her disappearance after she discovered that Nick was having an affair. It was all a scheme to get back at him for what he did.

Why It’s The Best Plot Twist: Wow, who would have thought another David Fincher movie would be on this list? But really, guys, this twist takes you by surprise because all of a sudden, in the middle of the film, it really switches gears, and then you really don’t know who to trust anymore. I love it.

These twists have truly blown my mind repeatedly, and I think you should get other people to watch these movies because they are unlike any experience you could imagine.

In 2017, the saga of Caesar the Ape ended in the climatic events of War for the Planet of the Apes, setting up an uncertain future for simian and human alike. The years that followed would eventually reveal that director Wes Ball’s Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes would indeed deliver on that set-up; taking place some time into the reign of primates on Earth.

Looking ahead to the 2024 movie schedule, the future of Caesar's legacy is clearly in view, though we see echoes (if not an outright return) of some old friends firmly in place. And we can thank 20th Century Studios for that, as they’ve recently revealed our first extensive look at the latest Planet of the Apes movie.

Welcome To The Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes

Set to be one of the most anticipated summer releases of next year, a new battle is shaping up in this next chapter. Leading Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes’ cast is recent Stephen King vet Owen Teague, playing the role of Noa, a young ape who "undertakes a harrowing journey." 

Whatever that quest may be, it sounds like it could challenge the power of Proximus Caesar (Kevin Durand), the leader of the ape kingdom in question. Per the synopsis that accompanies the trailer, the picture of what lies ahead is a bit clearer. Here's what we should expect:

What we know about Wes Ball’s Planet of the Apes entry is that it faces down a pretty big question. As specified by series co-writer Rick Jaffa, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is going to address Caesar’s legacy “many years” after the events of War. This new trailer's synopsis doubles down on that claim, as while there's no specific timeframe mentioned, "several generations" have apparently passed. 

At the same time, I thought I've spotted one or two characters that may be returning from the Caesar trilogy. While these two characters aren't the same people I thought they were, there's a clearly defined lineage between the past and the present at play here. 

Two Legacy Characters Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes Seems To Have Referenced

Most obviously, and in my personal opinion most excitingly, Kingdom has given us a look at a character that feels like Maurice the orangutan.  Again “several generations” are in play here, so he wouldn’t exactly be alive in this era of Apes history. However, Raka (played by The Orville’s Peter Macon) invokes such a strong memory of Maurice that it feels like I’ve seen an old friend for the first time in a while.

He certainly sounds like a presence as wise and warm as Maurice always was, so Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes will definitely see Noa being guided by a steady  hand. Also, check out the religious icon style medallion this orangutan is wearing; another sign of Caesar’s legacy at work.

Playing along those same lines of succession, the first appearance of Freya Allan’s human character Mae reminds me of someone we saw in War for the Planet of the Apes. As Caesar and his loyal colony seemed to adopt and protect young human Nova (Amiah Miller), we may have seen the results of that kindness in this new character. 

There’s certainly a similar look between the two, and it would seem to fit into the overall structure of Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes. We’re removed from the time period of Andy Serkis’ tragic protagonist, but the lessons and the people we experienced along its run are still very much at hand. 

The first Apes movie since the 2019 Disney/Fox merger, finally seeing the resurgence of this blockbuster world is a sight for sore eyes. Serving as a good sign that the 20th Century Studios brand is ramping up its presence in theaters, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes was always going to symbolize a large step forward in serving some of the more legacy franchises. 

With such strong ties to the story of the previous films, as well as an eye towards a grander future to be explored, it looks like this sci-fi landmark franchise is returning in truly fantastic fashion. We’ll finally get to see the Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes on May 24, 2024. In the meantime, the 2023 movie release schedule still has its fair share of thrills to arrive before the end. So be sure to check those dates against your own calendar, and remember, “Apes together strong.” 

Over the years, there have been movies with endings so shocking, so hard to believe, and so wild, that audiences have been left with their mouths agape and heads filled with all kinds of questions and emotions. We’ve seen Academy Award-winning films do it, some of the best Marvel movies have wrapped up with unforgettable conclusions, as have countless others.

Here are 30+ movies with totally wild endings that we just can’t help but talk about after all this time. There are some massive spoilers throughout this article…

Se7en (1995)

The Se7en ending, with its unforgettable “What’s in the box?” cry from Brad Pitt’s David Mills, is one of those traumatic cinematic experiences no one who’s seen the 1995 David Fincher crime thriller will ever forget. Seeing the hot-headed detective become part of John Doe’s (Kevin Spacey) game while William Somerset (Morgan Freeman) tries to stop the “Seven Deadly Sins” plan from coming to fruition is gutting.

Psycho (1960)

Alfred Hitchcock, a filmmaker known for plot twists and heightened drama, used both of his hallmarks for the Psycho ending. The scene where it’s discovered that Norman Bates’ (Anthony Perkins) mother has been dead (and in the basement) all along is one of those moments that’s just as shocking 60-plus years later.

Parasite (2019)

Bong Joon-ho’s Parasite, which went on to win multiple Oscars including Best Picture and Best Director, is a remarkable slowburn thriller with a nervous energy present throughout as you wait for something to happen to the Kim family. And when things do go south during the Parasite ending – Kim Ki-taek (Song Kang-ho) becomes the “parasite” of the Park family home – you’re left with all kinds of questions and immediately want to go back and rewatch the whole movie.

Avengers: Infinity War (2018)

Superhero movies are supposed to end on a happy note, or at least with a sense of closure. But that was not the case for the Avengers: Infinity War ending, which wraps up on an incredibly somber note after Thanos (Josh Brolin) snaps and wipes out half of all living creatures. Watching so many beloved MCU characters disappear was such an unforgettable and unexpected moment, one that could very well never be outmatched in a comic book movie. 

The Usual Suspects (1995)

“The greatest trick the Devil ever pulled,” the iconic line from Verbal Kent (Kevin Spacey) at the end of The Usual Suspects is one that will never get old. Finding out that the seemingly harmless and uninteresting man with a limp was actually the mysterious crime lord Keyser Söze is a revelation that’s so wild, and so out of left field, that we just can’t stop thinking about it nearly 30 years later.

Night Of The Living Dead (1968)

George A. Romero revolutionized the zombie genre with his all-time great horror movie, Night of the Living Dead. Released in 1968, a time in which racial and social tensions were at an all-time high, Romero ended his thriller in a manner that shocked audiences and opened the door to all kinds of discussions. The Black hero, Ben (Duane Jones), survives the zombie onslaught but is shot and killed by a White deputy the following morning.

The Mist (2007)

Talk about a gut punch, The Mist ending sees David Drayton (Thomas Jane) make the decision to kill his young son to prevent him from being tortured and killed by monsters only for the army to arrive and save him moments later. Upsetting is an understatement in this case.

The Empire Strikes Back (1980)

Undeniably the best Star Wars movie, as well as one of the greatest sequels of all time, The Empire Strikes Back ends without a lot of closure as it sees our heroes left in perilous and unknown situations. Oh, and we learn that Darth Vader is Luke Skywalker’s father. 

The Sixth Sense (1999)

M. Night Shyamalan is known for his twist endings at this point, but audiences didn’t have a big reveal in mind when watching The Sixth Sense back in 1999. The moments leading up to and following Malcolm Crowe’s (Bruce Willis) realization that he’s been dead the whole time are so riveting you almost forget how terrifying and well-crafted the rest of the movie is.

The Shining (1980)

Stanley Kubrick’s adaptation of The Shining is a movie that fans and critics are still discussing and debating more than 40 years after its release. One of the topics that comes up the most is The Shining ending, especially the shot of the Overlook Hotel in the 1920s with a man looking like Jack Torrance (Jack Nicholson) in the middle of the frame. 

Planet Of The Apes (1968)

The 1968 sci-fi action film, Planet of the Apes, ends with astronaut George Taylor (Charlton Heston) on his knees yelling into the sky in front of the Statue of Liberty after realizing he’s not in an extraterrestrial land, but on Earth, just thousands of years later.

The Prestige (2006)

The best Christopher Nolan movies are those that wrap up in a way that leaves you thinking about the story long after the credits roll. That’s very much the case with The Prestige ending where it’s revealed that Alfred Borden (Christian Bale) didn’t pull off his teleportation trick with theatrics but with the help of his identical twin, Bernard Fallon (Bale). But the trick is just part of the complicated and miraculous plan.

Gone Girl (2014)

David Fincher and Gillian Flynn made some key changes to the Gone Girl ending when adapting the psychological thriller from book to movie, but one thing that stays the same is Amy (Rosamund Pike) revealing she’s pregnant (as a form of blackmail) with Nick’s (Ben Affleck) baby. There’s no clean escape in this one.

Once Upon A Time In Hollywood (2019)

The Once Upon a Time in Hollywood ending is wild, not because of Quentin Tarantino’s display of bloody and charred violence, but because it strays from the viewer’s expectations (Margot Robbie’s Sharon Tate isn’t brutally murdered like in real life).

Twilight: Breaking Dawn Part 2 (2011)

Twilight: Breaking Dawn Part 2 has one of those endings that probably didn’t throw the uninitiated for a loop but causes the heads of those who read the books to explode in disbelief. Basically, there’s a giant battle where numerous characters lose their lives, but it’s all just a vision of what could happen, not what actually does.

Fight Club (1999)

The big reveal that Tyler Durden (Brad Pitt) is the Narrator’s (Edward Norton) split personality in Fight Club, is one of the biggest “Wow” moments of the past quarter-century. However, that’s not even the ending of David Fincher’s book-to-screen adaptation. That comes later on when Project Mayhem carries out its plan of destroying multiple skyscrapers while the Pixies’ “Where Is My Mind?” blasts through the speakers.

The Others (2001)

For the majority of The Others, we’re led to believe that Grace Stewart (Nicole Kidman) is being tormented by spirits who won’t leave her and her young children alone. However, in the film’s final moments, it’s revealed that Grace and her kids are the ghosts tied to the tortured home.

Arrival (2016)

Denis Villeneuve’s Arrival throws a major twist at the audience in the film’s final moments when it is revealed that Louise Banks’ (Amy Adams) memories of her deceased daughter aren’t flashbacks but premonitions of her child who hasn't been born yet.

Promising Young Woman (2020)

Emerald Fennell was more than deserving of her Oscar for Best Original Screenplay for the way she crafted the Promising Young Woman ending. This whirlwind of scenes sees Cassie (Carey Mulligan) get her revenge against the men who raped her best friend in the most unlikely of ways.

No Country For Old Men (2007)

The No Country for Old Men ending is cryptic, to say the least, and wraps up with Sheriff Ed Tom Bell (Tommy Lee Jones) describing a series of dreams he had. This follows a wild turn of events that saw Llewelyn Moss (Josh Brolin) getting killed by a random cartel member, not the man pursuing him, Anton Chigurh (Javier Bardem). We don’t even see Moss meet his maker.

Black Swan (2010)

Darren Aronofsky’s Black Swan is a drama about the price of perfection and the obsessive behavior of those seeking it. In the final moments, it’s revealed that Nina Sayers (Natalie Portman) didn’t stab her rival, Lily (Mila Kunis) with a broken mirror, she stabbed herself, putting into question the entire conflict between the two dancers.

Us (2019)

Jordan Peele’s sophomore effort, Us, is a wild thrill ride from start to finish, with the big reveal at the conclusion of the film being the icing on the cake. In the final moments of Us, Adelaide "Addy" Wilson (Lupita Nyong'o) reveals that she was the clone the whole time after switching places with the original version of herself.

Oldboy (2003)

Near the end of Park Chan-wook’s Oldboy, it is revealed that the woman who helped Oh Dae-su (Choi Min-sik) in his quest for revenge, and later became his lover, was actually his daughter. He later goes to a hypnotist to have those memories erased, but the film ends in a way where you never know if it actually worked.

Uncut Gems (2019)

The Uncut Gems ending is one of those that hits you like a brick to the face, or in the case of Adam Sandler’s Howard Ratner, a bullet to the cheek. This comes after the gambling addict wins a $1.2 million bet. In the span of a few seconds, he goes from having the best day of his life to his last.

Primal Fear (1998)

The Primal Fear ending is dark, twisted, and one of the most legitimately shocking reveals of the 1990s. The movie plays out like a standard courtroom drama until the final scene when Edward Norton’s Aaron Stampler reveals to defense attorney Martin Vail (Richard Gere) that he pulled off a pair of murders with no remorse. The way his voice and demeanor change mid-scene is the stuff of legend.

Saw (2004)

The Saw movies are full of devilish tricks, twists, turns, and even more terrifying traps. The first movie in the saga also has an incredibly wild ending when the apparent suicide victim in the room the whole time rises up and reveals himself to be John Kramer (Tobin Bell), aka, Jigsaw, the mastermind behind it all.

The Departed (2006)

Near the end of The Departed, it seems like Colin Sullivan (Matt Damon) is going to get away with being Frank Costello’s (Jack Nicholson) mole in the Boston Police Department. However, when the embattled detective goes home, Sean Dignam (Mark Wahlberg) is waiting for him with a little surprise: cold steel revenge. 

Frailty (2001)

At the end of Bill Paxton’s 2001 psychological thriller, Frailty, it is revealed that the FBI haven’t been interviewing Fenton Meiks (Matthew McConaughey) for the “God’s Hand Killer” case the whole time, they’ve actually been speaking with his brother, Adam, who killed the real Fenton and is now targeting his next victim. 

Cabin In The Woods (2012)

The Cabin in the Woods was one wild ride from start to finish, but it’s over-the-top ending seriously is something else. After the surviving college students survive all the various monsters and traps throughout the property, they learn they are part of a sacrifice to appease the gods so they don’t destroy the planet.

2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)

The final stretch of 2001: A Space Odyssey is a wild, technicolor, and complex series of events that see David Bowman (Keir Dullea) transform from an astronaut to an old man to a star child floating above Earth. 

Wild Things (1998)

The 1998 thriller, Wild Things, has an ending so wild and so convoluted, that you need to keep notes to keep track of everything. When it seems like Suzie Toller (Neve Campbell), Kelly Lanier Van Ryan (Denise Richards), and Sam Lombardo (Matt Dillon) were all behind one plot, it’s revealed that Suzie was orchestrating it all. The deaths (even her own faked murder), the scandal, and the massive court settlement were all hers.

The Menu (2022)

The Menu ending could best be described as an explosive dessert, quite literally in this case. At the end of the twisted dark comedy, Margot (Anya Taylor-Joy) makes a strange yet simple request for an order of cheeseburger and fries to go, and she escapes the island on a boat. For everyone else? Well, they are treated to s'mores and a massive fiery explosion.

These are just 32 great movies with wonderful and wild endings, as including every single film with plot twists in the final act would take a very long time. However, it wouldn’t be shocking for this list to go through some changes in the coming months, especially with all the upcoming releases on the 2023 movie schedule.

Did you know that some of the best horror movies of all time were rated PG? What about those early Indiana Jones movies? Yep, those, along with some of the most iconic films from the ‘70s and ‘80s, which many of us grew up watching religiously, were technically PG movies. 

In fact, there were a great number of comedies, dramas, and fantasy films that were initially released with a PG rating that would be either PG-13 (a rating not introduced until the mid ‘80s) or R by today’s standards. But as folks like to say, things were different back then. 

Here are 30+ classic PG movies that would never be PG today…

Jaws (1975)

It may seem hard to believe, but Jaws, Steven Spielberg’s 1975 summer blockbuster about a vicious shark preying on beachgoers in a New England seaside town was released with a PG rating. Between the violent attacks sequences, that terrifying and grotesque visual of Ben Gardner’s corpse (missing eye and all), and some truly frightening moments, this would surely be a PG-13 movie by today’s standards.

Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984)

Child slavery, hearts being ripped out of chests, and chilled monkey brains are just some of the grotesque and unsavory moments from Steven Spielberg’s Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. Released in 1984 with a PG rating, this Indiana Jones sequel would lead to a major change in the rating system moving forward.

Ghostbusters (1984)

Ivan Reitman’s Ghostbusters is a movie that surely would have had a PG-13 rating if released in 2023, but 1984 was a different place and didn’t have anything between PG and R. That being said, Bill Murray, Harold Ramis, Dan Aykroyd, and the rest of the cast use some adult language that would never make it today. The same goes for the ghostly seduction scene involving Aykroyd’s Ray Stantz and and unseen spirit.

Poltergeist (1982)

One of the best haunted house movies, Tobe Hooper’s supernatural horror movie, Poltergeist, was, surprisingly enough, released with a PG rating, but only because it wasn’t quite extreme enough for the R designation. But still, there’s no way a movie that used real skeletons, featured some of the most terrifying scenes in movie history, and showed characters rolling and smoking a joint would be considered “PG” in 2023.

Gremlins (1984)

Joe Dante’s Christmastime horror comedy, Gremlins is a bundle of seasonal joy (just as long as you don’t feed it after midnight) with its demented and mutated mogwai bringing death and destruction to a once quiet town. This could very well be the most extreme PG movie thanks to its visceral stabbing scenes, decapitations, explosions, and profanity. It’s wild, it’s festive, and it’s violent.

Spaceballs (1987)

Believe it or not, the 1987 Star Wars parody, Spaceballs, was given a PG rating upon its release, at which time PG-13 was already around. There’s not a lot of violence in Lone Starr (Bill Pullman) and Barf’s (John Candy) quest to save Princess Vespa (Daphne Zuniga), but there’s plenty of profanity, which is to be expected with a Mel Brooks movie.

Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)

Shooting people point blank, Nazis having their faces melted off, a man backing into a propeller, and some choice language make Steven Spielberg’s Raiders of the Lost Ark one of the more intense PG-rated movies released over the years. 

Sixteen Candles (1984)

One of the best examples of an ‘80s movie that didn’t age well, John Hughes’ Sixteen Candles pushes the envelope when it comes to sex, language, and substance abuse in a PG-rated movie. There isn’t any violence to speak of, but those slurs and actions by several characters, mostly Anthony Michael Hall’s Ted Farmer, have not aged well one bit.

Beetlejuice (1988)

Tim Burton’s 1988 horror-comedy, Beetlejuice, isn’t all that terrifying, but the movie about a recently deceased couple who call on the services of a raucous spirit to scare away the new owners of their home does feature some language that would never fly in a PG movie today.

The Goonies (1985)

Released with a PG rating in 1985, Richard Donner’s The Goonies isn’t as extreme as some of its contemporaries, but it certainly pushes the rating to the max, especially when it comes to the language used by the young cast. Sean Astin, Josh Brolin, and company aren’t throwing out F-bombs like Tony Montana, but there are some choice four-letter words throughout the gang’s quest to find One-Eyed Willy’s treasure.

Big (1988)

There’s a lot going on in Penny Marshall’s Big that would totally prevent the movie from having a PG rating 35 years later. The profanity (a certain four-letter word starting with “F” would never fly today), the whole subplot of Susan (Elizabeth Perkins) sleeping with Josh (Tom Hanks), a 12-year-old in an adult’s body, and other sexual references would put this in prime PG-13 territory.

Airplane! (1980)

It seems like 1980s movies got away with a lot compared to more modern releases, and that can be said about the 1980 parody film, Airplane!, which was full of one offensive or unsavory joke after another. Drug use, cussing, all sorts of sexual references, and more made this an unforgettable hit but also would hurt the film’s chances of getting a lighter rating by today’s standards.

Top Gun (1986)

Top Gun should have mostly likely been a PG-13 movie instead of being released with a PG rating, because Tony Scott’s 1986 high-stakes action flick is wild. Broken necks, shirtless volleyball, multiple bar scenes, a romantic sex scene, and so much profanity make this one of Tom Cruise’s best movies but also one with a questionable rating.

Annie Hall (1977)

How Woody Allen’s Oscar-winning Annie Hall was released with a PG rating instead of being rated-R in 1977 is one of cinema’s great mysteries. Sure, there’s no nudity and the only on-screen violence involves lobsters and spiders, but there’s so many sexual situations and references, drug use, and other scenes that haven’t aged well. Plus, you don’t kids watching this because they just might turn into cinefiles who write about movies for a living.

Clue (1985)

Clue, a classic whodunit based on an iconic board game, is another movie that pushes the PG rating to the extreme with its violence, language, and not-so-subtle sexual references. It’s not as wild as movies like Knives Out that would follow decades later, but this should have totally being a PG-13 movie looking back.

Dead Poets Society (1989)

You can’t have a teenage coming-of-age story without including some scenes that push the envelope, and Dead Poets Society has that in spades. Nude women in magazines, a great deal of profanity, and the whole part where a student commits suicide (off-screen) make this Robin Williams classic a movie that would never get a PG rating today.

The Witches (1990)

Who would have thought a movie about witches abducting and trapping children or turning them in rodents would be so terrifying, but Nicolas Roeg’s The Witches is just that. This Roald Dahl adaptation isn’t gory, filled with extreme language, or overly sexualized, but that iconic transformation scene is enough to put this in the running for a PG-13 rating, for sure.

Goldfinger (1964)

This could be applied to many of the older James Bond movies, but 1964’s Goldfinger, a film that includes scenes like a woman being turned into gold, lasers pointed at crotches, and multiple shootouts and heavily-implied sex scenes, was rated PG upon release. 

The Graduate (1967)

Mike Nichols’ 1967 Oscar winner, The Graduate, is a movie that would have surely been released with a PG-13 rating if it would have come out 20 years later. There’s no way the seduction by Mrs. Robinson (Anne Bancroft) and her affair with Benjamin Braddock (Dustin Hoffman) would go over well with the MPAA and its PG rating nowadays.

Smokey and the Bandit (1977)

A cross-country journey to illegally deliver a truckload of Coors beer across the Mississippi River that is full of profanity and sexual innuendoes would never get a PG rating in 2023, but that was the case for Smokey and the Bandit upon its release in 1977. This Burt Reynolds classic is a relic of a bygone era.

Some Like It Hot (1959)

Released in 1959, Some Like It Hot is one of those movies that would definitely be released with a PG-13 rating, but it was considered PG at the time of its debut. Yeah, it’s nothing extreme, but the sexual innuendoes, drinking, and crass dialogue wouldn’t be as well-received by parents in 2023.

The Right Stuff (1983)

Philip Kaufman’s 1983 historical epic, The Right Stuff, follows some of NASA’s earliest and most iconic astronauts as they put their lives on the line in the name of science and national pride. Clocking in at over three hours in length, this movie is also filled with quite a few cuss words and fatal crashes. You could argue this one being a PG-13, or even R, movie by today’s standards.

The King of Comedy (1982)

Though not as extreme as other Martin Scorsese movies, the filmmaker’s 1982 crime drama, The King of Comedy, would definitely not have a PG rating 40+ years later. Rupert Pupkin (Robert De Niro) loses his mind and kidnaps late-night TV host Jerry Langford (Jerry Lewis) to get a spot on his successful show. Oh, and it inspired Todd Phillips’ Joker. 

Uncle Buck (1989)

John Hughes’ late ‘80s classic, Uncle Buck is a movie that would never be PG today due to all the profanity and alcohol use. In fact, the 2016 CBS sitcom inspired by the John Candy movie had a TV-14 rating, the small-screen equivalent of PG-13.

Splash (1984)

Splash, the fantasy romantic comedy starring Daryl Hannah and Tom Hanks is a film that was released not long before the inception of the PG-13 rating designation, and one that would have probably not been a PG movie if it would have come out any later. Some of the nudity was edited out for the Disney+ streaming debut.

Barry Lyndon (1975)

There were quite a few PG Stanley Kubrick movies back in the day, including his 1975 historical epic, Barry Lyndon, which featured topless women, several instances of violence, and some drinking in its story about the titular social climber played by Ryan O’Neal.

The Outsiders (1983)

Francis Ford Coppola’s adaptation of S.E. Hinton’s The Outsiders helped launch the careers of stars like Matt Dillon, Ralph Macchio, C. Thomas Howell, and Tom Cruise, but this 1983 PG-rated movie also got away with a lot. There’s a great deal of violence, a decent amount of cussing, and so many underage kids drinking and smoking.

Planet Of The Apes (1968)

The original Planet of the Apes was released with a PG rating, but that probably wouldn’t be the case today. There’s some violence, slight profanity (thought nothing extreme), and uncomfortable sexual tension between man and ape, but the icing on the cake is the naked swimming scene early on. Just a bunch of butts, but too much for a PG rating.

The Bad News Bears (1976)

A kids movie is almost always going to be PG, even if said flick has all kinds of cuss words, children smoking cigarettes, and alcoholic coaches. Still, The Bad News Bears is a great baseball movie, as well as a time-capsule to the wild times of the ‘70s.

Kramer Vs. Kramer (1979)

Kramer vs. Kramer, Robert Benton’s legal drama about a couple (Meryl Streep and Dustin Hoffman) getting divorced and making sense of their new world, won five Oscars and told a brilliant story. However, there’s no way a movie with this much nudity and profanity would be PG today. Marriage Story, which is very similar in tone, had an R-rating upon its release in 2019.

Grease (1978)

The 1978 musical comedy, Grease, was released with a PG rating, something that’d never happen today. There’s those lyrics in “Summer Nights” that make you go “Yikes,” the mooning scene, and other parts that would probably be better suited for a PG-13 audience. 

Grease 2 (1982)

Grease 2, took the formula from its predecessor and added more singing and more double-entrendres. It’s hard to see this one getting anywhere close to a PG rating today, but that was the case back in 1982.

All of these movies were once considered okay for the PG rating, though none of them would fall into that category in 2023. If anything, it’s amazing to see how much someone could get away with 30, 40, or 50 years ago.

Do you like Tim Burton? Because I do – and apparently so do these actors. 

It's common for an actor who enjoys working with a particular director to frequently collaborate with them on movies. I could name a ton off the top of my head that I have seen appear in multiple films. There have been plenty of actors who have been in many Christopher Nolan movies. Others have appeared frequently in Wes Anderson films. Today, we will talk about the actors who have appeared in the most Tim Burton movies. 

I'll be upfront and say that most of these actors are from movies I saw as a child and grew to love even more over time, so their characters are some of my favorites ever. There are so many that I could point out that I truly loved so much, from Lydia in Beetlejuice to Johnny Depp’s starring role in Edward Scissohands and so much more. 

When I saw just how often they collaborated with Tim Burton, I was surprised. Here are the actors who've been in the most Tim Burton movies. 

Johnny Depp – 8 Movies 

First up on this list is, unsurprisingly, Johnny Depp. Out of everyone, Depp has appeared in the most films, with eight on his resume.

His movies include Edward Scissorhands, Ed Wood, Sleepy Hollow, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (which I just rewatched for the first time in years), Corpse Bride, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, Alice in Wonderland and Dark Shadows. 

Many of these characters have become synonymous with Depp's name, especially the titular character of Edward Scissorhands and the candy mogul from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Both of which hold a significant place in my heart. 

Helena Bonham Carter – 7 Movies

Helena Bonham Carter is only one movie behind Depp in her appearances in Tim Burton films, with seven to her name. Hers include Planet of the Apes, Big Fish, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, Alice in Wonderland, and Dark Shadows. She was also a part of the Charlie and Chocolate Factory cast and was one of the leads of the excellent stop-motion movie Corpse Bride. 

Carter was married to Tim Burton for several years, which might explain her frequent collaboration with the director. I will never forget her as the Queen of Hearts in Alice in Wonderland. It's genuinely one of the best fun adaptations out there. 

Christopher Lee – 5 Movies 

Next up on this list is Christopher Lee, who has appeared in five Tim Burton movies. These include Sleepy Hollow, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Corpse Bride, Alice in Wonderland, and Dark Shadows. 

Unfortunately, Lee passed away in 2015, so we won't see him in any future projects of Burton's, but he truly stood out in those roles. 

Michael Keaton – 5 Movies

Keaton is another big name from Tim Burton's movies, and he's appeared in four so far, with one planned for the future. Keaton is primarily known for his role as the titular character of Beetlejuice, a film that I honestly can't believe I was allowed to watch as a child. 

Besides that, Keaton appeared in three other films, including Dumbo, Batman and Batman Returns. His fifth Burton film will be Beetlejuice 2, where he is reprising the same role.

Michael Gough – 5 Movies

Next up on this list is Michael Gough, who has also appeared in five movies that Tim Burton has directed. These include Batman, Batman Returns, Sleepy Hollow, Corpse Bride and Alice in Wonderland. 

His best-known role from these movies is likely Alfred Pennyworth in the Batman films. Michael Gough passed away in March 2011, but his parts were always the best. I doubt I'm alone thinking no one can quite beat his Alfred. 

Lisa Marie – 4 Movies

So now we move onto the part of the list where these following four actors have all been in four movies (or will appear in an upcoming film). 

The first is Lisa Marie, who has appeared in four Tim Burton films. These include Ed Wood, Mars Attacks!, Sleepy Hollow and Planet of the Apes, all released one year after another. Marie was also a partner of Burton's for a time, which could explain why she frequently collaborated with the director. Her most known role from Burton's films is most likely portraying Lady Crane in Sleepy Hollow.

Danny DeVito – 4 Movies 

Danny DeVito has been in four Tim Burton films. Most people probably know the actor from his time portraying The Penguin in Batman Returns, but DeVito was also in the movies Mars Attacks!, Big Fish and Dumbo. 

DeVito feels like the perfect pick for a Tim Burton movie because not only does the actor have plenty to watch if you like him, but he has played some weird characters too, which is perfect for Burton's aesthetic. Just watch him in It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia – you won't be able to view DeVito the same ever again after seeing him as the native Philadelphian Frank Reynolds. 

Deep Roy – 4 Movies

Moving on, we look at Deep Roy, who also appeared in four movies of Burton's. These include Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Planet of the Apes, Big Fish and Corpse Bride. 

You probably remember Roy the most for his portrayal of the Oompa Loompas in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, which no one would ever forget. The actor was a great addition to that strange, but entertaining movie. 

Winona Ryder – 4 Movies

Last, but most certainly not least, we have Winona Ryder. One of Ryder's first big films was Beetlejuice, a movie that shot her into stardom for portraying Lydia. Not long after that, she went on to co-star with Depp in Edward Scissorhands, a film that led to those two co-stars dating later on. 

Ryder also held a voice role in Frankenweenie, another stop-motion movie directed by Burton. She's next set to appear in Beetlejuice 2 as her fourth Burton collaboration, where she will reprise her iconic role as Lydia – and Jenna Ortega is going to play her daughter.

With so many talented actors and actresses, it's not surprising that they have appeared in all these Tim Burton movies – and honestly, it just makes me want to go and binge of all of these. Wish me luck!

By the time Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is released, director Wes Ball’s continuation of the reboot trilogy will arrive in theaters almost 7 years after War for the Planet of the Apes. Fronted by Andy Serkis’ Caesar, those previous three films set the foundation for the next adventures, which will be led by Owen Teague’s unnamed protagonist. As part of his preparation, the young actor got to meet with Serkis, and he got some pointers on the adventure known as motion capture. What resulted was an education that Teague found to be invaluable. 

Speaking with THR about his role in the comedy You Hurt My Feelings, the young star was eventually asked about his experience on the next chapter in ape evolution. While what we know about Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes doesn’t tell us much about Owen Teague’s simian protagonist, knowing that he’s the functional lead of the upcoming picture is all you need to have in mind when reading this recollection of meeting with Andy Serkis: 

With these previous films arguably considered some of the best sci-fi movies in recent history, the advice of Andy Serkis in any capacity is probably considered a huge help. In his performance as the Planet of the Apes hero who started it all, Serkis knows Caesar’s world in and out. 

Paired with Serkis' experiences pioneering the field of motion capture through other projects like Lord of the Rings, Owen Teague had the best teacher possible when picking up the torch for the Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes. As this new story addresses Caesar’s legacy and the effect it’s had centuries into the future, it’s rather fitting that Teague is also continuing the work that Andy Serkis set up through the previous trilogy. 

Much like his motion capture mentor, the Bloodline star seems to be a natural for this advanced degree of make-believe. Owen Teague said as much in these further remarks about his promising potential future in the medium: 

Andy Serkis thinks the next Apes movie will blow people’s minds, and that must be in part because of Owen Teague’s performance at the heart of it all. Reflecting on what he knows about Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes with such glowing praise is a huge vote of confidence, both in the story chosen to lead the way and in the choice of Teague to help tell it. 

We’ll all get to see what the finished product looks like next year, as the fourth Planet of the Apes installment is part of the 2024 movie schedule. Set to debut in theaters on May 24, 2024, it won't be too long before the legacy of Caesar continues to unfold once more. In the meantime, you can see Owen Teague in You Hurt My Feelings, which is currently showing at the movies.

In 2024, the world will get to see how the world of the modern Planet of the Apes saga continues, with director Wes Ball’s Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes. For the first time since the conclusion of his trilogy in the legacy of those sci-fi movies, actor Andy Serkis actually gets to approach these films as a fan, rather than a participant. And judging by what he’s seen so far, Serkis is convinced that the film is “gonna blow people’s minds.”

This much was clear as I was wrapping my conversation with Andy, on behalf of the Netflix press day for latest film, Luther: The Fallen Sun. Before parting ways, it felt like the right time to ask the man who helped give life to Caesar in the films starting with Rise of the Planet of the Apes for his take on the next chapter. With that query on the table, this is what Andy Serkis shared with CinemaBlend: 

It’s certainly been a slow burn when it comes to Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes’ journey to production, as the project was first announced by Fox back in 2019. Recently, the project was kickstarted thanks to last September’s reveal of the title and concept art for this fourth Apes installment were made public. True to Mr. Serkis’ word, the look of this vague but promising piece of art was pretty amazing.  

The trail of breadcrumbs has only continued to prove Andy Serkis in the right, as early comments on how Caesar’s legacy would be addressed gave way to some key story details for Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes. As it turns out, the legacy that the heroic ape left behind after the bittersweet ending of War of the Planet of the Apes has now become a double edged sword, inspiring promise as well as peril. 

Based on what we know about Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, we’re a little over a year out from seeing where the future of Apekind has taken things in the centuries since Caesar’s passing. Knowing that the story from those previous three movies was continuing under Wes Ball’s watch was exciting enough to keep myself and some fans invested, especially after seeing the beautiful work that went into Ball’s canceled Mouse Guard adaptation.

As Andy Serkis is now feeding the flames of anticipation with some choice remarks, it’s become even harder to endure the wait for next summer’s would-be blockbuster. But to borrow a key phrase from his Apes trilogy, fans together strong. Next May will be here soon enough, and we’ll all get to take part in those next steps for Apekind together. 

We’ve still got some time until Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes hits theaters, as it’s currently slated for a May 24, 2024 release. In the meantime, I highly recommend catching Andy Serkis in Luther: The Fallen Sun, as his character David Robey is a rather frightening foe for Idris Elba’s John Luther. If you’ve got an active Netflix subscription, then you’re already ready to dive in as a deep fried fan, or a novice who wants to see what the buzz is all about.

The Apes trilogy – Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, and War for the Planet of the Apes – truly changed me. And now, we’re going to be getting a new film from this franchise – Kingdom for the Planet of the Apes. 

The films were a reboot of the classic Apes franchise, with the releases of Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, and War for the Planet of the Apes. Now, years later, we are going to be getting Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes. But, who is going to be in this film? And what is it going to be about? If you’re as curious as we are, here is what we know so far about one of the biggest releases on the 2024 movie schedule. 

What Is The Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes Release Date?

It’s been confirmed that Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is set to come out on May 24, 2024, according to The Hollywood Reporter, so get ready for an awesome spring release.  

Check Out The Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes Trailer

The trailer for The Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes features our new characters in a civilization that has been overtaken by apes, where humans are now seen as feral creatures and are the ones hunted. But one girl that they capture changes it all. The trailer teases plenty of action, apes riding horseback, and so much fighting that I’m eager to see it already. 

Owen Teague, Freya Allen And More Make Up The Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes Cast.

So with a new cast, there is bound to be plenty of great additions that you can expect, and Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is no exception. The Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes cast is stacked with stars: 

Owen Teague as Noa

According to Deadline, Owen Teague is going to be the star of Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes. 

In an interview that the director, Wes Ball, did with Empire in November 2023, it was revealed that Teague’s character is named Noa.

Teague even got the chance to talk about Noa in an interview with Entertainment Weekly in February 2024, saying that Noa is really a simple character that is “thrust” into this adventure:

The actor has appeared in a variety of movies and shows before. He was in films like It Chapter Two, To Leslie, The Empty Man, and more. He’s also had an appearance in an episode of Black Mirror, and had a main role on both Mrs. Fletcher and The Stand. He’s certainly going to be getting an awesome leading role with something like this. 

Freya Allen

Freya Allen was confirmed to have a big part, as confirmed by Deadline. The actress has been making strides due to her role as Ciri in the popular fantasy series, The Witcher, and now she’s going to have a role in the next entry of this franchise. 

Freya Allen even teased her role in Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes in an interview with Total Film in January 2024, saying that it was “the proudest moment” of her career yet:

Eka Darville

Also cast is Eka Darville, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Darville is primarily known for his role in the Netflix Marvel series, Jessica Jones, but he’s also appeared in other shows such as The Originals, Power Rangers RPM and Empire. Most recently, he was in the Paramount+ original television show, Tell Me A Story. 

William H. Macy

Another big actor that was confirmed, according to Deadline, is William H. Macy. While Macy has appeared in many big movies and television shows, I primarily know him as Frank Gallagher from the hit Showtime series, Shameless, which garnered him several award nominations, and it’s so exciting to see him in something as big as this. 

Kevin Durand

Kevin Durand (Locke & Key) is also set to join Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, according to Deadline. The actor’s role in the film is still unconfirmed, but according to the outlet, many sources have told them that he will be playing an ape that might be a new villain. 

Dichen Lachman

Another casting member that is joining is Dichen Lachman (Severance), which was confirmed by The Hollywood Reporter, in another undisclosed role.

Travis Jeffery

Several other actors were confirmed for the cast of Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes as well. According to Deadline in October 2022, Travis Jeffery was the first to be confirmed. He’s appeared in films like Before Dawn and Bloody Hell, but has also had roles in TV shows like Rotten, Amazing Grace, Home and Away and more. 

Neil Sandilands

The October 2022 Deadline article also confirmed Neil Sandilands for Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes. The actor has appeared in shows like The 100, The Flash, Sweet Tooth, and more. 

Sara Wiseman

The October 2022 Deadline article confirmed that Sara Wiseman would join the cast of Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes. She’s appeared in shows like Mercy Peak and A Place to Call Home, as well as films like Love Birds and Nerve. 

Ras-Samuel Welda’abzgi

The October 2022 Deadline article also confirmed Ras-Samuel Welda’abzgi would appear in the upcoming movie. He’s appeared in the TV miniseries, The Clearing. 

Lydia Peckham

Last but not least, Lydia Peckham was also confirmed from that October 2022 Deadline article. The actress has appeared in shows like Mr. Corman and Cowboy Bebop. 

Talk about an impressive cast — one that I can’t wait to see.

The Movie Will Take Place Many Years After The Last Trilogy

The trilogy of movies from 2011 – 2014 followed the story of apes slowly taking over the planet, from Caesar’s dawn of learning how to speak to him building an entire empire towards the end. So, what could this new movie be about? 

The first real synopsis that we got is from the Deadline article that confirmed Freya Allen’s casting, saying that this film will be taking place several years after the last one (War for the Planet of the Apes).

For those who don’t remember what happened at the end of that movie, the apes have reached an oasis to keep themselves safe, but Caesar dies, leaving his son and family behind.

Later on, when the casting news about Dichen Lachman was revealed, it was confirmed that the movie is taking place many years later and that ape societies have flourished in that time. Then, in that same interview from Empire in November 2023, Ball confirmed that the film does indeed jump forward many, many years – so much so that Ball believes most of Caesar’s living relatives are dead:

Furthermore, in an interview with ScreenRant in April 2024, Wes Ball knows that it’s not the film people were really expecting, but it’s a new, fresh story that is a “new page” in a long legacy of Apes films:

I mean, I am ready for a new story – and this sounds like a great one. 

Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes Will Be Grounded In Reality With A Quest Narrative

For those who don’t remember, the last three films of the Planet of the Apes franchise have mainly stayed relatively grounded in tone. While there are certainly sci-fi aspects, many of the films have contained stories that truly continue the narrative of Caesar’s life in such a great way. Ball also confirmed in that interview with Empire that new film will be “grounded in reality” but follow a bit of a “quest narrative,” which is unlike many other Apes movies:

I’m always eager for a new hero – and I have a feeling this one is going to be one of the best out there. 

Wes Ball Directed The Film

As talked about previously, Wes Ball directed the film, which was originally reported by The Hollywood Reporter confirmed that Wes Ball is directing. Ball has worked as a director in the film franchise, The Maze Runner, and this will be his first directing credit since those films were released. 

The directors of the last trilogy for the Planet of the Apes franchise were Rupert Wyatt, who directed Rise, and Matt Reeves, who directed Dawn and War, and has been on a kick lately with some awesome releases such as The Batman. 

While a part of me would love to see them come back to the franchise, I have a lot of faith in Ball because I’ve seen the Maze Runner movies and I know just how much fun they are. 

What are you eager for with Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes? Do you think it’s going to be just as good as the last three films? Are you excited for this fresh start? I’m practically waiting on the edge of my seat to find out more.  

In December 2019, it was announced that Wes Ball would take over directorial duties on the Planet of the Apes reboot film series, with Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes set to bring us back to this continuity “many years” after the events of War for the Planet of the Apes. Kingdom’s principal photography began in October, and Ball, who was once attached to helm the now-scrapped Mouse Guard movie, has revealed that filming is now finished, sharing this bit of news on social media in a fun way.

Wes Ball and his team have been hard at work on Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes for the past five months, and with the filming completed, now begins the extensive postproduction process. But before that next phase begins, what better way to celebrate Kingdom being done rolling cameras than with some digitally-created apes? Check out the humorous video that Ball shared on his Twitter page to commemorate the milestone:

If you’re going to let the world know that Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes (which used the working title Forbidden Zone) is done filming, of course you’ll show some digital apes on a screen excitedly waving goodbye on a screen! It was a relatively lengthy journey getting Kingdom in front of cameras, but now the footage has been recorded, so it’s time to edit it together and make sure the apes themselves look as realistic as possible. Maybe a similar version of this video can be posted whenever the final Kingdom cut is locked, but this time the apes will look a lot more refined.

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes’ official title was announced in late September, and since then we’ve been learning who’s comprising the extensive cast of this next Apes movie. While no specific characters have been identified yet, The Stand’s Owen Teague is playing the main ape protagonist. Teague’s castmates include Freya Allan, Peter Macon, William H. Macy and Dichen Lachman, to name a few. Behind the scenes, Rich Jaffa, Amanda Silver, Josh Friedman and Patrick Aison all worked on the script.

Until recently, we barely had any sense of where Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes’ story would take moviegoers besides it being set an undetermined amount of time after War for the Planet of the Apes and exploring the legacy of Andy Serkis’ Caesar. Fortunately, the proverbial curtain has been pulled back quite a bit, as it was revealed that Kingdom will take place at a time when there are multiple ape societies thriving and humans “have been reduced to a feral-like existence.” Some of these ape societies have never heard of Caesar, while others have used his teachings to justify building “burgeoning empires.” One particular ape leader has gone so far as to enslave other groups and force them to find human technology, which leads Owen Teague’s character to set out on a journey to find freedom, and along the way, he’ll meet a young human woman who becomes integral to his goals.

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes opens in theaters on May 24, 2024. We’ll continue sharing updates on its progress, but until then, look over the lineup of 2023 new movie releases to figure out what you’ll watch later this year.

In 2011, ten years after the release of Tim Burton’s Planet of the Apes remake, the sci-fi franchise based on the original Planet of the Apes novel by Pierre Bouelle with a new spin. Set in the present day, Rise of the Planet of the Apes set the stage for apes becoming the dominant species on Earth and most of humanity dying off from a virus. We watched this unfold through the eyes of Andy Serkis’ Caesar, with his story continuing in 2014’s Dawn of the Planet of the Apes and 2017’s War for the Planet of the Apes. The latter movie ended with the protagonist dying after he and his people reached their promised land.

Rather than reboot the Planet of the Apes franchise again, 20th Century Studios has decided to continue the continuity started with Rise of the Planet of the Apes. Directed by Wes Ball and written by Rick Jaffa, Amanda Silver and Josh Friedman, the forthcoming Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes will take place roughly 300 years after the events of War for the Planet of the Apes and address Caesar’s legacy. The first Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes trailer further cleared up the narrative picture, but this spot is reserved for going over Kingdom’s cast. It’s time to go over the actors who will star in this next chapter of the Apes saga.

Owen Teague

Caesar has passed on, which means we’ll need to follow along with a new ape protagonist in Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes. Owen Teague, known for playing Harold Lauder in The Stand (which be be watched with a Paramount+ subscription) and Patrick Hockstetter in the IT movies, has been cast as the lead primate. Teague’s character is an ape named Noa, who lives several generations after Caesar's death, though it's unclear if he's related to the late protagonist. As heard in the trailer, Noa sees "strange things" when he sleeps, specifically "new things," not memories. Could these visions tie into the adventure he'll be going on?

Freya Allan

While some of you may remember Freya Allan playing the young version of Karen Gillan’s character Sam in Gunpowder Milkshake, there’s no question that she’s most famous for playing Ciri in The Witcher. Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is now giving her the opportunity to shine in a major Hollywood production. Allan is playing Mae, a human living at a time when her kind have devolved into primitives as a result of the Simian Flu, and she'll cross paths with Noa. However, not only is she smarter than most other humans, she has the ability to speak.

Peter Macon

Fans of The Orville know Peter Macon as the actor who plays Lt. Commander Bortus, but because of all the makeup and prosthetics on his face when he’s in character, they wouldn’t not necessarily recognize the actor if they ran into him on the street. As I suspected, Macon will also be playing one of the apes in Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, giving him the opportunity to bring a character to life through performance capture. His character is an orangutan named Raka, who appears to be a mentor-like figure to Noa and is giving off the same kind of vibes Maurice did in the original Apes reboot trilogy.

Kevin Durand

Within the film realm, Kevin Durand has lent his talents to 3:10 to Yuma, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, the Russell Crowe-led Robin Hood, Real Steel, Resident Evil: Retribution and Fruitvale Station, to name a few movies. However, he’s arguably better known for his TV work thanks to roles in shows like Dark Angel, Lost, The Strain, Vikings, Swamp Thing (the 2019 version) and Locke & Key. Regardless of where you know him best from, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes gives him another blockbuster platform to shine on. He'll be playing Proximus Caesar, a tyrannical ape who's corrupted the original Caesar's teachings and is building his own empire. Wes Ball also shared with EW that Proximus has rediscovered electricity, which looks like "a magic power" to the apes who've forgotten about the phenomena.

Eka Darville

Following his time playing Scott Truman, the Red Ranger, in Power Rangers RPM, Eka Darville started capturing more mainstream attention for playing TV roles like Diego in The Vampire Diaries and The Originals, Malcolm Ducasse in Jessica Jones and The Defenders, Ryan Morgan in Empire and Beau Morris in Tell Me a Story. Darville also has a few movies under his belt, but there’s no question that Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is the biggest one yet. 

Travis Jeffrey

Travis Jeffrey has collected a sizable number of credits from Australian productions, including appearing in multiple episodes of shows like Gallipoli and The Heights. Stateside, however, unless you remember him from guest appearances in Preacher and Heartbreak High, or for playing minor roles in Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales and Unbroken, then he’s likely never crossed your radar. Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes will see him playing a chimp friend of Noa's named Anaya, and perhaps it will pave the way for him to score roles in other Hollywood productions.

Neil Sandilands

If you watched The 100 or The Flash, then you’re familiar with Neil Sandiands, as he recurred as Titus in the former’s third season, and then played the super-intelligent antagonist Clifford Defoe, a.k.a. The Thinker, in the latter’s fourth season. More recently, Sandilands appeared as General Abbot in three episodes of Netflix’s Sweet Tooth, which will return for Season 2 at some point. For Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, Sanidlands will play an ape elder named from Noa's tribe named Koro.

Sara Wiseman

The majority of Sara Wiseman’s performances hail from Australian or New Zealand productions, including the shows Rake, Shortland Street and Harrow, although the latter did run for three seasons on ABC. If you have a Peacock subscription, you might have also recently seen Wiseman in the mystery series One Of Us Is Lying. It’s safe to say, though, that there’ll be a lot of eyes pointed at her for Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes.

Lydia Peckham

Lydia Peckham doesn’t have that big a resume just yet, but if you watched Netflix’s short-lived live-action adaptation of Cowboy Bebop or the Joseph Gordon-Levitt-led series Mr. Corman, then you’ll have spotted her. Hopefully Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, where she plays Noa and Anaya's chimp friend Soona, will lead to her scoring bigger roles down the line.

Ras-Samuel Welda’abzgi

Like Lydia Peckham, Ras-Samuel Welda’abzgi doesn’t have a lot of acting credits on his resume, but perhaps Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes will also lead to him being considered for other major projects. His established work includes Found in a Dream, Westermarck and the upcoming Disney+ series The Clearing.

William H. Macy

Now we come to quite possibly the biggest name in the Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes cast. From movies like Fargo, Air Force One, Boogie Nights and The Lincoln Lawyer, to playing Dr. David Morgenstern in over 30 episodes of ER and Frank Gallagher for the entirety of Shameless’ run on Showtime, William H. Macy has been around the acting block and then some. Macy will appear in the next Apes movie as Trevathan, a human who's associated with Mae. It remains to be seen if he'll be able to speak like her or if he'll be mute.

Dichen Lachman

If you're a fan of Severance, then you're quite familiar with Dichen Lachman, who plays Ms. Casey in the Apple TV+ series. Others may know her better from shows like Dollhouse, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Altered Carbon and Animal Kingdom, while on the cinematic side of things, you may have heard her in Raya and the Last Kingdom or seen her in Jurassic World Dominion. Now she'll be stepping back into blockbuster territory with Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, so we eagerly await to see how she'll fit into the story.

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes hits theaters on May 10, so keep checking back for CinemaBlend for more updates on casting and the movie’s overall progress. Our 2024 release schedule is available for those of you curious about what other movies come out next year, and you’re also welcome to see how we’ve ranked the Planet of the Apes movies that have come out so far.

From the earliest days of cinema, filmmakers understood the power of the medium to show us worlds that we would never be able to otherwise experience. Science fiction, in all its forms, can show us a future that's terrible or wonderful. It can show us alien worlds and it can bend the laws of physics and make us wonder, what if?

Science fiction covers a lot of ground, and so, any list of the best sci-fi movies ever made is going to cover a variety of fantastical stories. While they all share a few common characteristics, the main thing these 35 films have in common is greatness.

35. Annihilation 

Annihilation is a movie that was generally reviewed well, and it’s also a movie that a lot of people have very strong feelings about. However, the fact that everybody feels strongly about it shows how well the movie did its job. On its surface Annihilation is a science fiction story with a mysterious alien presence and strange creatures, but there’s a lot more going on inside Annihilation. It’s also an emotional journey about change, grief, and loss. 

34. Robocop

There's a lot to love about Robocop, and, to be clear, we're talking about the original version from 1987. If you're into hyper-violent action movies, it has that. If you just like science fiction movies with cyborgs, you're covered. However, one thing that elevates Robocop from simply being a fun movie to becoming a great one is the satire. The film has something important to say about modern society, something that might be even more relevant today than it was in the 1980s. It's a smart film that just so happens to have people turned into a red mist via high-caliber machine guns. 

33. The Fifth Element

Luc Besson's The Fifth Element is one of those films that took a while to become a fan favorite. It did solid box office business but was far from a huge hit when first released. However, through home video and streaming services, more and more people have come across the film and it seems to have become a film with little negative reaction. Bruce Willis plays a cab driver who gets pulled into a fight for galactic survival by a beautiful woman played by Milla Jovovich. The premise is simple but thanks to delightfully fun characters like Chris Tucker's Ruby Rhod and a musical number that nobody will ever forget, this one will survive the test of time. 

32. Blade Runner 2049 

The sequel to Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner took decades to produce, and much like the movie that came before it, Blade Runner 2049 largely failed to ignite audiences but make no mistake, this movie is, also much like the original, an absolutely amazing piece of filmmaking. It’s beautiful, both in cinematography and tone. Ryan Gosling’s performance is excellent. It’s a fitting follow-up to a classic. 

31. Tron

In the 1980s the computer became a device that the average family could afford, as such, there was an explosion in ownership, yet, in many ways, people didn't understand them. This aspect of science fiction made real was the premise of Tron, a film that wondered about what was happening inside the machine. While the film may feel a little dated by current standards, you simply can't underestimate what the movie brought to the screen upon its release. The computer effects that created the digital world had simply never been seen before. It was a leap forward in technology that dozens of films would be influenced by. The film has ultimately spawned enough additional materials it can be hard to keep the Tron timeline straight, and a third Tron film is finally on the way. 

30. The Abyss

While most science fiction movies take place among the stars, some of them can work within the confines of our planet. The Abyss finds alien life residing at the bottom of the ocean, showing that James Cameron has been wondering what's going on in our waters since long before Titanic. The claustrophobia of the environment is palpable, making the movie an exciting ride all the way through. In addition, it brought computer-generated characters to the next level thanks to groundbreaking work from Industrial Light & Magic. They're still impressive effects, even if, James Cameron now finds them "quaint."  If you haven't seen this one, fix that soon. 

29. Inception

While director Christopher Nolan did a lot of good to bring credibility to the comic book genre with his Dark Knight trilogy, it was a film he made in between those movies that was truly revolutionary. In many ways, the set-up was that of a simple heist. However, the trick was that the information our team needed to steal was inside somebody's mind. The story creates technology that allows them to enter the dreams of unsuspecting victims. Inception has many of the hallmarks of the best science fiction. It creates a fictional world with specific rules that the story must abide by, making the situation feel more real than it could ever be. This, combined with some stunning visual set pieces, captured largely practically rather than digitally, makes Inception a worthy recent entry to this list. And of course, there's also the Inception ending which has remained one of the most talked about movie conclusions ever.

28. Ex Machina

The concept of artificial intelligence has been covered in countless science fiction movies over the years. However, it has never been done as well as it was in Ex Machina. Alicia Vikander plays Ava, an artificial life form that may, or may not, be capable of true consciousness and emotion. Can humans truly relate to a machine the way we relate to each other? And if we can, what exactly does that mean about our concepts of what it means to be alive? Ex Machina is the all too rare dramatic science fiction movie. It has no ray guns or explosions. It's ultimately about people, even if one of the people isn't entirely real. 

27. Edge of Tomorrow

Tom Cruise is almost always an actor who's good for having a fun time at the movies. However, the criminally underrated Edge of Tomorrow is so much more than that. The story follows Cruise's character, a military officer who has never seen combat before but is now forced to the front lines, as he accidentally gets exposed to alien technology and discovers that the reason the aliens are winning the war is that they can travel back and repeat time and learn from their mistakes. Once he gains the same ability we get to see him use it to learn how to fight and try to win. Also, you get to watch Tom Cruise get blown up, a lot. 

26. Back to the Future

And, while we're discussing time travel, let's talk about what is probably the most popular time travel movie ever made. Even more rare than science fiction drama is the science fiction comedy, yet, Back to the Future lands it perfectly. The science fiction mechanic of the film indeed exists only to give a reason to have 1980s Marty McFly experience the world of 1955, yet, the movie deals with many of your standard time travel tropes including accidentally changing the past to negate the future, the bootstrap paradox, not to mention the possibility of accidentally becoming your own father, which is funny, and also gross. It's a movie so great that fans wanted more sequels for years. 

25. The Martian 

When a science fiction movie gets nominated for Oscars, you know it's something special. The Martian is one of the more recent movies but it has earned its spot. While the movie is Cast Away in space, it's also so much more. This movie just has everything that hardcore science fiction fans love, space travel, alien worlds, and enough scientific facts built in to make the science fiction plausible. Add in the fact that the film is legitimately funny and you've got a movie that has a little something for every type of sci-fi fan.

24. 12 Monkeys

Terry Gilliam has directed some gloriously fantastic science fiction, including a couple of films that came very close to making this list. However, his best science fiction movie has got to be 12 Monkeys. The story of a man sent back in time to prevent the spread of a plague would seem straightforward, but straightforward is something that never happens when Terry Gilliam is involved. A movie that earned Brad Pitt his first Oscar nomination and also contains one of the best performances by Bruce Willis simply can't be left off this list. 

23. The Day The Earth Stood Still

The question of whether or not we're alone in the universe is a consistent theme in science fiction films. The answer to that question was the subject of one of the great classics of the genre, The Day the Earth Stood Still. Today the words "Klaatu barada nikto" still survive in pop culture, which shows just what an impact the movie had. One wonders how many people even know that this is where the phrase comes from. So often when we do meet aliens in movies they are hostile invaders, but even back in 1951, a movie wondered if we might have been the aggressive ones. 

22. Snowpiercer

Most of the movies on this list are big and popular films that you're likely familiar with, even if you haven't seen them. Snowpiercer was something of an unknown quantity upon its release. Over time, however, it has acquired a significant fanbase. Korean director Bong Joon-ho's English-language debut sees Chris Evans as a passenger on a train in a future world that has been taken over by ice. Only those on a constantly moving train survive and quality of life is dictated by your position on the train. Those in the back start a revolt that takes them forward on the massive train. Whether you're looking for great action sequences or an examination of society you'll get both with Snowpiercer. 

21. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

There are so many ways one could describe Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. It's a science fiction drama, it's a romantic comedy, it's just a general mind-fuck of a movie. Eternal Sunshine is all these things and more. Charlie Kaufman is known for writing some of the more offbeat stories in recent memory but this one may very well be his masterpiece. By the time this one came out we knew that Jim Carrey wasn't just a comedian and we already knew how great Kate Winslet was, but we saw entirely different sides of both actors here. The story follows two ex-lovers as they decide to get the memories of each other erased from their heads. The movie is utterly bizarre but that doesn't stop it from being an emotional journey. 

20. Dune (2021) 

Ever since David Lynch tried, and unfortunately failed, to adapt Dune for the screen, the Frank Herbert novel was widely considered impossible to turn into a movie. Denis Villeneuve has found at least half of the solution, as 2021’s Dune is an absolutely excellently produced film, and it has a shelf full of Oscars to prove it. If there’s any knock against the film, it’s that it only tells half the actual story.

19. Arrival 

On its surface, Arrival stars Amy Adams as a linguist whose expertise is called upon when alien life makes first contact with Earth. However, as with all great science fiction, there’s a great deal more going on. A very well-constructed story, and the third science fiction movie directed by Denis Villeneuve on this list, Arrival is an emotional character exploration with a satisfying, if potentially heartbreaking, conclusion. 

18. The Terminator

No list of science fiction films could be complete without the movie that created one of the biggest action heroes of all time. The Terminator introduced Arnold Schwarzenegger as an unstoppable killing machine and for a guy that looked like he did, audiences bought it. Even if Arnold himself was unsure about his most iconic line. While the movie doesn't have the flashy special effects of future sequels, that's part of why this movie still stands up. It's a desperate fight against an unstoppable force; it's not supposed to be pretty. While most of the movies that followed never held up, the reason they even tried was because the original was so good. 

17. Wall-E

One of the best science fiction films ever made deals with elements of artificial intelligence, love between artificial beings, and the destruction of human habitat. Also, it's an animated Pixar movie. Pixar has a near-perfect record when it comes to creating good movies, however, Wall-E may be in a class by itself. It's a film so good that the movie doesn't even require dialogue for half its runtime. It is by far the best animated science fiction movie ever made and Wall-E will be one of our favorite sci-fi characters forever. Wall-E and Eve is one of the greatest cinematic romances of all time. 

16. Jurassic Park

While actors performing against non-existent characters on a green screen is fairly commonplace now, such things were mostly unheard of prior to the release of Steven Spielberg's Jurassic Park. What's more, while many digital effects in other films from the era don't really hold up today, the dinosaurs of Jurassic Park do. That, combined with one of John Williams' best scores makes for not only one of the best films of the '90s but also an all-time classic. Also, it has dinosaurs in it and they eat people. You really can't go wrong with that. None of the sequels have ever come close to surpassing the original, something even Colin Trevorrow admits to now. 

15. Aliens

Following up Ridley Scott's Alien could not have been an easy task even if James Cameron acted like it was the easiest thing in the world. The director made at least one brilliant decision, however. Rather than try to recreate the pulse-pounding terror of the original film, brilliant in its own right, he traded some of that tension in for space marine action. There continue to be attempts to recreate the magic of an Alien sequel, but nobody, even Ridley Scott himself, has been able to go back to this world and figure out how to make it work. It's hard to believe people told James Cameron Aliens would end his career.

14. Planet of the Apes

Who could have possibly dreamed that all these years later a movie about a planet run by apes would still be so popular? And yet, here we are. While the original may be best known for its famous twist ending, its influence on popular culture simply can't be overlooked. It received sequels, adaptations, spoofs, a new trilogy of movies that have been as good as anything the series has ever produced, and the equally well reviewed Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes. None of that happens without Charlton Heston and the "damn dirty apes" which earns it a spot on this list. 

13. Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan

You can't talk about science fiction without including Star Trek in the conversation. For a series that's gone on as long as it has, the movie side has seen its ups and downs, but the best of them still has to be the second film in the franchise: Star Trek II: The Wrath of Kahn. If you were a hardcore Star Trek fan then this film was a godsend as it brought back one of the great villains from the original series. However, you didn't need to be steeped in lore to enjoy Ricardo Montalban's over-the-top evil performance. The movie's so good the reboot film series wanted to do their take on it, but really, there's no way to improve on perfection. 

12. Everything Everywhere All At Once 

The word masterpiece should not be used lightly when discussing films, but it has been used frequently by critics discussing Everything Everywhere All At Once. Michelle Yeoh is always great on screen but she is in a class all by herself in this multiverse story that sees Yeoh jumping between her various realities and trying to save everything. It’s the newest film on this list, but we’re confident this one will stand the test of time. The film had an incredible night at the 2023 Academy Awards, taking home the prizes for Editing, Screenplay, three of the four acting awards, and, oh yeah, Best Picture. Few movies have ever had a better night at the Oscars. 

11. Terminator 2: Judgment Day

While the original Terminator is a classic, it was the sequel, Terminator 2: Judgment Day, that took the franchise to the next level. This time Arnold got to be the hero as he was sent back in time to protect John Conner from the next generation of Terminator. James Cameron has always been one to latch on to the newest technology in filmmaking and for Terminator 2 it was digital morphing effects that allowed the T-1000 to transform in front of our eyes. Add to that the fact that the film was rated-R, during a time period where the PG-13 rating was beginning to establish movie dominance and fans got exactly the sequel they wanted, bigger and better. 

10. The Thing

You know that you've made a seminal work of science fiction when your movie is so good, people forget it's a remake. John Carpenter's The Thing technically follows 1951's The Thing From Another World and while that movie is still pretty good, it doesn't hold a candle to the masterclass in science fiction and horror that Carpenter's film was. The movie is still debated today as the ending of The Thing is left open to interpretation. Was The Thing destroyed, or is one of the final survivors actually a monster in disguise? 

9. Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back

What is there to say that hasn't already been said about the Star Wars trilogy. It quite simply changed the way Hollywood works. While some, including George Lucas himself, aren't necessarily thrilled by that fact, it's the world we live in now. The Empire Strikes Back was the film that proved that the pop culture circus that surrounded the first film was no accident. In many ways, the sequel is even superior to the original. With one of the greatest twists in the history of film included, The Empire Strikes Back will never be forgotten. 

8. E.T: The Extra-Terrestrial

So often in science fiction, the aliens are the bad guys that need to be defeated. However, Steven Spielberg's E.T.: the Extra-Terrestrial doesn't just create a sympathetic alien that needs to be protected, it puts that protection in the hands of kids, making the movie something that entire families can enjoy. As such, it becomes one of those films that people make sure is seen by future generations. It's a heartwarming story that can hit you in the feels whether it's the first time you've seen it or the 50th. 

7. Metropolis

Made in 1927, when movies were still without sound, Metropolis is still one of the most influential science fiction movies ever made. Its visuals and effects were ahead of their time, fitting for a movie that portrayed a world that was highly advanced in technology, if not in humanity. It's difficult to argue that without Metropolis we may have never had any of the other films on this list. If you've never seen the film it is worth it to take the time and find it, if only to see the precursor to so many other genre classics. 

6. Close Encounters of the Third Kind

Hey look, it's Steven Spielberg again! The accomplished director has numerous great films on his filmography but when it comes to the science fiction genre, Close Encounters of the Third Kind is clearly his magnum opus. The question of whether or not we are alone in the universe is a topic in several films on this list, but while most films are about the answer, Close Encounters is a film about the question. It's about humanity's fascination with the idea of aliens and the lengths to which some will go to find a connection with the rest of the galaxy. It's a beautiful film and clearly one of the top ten in all of science fiction. 

5. The Matrix

The best movies are the ones that turn out to be great when you had no idea what to expect. The Matrix surprised pretty much everybody when it was released in 1999. Its cutting-edge use of "bullet time" cameras and "wire-fu" martial arts combined with a cyberpunk aesthetic was quite simply a combination that nobody had seen before. Add a solid story with a healthy dose of philosophical discussion on the nature of reality and the result is so popular that the universe is still being mined for stories to this day.  Perhaps none of The Matrix sequels have measured up, but that just shows how great the original truly was. 

4. Blade Runner

The fact that Blade Runner saw a sequel 25 years after the original debuted is all it takes to show how this film has survived over the years. Ridley Scott's story about a future where androids are virtually indistinguishable from humans and live amongst us captured the imagination. Perhaps one of the reasons the film has been so popular is that it has so many versions to choose from. No fewer than seven different cuts have been released over the years. The fact that so much work has been done following the initial release not only shows that fans are still interested but also helps to show how involved the film's story truly is, and that it can be looked at from so many different perspectives. 

3. Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope

While The Empire Strikes Back is viewed by many to be the high point of the Star Wars franchise, you simply can't underestimate just how important a film the original movie is. It not only launched the biggest property in the history of pop culture, but it changed the way movies were made and the way science fiction was viewed by the masses. No longer was it simply the purview of little kids watching Flash Gordon serials. Science fiction was now serious business. Everybody tried to do their own Star Wars after the original became the highest grossing film of all time. They all failed to match its brilliance. 

2. Alien

"In space, no one can hear you scream." With that simple phrase, we were introduced to some of the most terrifying alien creatures that have ever been created. Luckily, we were also introduced to one of the most badass heroes that science fiction, or any genre, has ever seen. Sigourney Weaver's Ellen Ripley broke the mold when it came to genre heroines and she's still one of the greatest ever created. Alien was as good a science fiction film as it was a horror movie and the two are inextricably intertwined with each other -- in fact, Alien also ranks highly on our list of best horror movies of all time. It is absolutely one of the best science fiction movies ever made. 

1. 2001: A Space Odyssey

Every movie on this list is a great one, but all of them owe something to Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey. The movie has everything you could want. It's got impressive outer space scenes. It's got drama that borders on horror thanks to a slightly deranged computer. Then it's got completely off-the-wall imagery and symbolism from Stanley Kubrick that still has people talking and asking questions to this day. After all these years we still can't stop thinking about 2001, which is why it's still the best science fiction movie ever made. 

Good science fiction movies come out all the time, but it takes something more to truly become great. Time will tell what modern movies might one day join this group of the best the genre has to offer.

Also, be sure to check out our list of sci-fi movies that have a 90% or higher on Rotten Tomatoes. 

Following War for the Planet of the Apes concluding the story of Andy Serkis’ Caesar in 2017, fans of the Planet of the Apes movies have been waiting to learn what the next chapter of this franchise holds in store. Well, after half a decade of few updates, the 10th theatrical Planet of the Apes movie is almost ready to begin production. Ahead of this big occasion, not only has the official title has been confirmed, we also have a first look at the upcoming movie, two new castings and a general release period.

First things first, the War for the Planet of the Apes follow-up will be called Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes. While this title had been rumored/reported in recent months, 20th Century Studios has now confirmed it’s the real deal. While it will obviously be a while until we see official stills from Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, which is being directed by The Maze Runner trilogy’s Wes Ball, the studio did release the concept art seen below, depicting an ape aboard horseback among the ruins of human civilization.

Next, we have the new castings. In August, it was announced that IT and The Stand actor Owen Teague will play Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes’ lead primate character. Today 20th Century Studios revealed that Teague will be joined by The Witcher’s Freya Allan and The Orville’s Peter Macon. No details were shared about their characters, so it’s hard to say if both of them will be playing apes like Teague, or if one of them will appear as a survivor of humanity’s remnants. Premise-wise, all that was shared about Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is that it will take place “many years” after War for the Planet of the Apes, and 20th Century Studios president Steve Asbell said in a statement that he “can’t wait to share Wes’ extraordinary vision for this new chapter with audiences in 2024.”

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes’ other attached talent includes War of the Worlds’ Josh Friedman, Rise of the Planet of the Apes’ Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver, and Prey’s Patrick Aison all having worked on the script, as well as Jaffa and Silver producing alongside Joe Hartwick Jr. and Jason Reed, and Peter Chernin and Jenno Topping executive producing. This is a lot of new information to process, and no doubt once cameras start rolling, there will be more details shared with the public, be it officially or leaked. Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is the third 20th Century Studios movie set for a 2024 release; it was announced earlier this week that Deadpool 3 comes out on September 6, 2024, and Avatar 3 is slated for December 20, 2024.

One thing I’m hoping is cleared up sooner rather than later about Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is exactly how long it takes place after War for the Planet of the Apes. Does “many years” mean a few decades after Caesar’s passing, and that we’ll be following along with his grandson or even great-grandson? Or are we jumping centuries into the future and hitting the time period that the original Planet of the Apes took place in? The ruins of those buildings in the concept art don’t really help with figuring out this mystery, but if you zoom in, you’ll notice that ape on the horse is wearing gear, which calls to mind the clothes-wearing apes from the 1968 movie that started it all.

Stay tuned to CinemaBlend for more coverage about Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, and check out our 2023 release schedule to learn what movies will be hitting the big screen a year prior to audiences returning to this franchise. You should also keep an eye out for the new Planet of the Apes comics Marvel will be publishing in 2023.

The last time the Planet of the Apes franchise got time to shine on the big screen was in 2017’s War for the Planet of the Apes, which concluded the story of Andy Serkis’ Caesar. While we know another Planet of the Apes movie is on the way, there’s still a lot of mystery surrounding this project, including when it will be released. In the meantime though, Planet of the Apes fans are in for a treat, as it’s been announced that new Apes-centric comics stories are coming soon from Marvel Comics.

That’s right, following Marvel’s first run with Planet of the Apes from 1974 to 1977, which delivered comics adaptations of the original Apes movies, the property has returned to the House of Ideas. Starting in early 2023, Marvel will publish all-new Planet of the Apes stories, with Editor-in-Chief C.B. Cebulski saying the following in an official statement:

For now, specific details on Marvel’s upcoming Planet of the Apes titles, collections, reprints and creative teams are being kept secret. However, the company did release a piece of teaser artwork from Salvador Larroca.

There wasn't any mention about if Marvel will solely be publishing Planet of the Apes stories set in the original timeline, or if we could also get titles set in the reboot timeline established by 2011’s Rise of the Planet of the Apes. Either way, Apes being brought into the Marvel fold isn’t surprising considering it was one of the properties brought under the Disney umbrella following the Mouse House’s acquisition of 21st Century Fox in 2019. It follows in the footsteps of the Alien and the Predator franchises, with the former having had a regular Marvel title since March 2021, and the latter scoring a comic series that launches in July.

It is worth clarifying that Planet of the Apes fans haven’t been devoid of comic tie-ins since that ‘70s Marvel run. Companies like Malibu Publishing and Dark Horse Comics dabbled in the Apes world over the decades, and prior to this shift back to Marvel, Boom! Studios had held the comics license since 2011. While most of Boom!’s Apes titles were centered on the franchise’s original timeline, the company also churned out a handful of stories set in the reboot timeline. Boom! also teamed with DC Comics and IDW Publishing for the Planet of the Apes/Green Lantern and Star Trek/Planet of the Apes: The Primate Directive crossovers, respectively.

As far as the next Planet of the Apes movie goes, The Maze Runner’s Wes Ball will direct and is co-writing the script with Josh Friedman, and rather than reboot the franchise yet again, the upcoming movie will be set in the reboot timeline sometime after the events of War for the Planet of the Apes to follow “Caesar’s legacy.” Ball also said in early 2020 fans of Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes and War for the Planet of the Apes won’t need to worry - “you’re in good hands.” Back in March, 20th Century Studios president Steve Asbell said that production would start in either late summer or early fall of 2022, but it’s unclear if that’s still the plan. 

CinemaBlend will keep passing along updates on what’s happening with the next Planet of the Apes movies, but those of you interested in Marvel’s upcoming offerings for the franchise, keep an eye out at your local comic book store and digital comics sources come early next year. Keep track of what movies are left to come out this year by looking through our 2022 release schedule.

Even before the global pandemic shifted a lot of movies to streaming services, they were becoming a big part of the production pipeline for companies like Disney and Warner Bros. However, when the pandemic started, we saw streaming become absolutely vital to film releases. Even though theaters are open again now, streaming’s importance has not diminished. It feels like the movie-making game may have changed for good, and in some ways it already has. With that knowledge, it looks like maybe Disney has made the wrong move by releasing some recent films in theaters instead of on a streaming platform.

A couple of recent Fox properties released in theaters have struggled at the box office. Of course, at this point, a lot of movies are struggling at the box office. The decision over whether to go to the theaters or not is one with a high hurdle to clear, and as a result, movies that might otherwise have done quite well have experienced some real difficulty. Knowing that this is likely to continue for the foreseeable future, and may honestly become the new normal, Disney should consider continuing the following franchises, but on streaming instead.

Kingsman 

The first two Kingsman movies were solid hits, but they came out in another era. The King’s Man, the prequel movie that expanded the franchise, made less money at the global box office than the first movie did domestically. While there are clearly people who like this franchise, they were not willing to head off to the theaters to see it.

While the future of this series is less than perfectly clear, there have previously been plans for a Kingsman 3, i.e. a direct sequel to the Taron Egerton-led story, as well as for other spinoff films like The King’s Man. If we are going to get a full “Kingsman Universe” having all of it one place, like Hulu, would help draw an audience, old and new, to watch all of it.  

 Kenneth Branugh’s Hercule Poirot 

Death on the Nile did technically win the domestic box office this past weekend. Having said that, it didn’t exactly do it in an impressive fashion. Murder on the Orient Express was a big enough hit that Death on the Nile was given the greenlight quickly. However, due to many delays (not all of them related to the pandemic), it took the sequel quite some time to make it out to audiences.

But it’s not surprising that when it finally came out, Death on the Nile didn’t find its old audience. A lot of people looking forward to Kenneth Branagh playing Hercule Poirot were likely older viewers, who are even more sensitive to pandemic issues. These movies are quite good and it would be nice to see more of them. They’d work just as well as streaming productions, and a lot more people would be able to see them.

Planet Of The Apes 

Unlike the first two entries on this list, Planet of the Apes isn’t a franchise with a recent film that struggled in theaters. However, it is a franchise that will get a new movie before long, and when it does, it will likely work much better on streaming than in theaters. 

While Planet of the Apes is an existing franchise, whatever the next movie is will probably be the beginning of a new story, whether or not is technically connected to previous film universe. For that reason, the movie won’t be guaranteed a built-in audience, and if the audience is still apprehensive about going to the movies anyway, they likely won’t give a new Planet of the Apes movie a chance. Throw it on Disney+ or Hulu, however (depending on how mature you want to make it), and people will absolutely give it a look. If they like it, they’ll watch more.

Independence Day

Even before the global pandemic made nearly every theatrical release a tough sell, audiences made it clear that they weren't going to the theater to see a legacy sequel of the Independence Day franchise. But at the same time, the franchise has name recognition, and while it might be some time before we see more from this title, it's only a matter of time before Disney figures out some way to use it. 

While Independence Day, with its massive set pieces of global destruction, feels like it belongs on the big screen only, we're seeing budgets for streaming series rival those of blockbuster movies now, and watching a landmark get blown up on your 70" 4K television is still going to look pretty damn amazing. Roland Emmerich's own idea for a third movie would work just as well on Hulu.

Master And Commander

Much like the previously mentioned Planet of the Apes, Master and Commander is a franchise that we already know has a future. Unfortunately, while many fans have continued to hold out hope that we might actually get a sequel to Russell Crowe's 2003 film, Master & Commander: The Far Side of the World, the most recent news is that won't be happening. Instead, the future of Master & Commander will be through a reboot.

However, we do not know what form that reboot will take. Is it going to be a series or a movie? If it's a movie, is it looking at theaters or streaming.  While many people loved the original Master & Commander, it struggled to find an audience, which is why a sequel was never made. A big screen follow-up is likely to have many of the exact same issues for all the same reasons. A streaming series is probably the best bet, as it would give these characters room to live and breathe, but even if we get a series of movies, they're more likely to find an audience on streaming.

There are some strong franchises owned by Fox, but some of them are clearly already struggling for survival on the big screen. It seems likely that the only way these franchises will be able to survive is by finding a different outlet. Big screen success is going to be harder to achieve for a long time to come, and possibly permanently. If that’s the case, it doesn’t mean these franchises need to end, it just means they need a new home. 

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If you are like a large portion of the Netflix subscriber base, you have either watched or plan on watching Zack Snyder’s Army of the Dead, the latest offering from one of the most visionary and divisive filmmakers in today’s Hollywood. After watching the over-the-top zombie-heist action thriller, there’s a good chance you want check out more movies like it. I mean, with so many elements from multiple genres included — zombie horror, crime, action, family drama — it’s easy to think back on titles like Dawn of the Dead, Heat, and The Road for a myriad of reasons.

With that in mind, I've compiled a list of movies like Army of the Dead worth checking out, dead pixels and all. Each of these have a least one thing in common with Army of the Dead, whether it be zombies, an intricate casino heist, or the bond shared by a parent and their child. And no, not every single one of these movies fall in the zombie genre, but quite a few do…

Dawn Of The Dead

Zack Snyder’s 2004 Dawn of the Dead remake (which was penned by James Gunn), has the same basic premise of George A. Romero’s 1978 horror classic: a group of survivors take shelter in a shopping mall during a global zombie outbreak. Led by Sarah Polley, Ving Rhames, Jake Weber, and Michael Kelly, the movie shows there is no stopping the inevitable and safety is not guaranteed.

It is fun to go back and watch Dawn of the Dead after completing Army of the Dead to see where Zack Snyder came from and how he has progressed as a filmmaker since making his directorial debut (and introducing amazing title sequences) 17 years earlier.

Rent/Buy Dawn of the Dead on Amazon.

Ocean’s Eleven

Steven Soderbergh’s 2001 remake of the Rat Pack crime-comedy Ocean’s Eleven follows recently paroled thief Danny Ocean (George Clooney) as he puts together a team of career criminals to pull off an elaborate Las Vegas casino heist while the city is distracted by a high-profile boxing match. But even with the brightest minds (Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Don Cheadle included) there’s always a chance the plan will blow up in Ocean’s face.

From the jump, Army of the Dead has been called the Oceans Eleven of zombie movies, and you wouldn’t be wrong to think of it that way. This 2001 crime caper has a lot of the same elements as Zack Snyder’s latest film: a casino heist, a team full of personality, and little room for mistakes.

Stream Ocean’s Eleven on HBO Max.

Rent/Buy Ocean’s Eleven on Amazon.

Planet Of The Apes

The 1968 sci-fi film Planet of the Apes follows American astronaut George Taylor (Charlton Heston) as he and two others land on what appears to be an alien planet ruled by intellectual simians who hold humans as their slaves. With an established society with a class system, laws, and ruthless political system, the apes are not unlike man in Franklin J. Schaffner’s complex classic.

There are multiple parallels with Planet of the Apes and Army of the Dead with the most striking being the way in which apes and zombies respectively have been able to defy man’s logic and establish structured societies with their own classes, rules, and forms of punishment.

Stream Planet of the Apes on Cinemax.

Rent/Buy Planet of the Apes on Amazon.

Escape From New York

John Carpenter’s 1981 dystopian action thriller Escape from New York follows Snake Plissken (Kurt Russell), a disgraced war hero with an eyepatch and lack of trust for the government, as he is sent into the giant maximum security prison complex that is Manhattan where the President of the United States is being held hostage.

Just like Scott Ward (Dave Bautista) and his team in Army of the Dead, Snake Plissken has to enter a walled off New York City, find and extract his target, and make it out of the city alive in a specific amount of time or he will be toast. And also like Zack Snyder’s latest zombie film, John Carpenter’s gritty thriller has its fair share of deceitful characters holding back key information from the central protagonist.

Stream Escape from New York on HBO Max.

Rent/Buy Escape from New York on Amazon.

Day Of The Dead

In 1985, George A. Romero released the third entry in his Dead franchise with the claustrophobic and dialogue-heavy Day of the Dead. Centering on what could very well be the last survivors of the zombie apocalypse, this underrated gem spends a great deal of time showing the divide between brain and braun through constant arguments (and more) between the surviving scientists and soldiers.

George A. Romero walked with Day of the Dead so that Zack Snyder could run with Army of the Dead in terms of having zombies exhibiting intelligence and proving they’re capable of more than being mindless corpses stumbling from one meal to the next. An argument can be made that if it weren’t for Bub (Sherman Howard) learning to use a gun (and salute), we wouldn’t have Zeus (Richard Cetrone) ruling an entire kingdom of zombies.

Stream Day of the Dead on HBO Max.

Rent/Buy Day of the Dead on Amazon.

Land Of The Dead

George A. Romero’s Land of the Dead picks up years after much of the human population has been turned into walking corpses with what’s left of humanity taking shelter in heavily fortified feudal-like societies. Like all movies in the zombie genre, Land of the Dead shows there is no such thing as peace and safety from the world outside, especially when the undead begin to learn and adapt to their surroundings.

The late George A. Romero took a giant leap with the evolution of the zombie in Land of the Dead, especially with Big Daddy (Eugene Clark), the leader of the film’s zombie army who leads a charge to the walled off city of Pittsburgh and the ivory tower that is Fiddler's Green.

Stream Land of the Dead on Peacock.

Rent/Buy Land of the Dead on Amazon.

The Road

Based on Cormac McCarthy’s celebrated novel of the same name, John Hillcoat’s 2009 post-apocalyptic survival film The Road follows a father (Viggo Mortensen) and son (Kodi Smit-McPhee) as they traverse the decaying American landscape in hopes of finding a new life on the southern coast. Dark, dreary, and dirty this intimate and tense thriller sees the pair evade small pockets of cannibalistic savages while also not losing what little faith they have left in humanity.

At the center of The Road, just like in Army of the Dead, is a story about the love shared by a father and his child and his attempt to find redemption for himself and a future for his offspring, even if it means paying the ultimate price.

Stream The Road on Pluto.

Rent/Buy The Road on Amazon.

Baby Driver

Edgar Wright’s music-infused heist film Baby Driver follows Baby (Ansel Elgort), a talented getaway driver who has to constantly listen to music to overpower a bad case of tinnitus, as plans to pull off one more job before leaving town and his life of crime in the dust. But it’s never as simple as getting in and getting out.

With a great balance of comedy and tense drama, Edgar Wright’s 2017 crime thriller, which is one of the best movies on Amazon, is perfect for a double-feature alongside Army of the Dead due to both films centering around the “one more job” trope and the way in which their directors come up with brilliant ways of using music to help add to the story.

Rent/Buy Baby Driver on Amazon.

28 Days Later

The 2002 post-apocalyptic horror film 28 Days Later takes place just weeks after a group of animal rights activists unknowingly released the hyper-contagious “Rage” virus, which turns much of the United Kingdom into a hellscape overrun with zombie-like creatures hellbent on killing anything and everything they see. Following a group of four survivors — Jim (Cillian Murphy), Selena (Naomie Harris), Frank (Brendan Gleeson), and Hannah (Megan Burns) — Danny Boyle’s tense thriller shows how far people will go when guided by hope.

One of the most fascinating aspects of 28 Days Later (and Army of the Dead in a sense) is the fact we don’t really spend a lot of time with the early days of the pandemic, instead picking up later, throwing us into a world where we figure out what’s going on and how we got here.

Stream 28 Days Later on Hulu.

Rent/Buy 28 Days Later on Amazon.

Heat 

Michael Mann’s 1995 crime thriller Heat follows master criminal Neil McCauley (Robert De Niro) as he plans one last big heist in Los Angeles all while trying to keep his team in line and avoiding the watchful eye of LAPD detective Vincent Hanna (Al Pacino). With a great deal of heat caused by a bank robbery gone awry, McCauley has to tread lightly if he wants to see this one through.

There are bank robbery movies and then there is Heat, which remains in a league of its own more than a quarter-century after its initial release. This is a must for anyone who especially enjoyed Army of the Dead’s $200 million casino heist.

Stream Heat on Starz.

Rent/Buy Heat on Amazon.

Cargo

The emotionally-taxing 2017 Australian post-apocalyptic horror film Cargo brings a whole other level of emotion to the zombie genre with its story about an infected father (Martin Freeman) racing against time (48 hours at most) to find somewhere safe for his infant daughter before he turns.

One of the best movies on Netflix, Ben Howling and Yolanda Ramke’s heartbreaking Cargo is similar to Army of the Dead in the sense that it is about a father’s love for his child above anything else, even though he could very well be the one that does her in.

Stream Cargo on Netflix.

Within in the next couple of years, fans of Army of the Dead will have plenty of other options to choose from with the upcoming animated series subtitled Lost Vegas, the international crime prequel Army of Thieves, and hopefully another sequel on Netflix. In the meantime, we can watch all of the films mentioned above or go back and make sense of the Army of the Dead ending.

Helena Bonham Carter has made bold choices throughout her career. From playing a talking ape in Planet of the Apes to helping Johnny Depp murder barbershop customers in Sweeney Todd, she’s had a knack for playing some pretty weird characters -- in fact, the only thing you can really expect from her is that she’ll do something unexpected. If you ask Helena Bonham Carter why her career has unfolded this way, she has a pretty interesting answer.

Not many people can say they’ve starred in one of the biggest cult classics of all time and gone wand-to-wand with Harry Potter. Helena Bonham Carter can, though, because she’s built her career on taking on some bizarre characters and completely owning them. In a recent roundtable discussion with THR, she explained that from the get-go, she found it challenging to fit into the Hollywood scene:

Her uncertainty over what a career in Hollywood would look like sounds like it must have been frustrating. She eventually found a way, though, to take roles in movies and still feel like she was staying true to herself, no matter how weird the role was:

It’s cool to hear her perspective on this -- that she knows who she wants to be as an actress and that her decisions have been driven by that knowledge. It’s also an important reminder that Helena Bonham Carter’s filmography is stacked with a wide range of roles. For every Fight Club or Dark Shadows, there’s a The King’s Speech or Howard’s End. So yeah, maybe she can be a little weird sometimes -- that’s just more proof of her immense talent.

What’s your favorite Helena Bonham Carter movie? Let us know in the comments!

Anytime the term "remake" is floated around in Hollywood, there's often a knee-jerk reaction from the masses to hate it. Given the fact that many remakes fail to capture the magic of their original, I can certainly understand why, but I also think remakes get a bad rep. Mostly because when they're bad, they can be among some of the worst movies to hit theaters (we'll talk more in a bit, Planet of the Apes).

It sounds harsh to say, but the reality is that a better version of this movie exists. Had the remakes in this list never been made to begin with, the world would've had the best it had to offer already available to watch. Here are some of the worst offenders of the remake genre, and a bit of history on how they failed to live up to the audience expectations.

Planet Of The Apes (2001)

Believe it or not, the Planet of the Apes remake started back in the 1980s, and at various times involved Arnold Schwarzenegger, James Cameron, Chris Columbus and Peter Jackson. After passing on decades of script ideas, Fox settled on Tim Burton's re-imagining of the original movie, and cast Mark Wahlberg as its leading man. The movie was a commercial hit, but never received anywhere close to the acclaim of the classic original and didn't earn a sequel, even with its inconclusive and somewhat confusing ending.

Carrie (2013)

Horror remakes that try to re-capture the thrills of the original for a new generation always seem to face an uphill battle. This is especially true for 2013's Carrie, which also needed to harness the quality that netted its predecessor Academy Award nominations. Unfortunately, Chloë Grace Moretz's Carrie never felt as much of an outcast as Sissy Spacek's, and the small modern updates to the story did nothing to heighten the tale originally told. The movie did alright commercially, but for those looking to see the definitive version of the movie, the 1976 version remains the superior choice.

Dumbo (2019)

With a runtime of just 64 minutes, the original Dumbo is one of the shortest Disney features in existence. It's all the amount of time it needed to be really, considering the story is about an elephant who can't speak and learns to fly with the help of a mouse. The remake made the story way more complex, and nearly doubled the runtime. As I said before, Disney didn't need more than an hour to tell this tale, and it showed while watching the remake that ultimately underperformed in Disney's eyes.

Oldboy (2013)

A decade after Park Chan-wook blew the film world's mind with his twisted film adaptation of the manga Old Boy, Spike Lee attempted to do the same. The end result was an uninspired remake one could essentially argue was made for people who wouldn't watch the original because of subtitles. It was also one of the worst box office showings of Lee's career. It can be argued it's not all the director's fault, however, as producers heavily re-edited his final product and cut 35 minutes from the movie. There's no word on whether an original cut exists, though given the box office numbers, I can't imagine there are many calling for its release.

The Wicker Man (2006)

While Carrie's remake fell short of its goal to recapture the spirit of the original, at least it didn't fall quite as short as The Wicker Man. The Nicolas Cage-starring remake pales in comparison to the 1973 British original, which was actually a horror movie. The remake was made with the same intention, but due to some poor acting and the standard unhinged performance from Cage, it comes off as an unintentional comedy that is hard not to laugh at while watching. The movie flopped, but that didn't stop Nic Cage from suggesting an even more bizarre sequel.

A Nightmare On Elm Street (2010)

The remake of A Nightmare On Elm Street, on paper, seemed to be the kind of project horror fans would love. It was essentially meant to be Freddy without the cheese, as well as use the power of CGI to enhance the Dreamscape far beyond what John Carpenter was able to do in his original. The movie was a commercial success, but audiences ultimately found that the remake just didn't scratch the itch that the original franchise did. Perhaps the cheese was necessary, or Robert Englund's performance, or John Carpenter's consultation?

Total Recall (2012)

I believe that had 2012's Total Recall named itself anything else, it wouldn't have been nearly as poorly received. The movie had solid action, but the fact that it lacked all the humor and many other characteristics of the Arnold Schwarzenegger classic made many critics and audiences drag it through the dirt. That's not to say this remake doesn't have its flaws, but I think watching and accepting it as having nearly nothing to do with the original will make anyone see it in a different light. With the name Total Recall though, there's no way this movie should've been made.

Conan The Barbarian (2011)

It's not often that movies that were panned upon release get remakes, though one can certainly understand the thought process given Conan The Barbarian's success when released on video. It's also fair to say the original movie has survived largely based on Arnold Schwarzenegger's rise to fame, and removing him from the occasion would predictably lessen the appeal. The 2011 remake tried anyway, and despite trying to stay closer to the source material, it flopped. The good news is Jason Momoa bounced back and is currently enjoying life as Aquaman, with few remembering he was the star of this ill-begotten feature.

The Hitcher (2007)

Here's a movie that one has to wonder what the justification was for no matter how you cut it. 1986's version of The Hitcher was not well received, but it became a cult classic among certain groups. So then it's weird that a remake would change the movie and create something that would do nothing to make it better for mainstream audiences, not to mention potentially anger those who did enjoy the original. This one didn't last long in theaters and was quickly forgotten.

Do you have another suggestion for a remake that should've never seen the light of day? List it in the comments below, and be sure to stick with CinemaBlend for all the latest news happening in television and movies.

It’s no secret that movie fans get protective when beloved trilogies are tampered with in any form. When it was announced a fourth Planet of the Apes film would be a continuation of the trilogy without Matt Reeves at the helm, it concerned some.

The Maze Runner director Wes Ball will be helming the new Planet of the Apes sequel, and recently teased that the Planet of the Apes sequel wouldn’t be a reboot but a continuation. Now he's opening up about the upcoming movie, reassuring fans that they’re in good hands. Here’s how Ball put it,

Well this is somewhat reassuring. While directors tend to get the brunt of praise or displeasure with a movie’s performance, it’s a good reminder that a production involves an entire team to be successful.

Wes Ball is primarily known for directing The Maze Runner trilogy, a young-adult dystopian thriller based off of the novels. Unfortunately, that trilogy saw diminished returns critically and at the box office with each installment. Other than the Planet of the Apes trilogy, he also helmed the big budget adaptation of the Mouse Guard for 20th Century Fox before Disney halted the production. But according to his comments to DiscussingFilm, the new movie is in very good hands.

War for the Planet of the Apes ended the trilogy with critical fanfare. After finalizing the production with a bang, Matt Reeves left to pursue writing and directing The Batman, starring Robert Pattinson as the caped crusader. War of the Planet of the Apes's ending seemingly finished Caesar’s arc in a final way, making some question if there would be another movie at all.

Without Caesar, it’s difficult to see where Wes Ball and his team could take the Planet of the Apes franchise. Caesar was very much the heart and soul of the lat three movies. But, at this point, we’ll just have to take Ball at his word that he has a solid direction to take the series.

In an age when reboots are often unnecessary and rarely live up the legacy of the beloved properties that inspired them, the modern Planet of the Apes trilogy stands apart. Begun with Rupert Wyatt’s Rise of the Planet of the Apes in 2009 and concluded with Matt Reeves’ War for the Planet of the Apes in 2017, the trilogy stands as one of modern cinema’s best and a worthy successor to the original series that started it all. Now the question becomes, what’s next?

War for the Planet of the Apes brought an end to Caesar’s story, but the Planet of the Apes franchise will continue. We found out in December that a new film was on the way from The Maze Runner director Wes Ball, which will be the former Fox franchise’s first chapter made under the Disney corporate umbrella. Yet despite that change in ownership and rumors to the contrary, it seems that Wes Ball’s film will not be a full reboot of the property.

We now know what Wes Ball’s Planet of the Apes movie isn’t... but what is it? The filmmaker has said that his movie will continue Caesar’s legacy, but not much more than that, leaving the mystery intact for now. But mysteries exist to be solved, so it’s worth taking a stab at what the next Planet of the Apes movie will be. Here are a couple of guesses.

A Direct Sequel

At the end of War for the Planet of the Apes, Andy Serkis’ Caesar, the messianic warrior leader of the apes, perished after leading his people across the desert to a new home and freedom. Before he died, Maurice promised Caesar that he would tell his orphaned young son Cornelius about who his father was and what he did for the apes. If the next Planet of the Apes film is to continue Caesar’s legacy, following Cornelius’ story seems like the most direct and obvious way to do that.

If Wes Ball takes that approach, essentially making Planet of the Apes 4, the film could tell the story of a young Cornelius as he learns and grows with his people looking to him for guidance in their new home. The weight of Caesar’s legacy could weigh heavily on the young chimp, and this could perhaps result in something akin to The Lion King where Cornelius rejects his birthright and runs away before coming into his own. Such an approach could also show how the ape society enters a period of rapid growth.

A Movie Set Years In The Future

While a direct sequel might be the most obvious possible continuation, that doesn’t mean it’s the most likely. Another way to continue Caesar’s legacy would be to see the fruits of his labor in a distant future. That means seeing an older Cornelius and a flourishing ape society. Planet of the Apes 4 could do that by jumping much further ahead in the timeline than any of the recent sequels. The trilogy showed how apes gained higher intelligence and how humanity fell; now it’s time to see the anthropocene truly end and Earth become the planet of the apes that this franchise has been leading to.

The sequel could find Cornelius as an adult in a rapidly growing Ape City. This approach would also allow Wes Ball to explore the weight of Caesar’s legacy and the effect that has on Cornelius as he struggles to survive and deal with decisions that his father never had to in a continually changing world. Will the different groups of apes achieve the harmony that humans could not, or will they fall prey to the same fatal flaws? Will Cornelius begin to erase the truth about humanity from history? This approach would allow Wes Ball to pick up threads from the previous films, while telling a story that feels different and new.

A Remake Of The Original

Whether it happens with the next film, at the end of another trilogy or somewhere else down the line, the modern Planet of the Apes seems to be hurtling towards a remake of the 1968 original Planet of the Apes. This might seem like a bad idea and normally a remake of an iconic film is to be avoided, but we’ve already seen Planet of the Apes remade once (poorly), and given the quality of the current series there is reason to believe a new remake could succeed where the previous one failed.

The original film takes place far, far into the future, so as is it’s difficult for the two iterations of this franchise to line up exactly. This remake would be set in the Rise/Dawn/War continuity and the seeds have already been planted for this film with Easter eggs introduced in the previous movies. Maybe Wes Ball is ready to watch those seeds grow by jumping this franchise into the future with a remake of Planet of the Apes. With new technology and differences in the story, a remake would surely look and feel very different, while still being able to hit the same major beats as the original film.

Something Else?

Wes Ball’s statement on his Planet of the Apes film indicates he has some surprises in store, so perhaps his film will not take some of the more obvious paths we are expecting. His language about continuing Caesar’s legacy allows for a latitude of interpretations. Caesar’s legacy doesn’t have to be one of blood, but ideas and a movement. The myth of Caesar could carry to other parts of the country and the world, inspiring others. As we saw with Bad Ape in War for the Planet of the Apes, there are intelligent apes out there that were not part of Caesar’s group that could really open up the possibilities in this world.

Maybe the new film could follow an entirely different group of apes that came into their own under different circumstances and built a much different society than Caesar’s. The film could then dovetail with the previous trilogy by having the two disparate groups meet up. There are plenty of directions a new Apes movie could go both geographically and temporally. It sounds like Wes Ball may have a few tricks up his sleeve and that makes the prospect of a new Planet of the Apes movie even more intriguing.

Whatever exactly Wes Ball’s Planet of the Apes movie ends up being, it’s exciting to know that the legacy of Caesar and Rupert Wyatt/Matt Reeves’ films will continue. We’ll keep you updated on Planet of the Apes 4 or whatever it winds up being called as news develops.

Check out our 2020 Release Schedule to see what’s headed to theaters this year and stay tuned to CinemaBlend for the latest movie news.

Fox’s modern Planet of the Apes trilogy came to an end in 2017 with Matt Reeves’ War for the Planet of the Apes and since then we’ve been waiting to see what’s next for the property. Earlier this week it was reported that the next Apes movie, which will hail from the Disney-owned 20th Century Studios, would be another reboot. However, it now sounds like the next Planet of the Apes movie won’t be a reboot after all. That’s according to the film’s director Wes Ball. Take a look:

Well, now we know. Following the lamentable cancellation of his Mouse Guard movie, The Maze Runner director Wes Ball was hired back in December to helm a mysterious new Planet of the Apes movie. We haven’t heard much on the project since then but with the recent reports that the next film would be another reboot of the property, Wes Ball is speaking up to set the record straight.

Following the reboot talk, Wes Ball took to Twitter and while he didn’t reveal what his Planet of the Apes movie will be, he did say what it wouldn’t be. According to Wes Ball, fans shouldn’t worry about the last three films in the franchise being erased with a reboot. He says that Caesar’s legacy will continue, but he leaves the question of how and what that means unanswered, at least for now.

Wes Ball was clearly perturbed at the reports that his film would be rebooting the Planet of the Apes property and the fact that this notion wasn’t run by him. His reaction and invocation of Caesar’s name would seem to indicate that he has a tremendous amount of love and respect for Andy Serkis’ character and what directors Matt Reeves and Rupert Wyatt did with their trilogy of films.

So we now know that Wes Ball’s Planet of the Apes won’t be a reboot of the property and while it may or may not be a direct sequel, it sounds like it will continue the legacy of the past three entries in some way. Whatever that ultimately means, the filmmaker seems excited about it, teasing that surprises are in store. Perhaps it will follow Caesar’s son Cornelius, who knows.

While a reboot wouldn’t necessarily have been surprising after a completed trilogy and now that the property is under new corporate ownership, it wouldn’t have made a ton of sense.

War for the Planet of the Apes was only three years ago. There are lots of reboots nowadays but that seems way too recent to start over again, especially considering that the recent trilogy was excellent and happens to be one of modern cinema’s best. Furthermore, if they were to reboot the property, it would have to be a wildly different take on the material to justify it, and that’s a tricky direction to take for a property with a fanbase.

Opinions will vary, but I tend to think this is good to hear from Wes Ball, that the legacy of the Fox Planet of the Apes movies and Caesar will live on.

We’ll keep you updated on Wes Ball’s Planet of the Apes project as news develops. In the meantime, check out our 2020 Release Schedule to see what movies are headed to theaters this year.

Thanks to Disney’s purchase of the studio formerly known as 20th Century Fox, there are various franchises which now rest under the Mouse House’s proverbial umbrella, including Planet of the Apes. It was reported last December that a new Apes movie was in development, although it was unclear at the time whether it would be a sequel to 2017’s War for the Planet of the Apes or reboot the property. Now word’s come in that it’ll apparently be the latter.

After reporting that production designer Daniel Dorrance has joined the crew of the new Planet of the Apes movie, which will be directed by Wes Ball (the two of them previously worked together on two of the Maze Runner movies and were going to reunite on Mouse Guard before Disney put the kibosh on that project), Discussing Film mentioned that its sources say that this next venture into the Apes mythology will be a full-on reboot. Thus, it’s unlikely that it will tie back to the previous Planet of the Apes trilogy.

Assuming this is true, that begs the question of what this new Planet of the Apes movie will be about. Will it be another brand-new story, just like how 2011’s Rise of the Planet of the Apes provided a different origin story for how the apes rose to power? Or will we get another remake of the first Planet of the Apes movie? You’ll recall that Tim Burton put his own spin on the 1968 original back in 2001, and it was met with mixed-to-negative reviews, resulting in sequel plans being scrapped.

While I can understand 20th Century Studios going the reboot route if it wants to explore a different way Earth’s apes became super-intelligent, if we are just getting a new take on the original Planet of the Apes, which was set thousands of years in the future, I don’t see why it couldn’t still be connected to the latest Planet of the Apes trilogy that Rupert Wyatt and Matt Reeves oversaw.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes and War for the Planet of the Apes were all set in the present day/near future, and audiences watched as the apes established their own society and nearly all of humanity was wiped out, with the survivors starting to lose their intelligence in War. By the end of the trilogy, Andy Serkis’ Caesar led the apes to their new home, and before dying of his injuries, he was assured by his old friend Maurice that his son Cornelius would be told about who his father was and what he’d done.

With Caesar’s story concluded, that’s the perfect point to jump forward nearly two millennia to see how ape society has evolved, giving us something similar to what was in the original Planet of the Apes, but with plenty of room to tweak things like appearance, architectural designs, etc. There’s room to reference/tie back to the first three movies from this continuity, but with so much time having passed, it’s plausible one could enjoy the new Planet of the Apes movie without having seen the preceding trilogy.

Plus, let’s not forget that Rise of the Planet of the Apes showed TV footage of the space ship Icarus taking off before the ALZ-113 virus started spreading, and it was reported as being “lost in space.” As fans of the old school Planet of the Apes know, this is the ship carrying George Taylor and his crew that’s transported to the future, so there’s already groundwork laid for humans from the ‘present’ to end up in the ape-controlled future.

Whatever new creative approach this new Planet of the Apes movie ends up taking, Discussing Film also noted that filming is set to begin later this year, which would put it on track for a 2022 release. Whether that time table will be followed or not, it seems that 20th Century Studios is looking to get rolling on this movie sooner rather than later. Perhaps that means that casting news could arrive in the coming months.

Stay tuned to CinemaBlend for more updates on how this Planet of the Apes movie is coming along. In the meantime, keep track of what’s hitting the big screen later this year with our 2020 release schedule.

Since Disney acquired Fox earlier this year for a whopping $71.3 billion, the House of Mouse now owns many other established franchises under its umbrella. Among them is the Planet of the Apes film series which has produced nine installments in the past 51 years. Following the wrapping of the recent trilogy centering on Andy Serkis’ Caesar, it looks like the studio now has another Planet of the Apes movie in the works.

Maze Runner director Wes Ball has been reportedly hired to helm an upcoming Planet of the Apes movie for Fox, per THR. But wait… is this a sequel to 2017’s War for the Planet of the Apes or a reboot for the entire property? It would be one of the first moves from Fox with an established franchise since the studio officially became part of Disney in March.

After Wes Ball directed the entire apocalypse trilogy for Maze Runner, he signed on to Mouse Guard for Fox. But soon after the Disney/Fox deal went through, the big-budget adaptation became the first casualty of the merger. Mouse Guard was cancelled by Disney just a couple weeks before the movie was set to begin production. Now we've learned Ball reportedly has moved on with Planet of the Apes.

Interestingly enough, the writer/director of the last two Planet of the Apes films, Matt Reeves, was a producer on Wes Ball’s Mouse Guard before plans fell apart. If the filmmaker has a hand in this new Planet of the Apes movie, perhaps it will somehow pick up where he left off with War for the Planet of the Apes?

After concluding his work on the film series, Matt Reeves has since moved on to The Batman, which will star Robert Pattinson as the Dark Knight, Zoe Kravitz as Catwoman, Paul Dano as Riddler, Jeffrey Wright as Commissioner Gordon and John Turturro as Carmine Falcone. The Batman will also mark a continued collaboration between Reeves and Andy Serkis, who will portray Alfred Pennyworth in the upcoming film.

The Batman may mark the beginning of new series under Matt Reeves creative control and for Andy Serkis to dig his acting talents into. So this new Planet of the Apes movie may not be directly connected to the recent trilogy. Considering the 2017 Apes film concluded Caesar’s story and ended with his death, the franchise going for a fresh perspective may be the best step forward as well.

The last iteration of the Planet of the Apes certainly took careful care in crafting an intriguing mythology for its world. Would the franchise completely wipe the slate clean? There’s certainly room for another movie to remake the original 1968 story now that audiences have deep context about how it began. Or it go further into the future as the ape society advances.

What do you think? How would you like to see the Planet of the Apes continue on the big screen in a future movie? Sound off in the poll and comments, and check out the five franchises Disney should focus on instead of Star Wars following the Fox merger!

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Disney+ has really outdone itself when it comes to promoting its platform through Twitter, as was seen today with the studios’ huge list of titles that will be available starting day one. And yet, if you read between the lines of this monumental library of titles that will be online from the start of the Disney+ journey, there are quite a few titles that surprisingly won’t be available.  Now that the streaming service has officially launched, you can check it out using a free trial by using this link.

Come to think of it, we’ve found 28 movies that range from recent big ticket films to long buried obscurities, and all the gems in-between, that have been omitted. If you’re planning on subscribing to Disney+, but have certain requirements as to materials you hope to see on the platform before doing so, you’re going to want to read this.

One last thing to keep in mind, Disney+ did mention after its Twitter binge that there are more announcements to come. So this list could change between now and November 12, and should be considered subject to change. Now, without further ado, here are the movies that seem oddly absent from the gigantic launch of Disney+:

Song Of The South

Let’s just start where everyone and their family expects the Disney+ lineup to make its first omission, no questions asked. A history of racism and general disapproval has always clouded Song of the South, but even in the face of such pushback, the film has been highly sought after by viewers who haven’t been able to see it. Despite even Disney Legend Whoopi Goldberg’s request that the film be allowed to be released from the vault, the film is not on the Disney+ opening roster, just as previously reported.

The Devil And Max Devlin

You can bet the big reason that The Devil and Max Devlin isn’t included in the Disney+ lineup is mostly because of the fact that Bill Cosby plays the headlining role of The Devil. As the recently tarnished funnyman’s legacy is a flashpoint for controversy, Disney more than likely doesn’t want anyone to start tweeting about how it's seemingly profiting off of his career through sharing this film.

The Mighty Ducks Trilogy

How does a lineup that includes films like Rookie of the Year and The Sandlot omit The Mighty Ducks? Weirder still, how does Disney+ fail to even have the sequels, D2 and D3, in its roster? Emilio Estevez’s Coach Gordon Bombay, and his legendary team of kid hockey legends, is the stuff that ‘90s Disney nostalgia is made of. And yet, there’s no room for the Quack Attack, which if you ask us, is totally wack, Jack. Teach these movies to fly!

Cool Runnings

Much like The Mighty Ducks series, Disney+ has also forgotten to bring the true life sports dramedy Cool Runnings onto its platform in time for the big debut. The story of the first Jamaican bobsled team in Olympic history, there are a lot of fond memories that fans have of seeing this film, back when anything with the clamshell VHS case meant Disney magic. Needless to say, the lack of this film is cold as ice.

National Treasure

Here’s an interesting situation: National Treasure isn’t on the Disney+ launch lineup. However, National Treasure: Book Of Secrets totally is. Now, this isn’t meant to be a slam against Nicolas Cage’s second adventure involving secret treasure and American history lessons, but if you don’t have that first film on the platform, what good is the second? National Treasure is a package deal, and the only plausible explanation for not including the first film on Disney+ is that it gives fans something to distract them from asking when the hell National Treasure 3 is going to happen. Or is it?

John Carter

We’re starting to get into a more modern era of Disney films, and John Carter is still currently available on Netflix, for those of you who want to watch it. But for the rest of you who want to see this underrated live-action epic join the Disney+ ranks, in hopes of perhaps consolidating your streaming obligations, you’ll have to wait a little longer.

Tomorrowland

Just like John Carter before it, Tomorrowland is another Disney live-action gamble with a vocal fanbase and a history of underperforming at the box office. However, unlike that film, this wide eyed adventure of optimism and futurism is not streaming on a major subscription platform in the streaming world. Sure, it’s not a mega hit, but if you can include Fuzzball and Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen on your streaming lineup, then why not Tomorrowland?

Maleficent

Maybe Disney+ is saving its debut of the original Maleficent for when Maleficent: Mistress of Evil makes its way to the streaming side of the world at some point in the next year. But to not have the first film available, in case newbies want to check out whether Angelina Jolie’s reign of storybook terror is for them, is pure evil.

The Planet Of The Apes Trilogy

Looking for the trilogy of films that started with 2011’s Rise of the Planet of the Apes to go to Disney+ seems weird on the outset. And yet, when you look at other Fox titles such as Miracle on 34th Street that now bear the Disney name on them, it seems less weird to expect that the recent trilogy centered around Caesar and his ape friends would be on Disney+.

Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales

On day one, Disney+ is going to have every single Pirates of the Caribbean movie known to humanity. That is, every film except the most recent, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales. While it’s not as vital as the current live-action adaptations have been to the Disney theatrical ecosystem, the presumably final film in this current run belongs with the rest of the bunch.

Disney's The Jungle Book (Live Action)

Now we get to the really interesting movies that won’t be on Disney+ come launch day. With Jon Favreau’s live-action remake of The Jungle Book not being available alongside its animated counterpart, it feels really weird that this film would go missing before the big launch. Without The Jungle Book, there’d be no Favreau-directed version of The Lion King; a movie that this very title could hype the eventual home video release of very easily.

Disney’s Beauty And The Beast (Live Action)

Also missing on the live-action side of the house is Disney’s big live-action remake of Beauty and The Beast. A megahit upon its theatrical release, the film would undoubtedly be one of the most sought after titles on the Disney+ channel. But you’re not going to see this tale as old as time on day one, so you’ll have to fall in love with some other tale of mystical romance when the day comes.

Star Wars: The Last Jedi And Solo

Again, Disney+ is the home for every single Star Wars movie, provided you aren’t looking for Star Wars: The Last Jedi. Yet another title that’s still carrying over from Netflix’s previous agreement with the studio, director Rian Johnson’s controversial film is the only one you’ll have to switch apps for, should you be trying to run an entire Star Wars saga marathon. Well, that and the Ron Howard-directed Solo: A Star Wars Story. However, both those movies will eventually move to Disney+ on a later date.

Incredibles 2

The good news when it comes to Disney+’s Pixar output is that almost all of the legendary titles the computer animation powerhouse has put into the world will be available for your perusal. The bad news is that Incredibles 2 will not be one of them, seeing as it’s still under contract with Netflix. And if you thought any of these omissions have been particularly egregious, just wait until you see our final entry on the list.

A Bunch of MCU Movies

A LOT of the Marvel Cinematic Universe movies, be they on Netflix or not, are going to be unavailable on Disney+ come day one. With almost all of Phase 1’s films, aside from Iron Man, and the entire Captain America trilogy being firm examples of what’s not going to be online come launch day, future MCU marathons are going to need a little bit of work. Especially since Avengers: Endgame will be available on Disney+ as of December, and Avengers: Infinity War might not be.

And before anyone says, “Hey, what about Spider-Man?”, those movies are distributed by Sony, and are handled by their streaming obligations with Starz. At least, that’s what the arrangement is at this moment. So you’ll have to add another subscription service to the mix, should you want to get the full Marvel picture. Presumably that's the same case with The Incredible Hulk, which belongs at Universal.

Right about now, you’re probably wondering what is going to be on Disney+. Well, if you’ve got three hours and change, you can watch the official lineup video that Disney put together that shows off every single launch title available on Day One.

Disney+ is an exciting prospect, which blends a legendary library with a new slate of exciting originals. But with the titles above not joining the party just yet, and plenty more sure to be discovered as time goes on, we wouldn’t blame you if you wanted to hold out a little longer in order to see how the streaming chips fall. We’ll see how extensive Disney+ gets in the future, but for the moment, the titles in the video above will be what’s available come November 12. You can pre-order your subscription here, should you want to be in on the ground floor of what’s to come.

With all the excitement surrounding Marvel, Star Wars and Pixar of late, it’s easy to forget that Disney’s collection of franchises recently got bigger thanks to the purchase of 21st Century Fox. Among the studio’s new acquisitions is the Planet of the Apes film series, and during CinemaCon last month, it was one of the Fox franchises that Disney indicated would continue on post-regime change, although there doesn’t appear to be anything in active development right now.

It’s been over 50 years since the first Planet of the Apes movie was released, and thanks to the reboot trilogy than ran from 2011 to 2017, the franchise has had new life breathed into it. I’m game for Disney delivering a new Planet of the Apes movie and would especially be interested in a remake of the original, but on one condition: it needs to be set in the same continuity as the reboot movies.

Most of you are probably saying right now that we’ve been down this remake road before, and it did not go well. That’s true. In 2001, after over a decade in development hell, Fox finally released a Planet of the Apes remake, which Tim Burton directed and starred folks like Mark Wahlberg, Tim Roth, Helena Bonham Carter and Paul Giamatti. It ended on quite the cliffhanger, and it was abundantly clear that just like the original did, Fox intended for this new Planet of the Apes to spawn sequels.

This Planet of the Apes proved to be a financial success, making over $362 million off a $100 million budget, but it was met with mixed-negative critical reception. Tim Burton declared he’d rather “jump out a window” then work on a sequel, and Fox eventually just shut down plans to continue this iteration of the franchise, paving the way for what would become Rise of the Planet of the Apes.

Disney is certainly within its rights to press the reset button start on the entire Planet of the Apes franchise again, but that would be a mistake. The mythology crafted by Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes and War for the Planet of the Apes is too rich to toss aside, and it actually makes a more direct Planet of the Apes remake sound a lot more interesting than starting from scratch.

Fox was wise to move away from the traditional Apes canon and instead use the most recent Planet of the Apes trilogy to look back on how Earth’s apes became super-intelligent and how humanity was almost wiped out and how the survivors started losing their intelligence. It was an interesting and more ‘realistic’ look at how an ape uprising would occur.

Now that the groundwork has been laid, and Caesar’s story has ended, we’re free to jump forward several centuries to see how ape society has evolved since Caesar led his followers to their promised land. Naturally it’ll look a lot like what was shown in the original Planet of the Apes movie, but naturally there’s also room to take some creative liberties in order to stand out from what’s come before.

If you’re not interested in retreading original Planet of the Apes territory, that’s fine, because Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes and War for the Planet of the Apes work perfectly fine on their own. There’s never a guarantee that origin stories do well, but both critically and commercially, these movies all succeeded, and I’d argue that this Apes trilogy is one of the best movie trilogies of all time.

Of course, there’s also the possibility that Disney would rather have the next Planet of the Apes movie have closer ties to War for the Planet of the Apes, perhaps by following Caesar’s son, Cornelius, as an adult. That would be fine, but in terms in terms of setting and aesthetics, we’ve gotten three movies worth of apes running around on a ‘normal’ Earth. Wouldn’t it be more interesting to instead see how they’re descendants are doing in a civilization that somewhat resembles what humans once lived in?

Think about it: we’re arguably more invested in the apes than ever now that we know their background. We watched over three movies as they rose from common animals to simians with human-level intelligence, and now humans are on their way to becoming as primitive as the apes once were. Now that their ‘origin story’ is out of the way, we can finally move forward and see how the fruits of Caesar’s labor led to the apes flourishing on this new Earth centuries later.

Naturally this paves the way for the original Planet of the Apes story to unfold, albeit with some adjustments to ensure it fits within this reboot continuity properly, such as the newest Cornelius (i.e. the one that Roddy Mcdowell played) being a direct descendant of Caesar. And naturally if Disney delivers a Planet of the Apes remake, that doesn’t have to mark the end of this iteration of the franchise. With all the money that Disney paid for Fox, you can be sure the company’s not going to bring Planet of the Apes back to the big screen for a one-and-done tale.

The key difference, though, for any sequels to follow Disney’s Planet of the Apes remake is that outside of George Taylor coming to the future (Rise of the Planet of the Apes has a news report of the Icarus leaving Earth, and a later newspaper headline reveals the ship was lost), time travel would be incorporated. In the original Planet of the Apes film series, Zira and Cornelius were transported in time to the contemporary United States, and their son, Caesar, ended up the catalyst for the future his parents came from. It was a cyclical timeline!

That doesn’t need to happen in this version of the franchise. The apes became smart through exposure to a viral-based drug, so there’s no reason to go back to this period. Instead, we can focus on more on fleshing out this strange society even more so than the original Planet of the Apes movies did. Rather than eventually nuke the world, which is what happened in Beneath the Planet of the Apes, we can explore a different kind of aftermath from George Taylor’s presence, one that perhaps leads to human and ape relations improving and, over time, Earth returning to something more familiar.

Since Fox will now only be making five to six movies per year under the Disney banner, it remains to be seen when the studio will decide to tackle Planet of the Apes. Whenever that time comes, the studio would be better served piggybacking on what Fox delivered earlier this decade and presenting a Planet of the Apes remake through that lens as opposed to beginning completely anew.

Let us know what you’d like to see next from the Planet of the Apes franchise in the comments below. Stay tuned to CinemaBlend for any updates on what Disney has in store for the Planet of the Apes, and for now, you can learn what movies are hitting theaters later this year in our 2019 release schedule.

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It's been an exciting few months for the world of blockbusters. The Marvel Cinematic Universe and Star Wars franchise have both been delivering consistently for the fans, with actor Andy Serkis able to participate in both franchises. But you'll notice one thing about Serkis his last few times on screen: he just keeps dying. Cinephiles saw Serkis first pass on as Caesar in War for the Planet of the Apes, before being promptly killed off in both Star Wars: The Last Jedi and Black Panther. So what does the actor thing about all his characters dropping like flies? He recently opened up about this process, saying:

Rather than lumping his character deaths together, Andy Serkis revealed that he had a very different experience saying goodbye to each of them. While he was bummed to see Klaw's death in the MCU, his three movies spent living as Caesar in the Planet of the Apes franchise made him a bit more connected to that role.

Andy Serkis' comments to Joblo show how unique each filmmaking experience truly is. This can be said double for Serkis, who does work in both motion capture and live-action. Serkis has been a very busy guy in the past few years, being able to truly transform into each of his franchise roles through his physicality and voice. Plus a whole bunch of CGI.

All the Star Wars fan out there will be especially interested in how cheeky Andy Serkis was in regards to Snoke's fate. Rian Johnson shocked everyone (Serkis included) by killing off Supreme Leader Snoke in The Last Jedi. Fans never learned his origin or backstory, and the presumed big bag of the trilogy was cut in half. This probably wasn't what J.J. Abrams had anticipated when he created the character in The Force Awakens, so he might have plans for the villain now that he's directing Episode IX.

As for Klaw, it look like hit date in the Marvel Cinematic Universe is final. After having a role in Age of Ultron, Serkis popped back up again in Ryan Coogler's Black Panther-- to critical acclaim. Ultimately he was killed by Killmonger, and producer Nate Moore confirmed that he was going to stay that way. Bummer. No one wants to see Caesar come back because of his lovely ending, so smart money says both those characters won't be rising from the dead anytime soon.

As for Andy Serkis, he's directing and voicing Baloo in the upcoming Mowgli movie, based off the character from The Jungle Book. In the meantime, check out our 2018 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

Long before the modern trilogy and Tim Burton's 2001 remake, Roddy McDowall, along with Kim Hunter, was the big star of the Planet of the Apes films. What made his role in the movies particularly special, however, is that he didn't always play the same character. Because of the identity-hiding make-up that was required for his role as an evolved chimpanzee, he was able to play the roles of both Cornelius and Caesar across four movies. It's part of the Planet of the Apes legacy, and according to Andy Serkis, could ultimately be the key for him to return and star in the next chapter of this franchise. Serkis told me,

The more recent Planet of the Apes films, directed by Rupert Wyatt and Matt Reeves, have masterfully used motion capture technology in lieu of make-up when bringing its simians to life, but one continued benefit is that it still totally masks the actor in the role. I had the chance to sit down with Andy Serkis at San Diego Comic-Con this past summer, and when I brought up the Roddy McDowall approach, he confirmed that it is an idea that the franchise has been considering when looking at possibilities for future sequels.

SPOILER WARNING: The rest of this article contains major spoilers for War For The Planet Of The Apes. If you have not yet seen the film, and don't wish to know major details about the ending, please bookmark this page and return after your screening!

Of course, there is a reason why this is now an important subject to discuss. Audiences started on a long journey with Caesar that started with Rise of the Planet of the Apes back in 2011, but the most recent sequel saw his time come to an end. After successfully managing to save his fellow primates from the Colonel (Woody Harrelson), and bring them to the desert where they would make a new home, Caesar died as a proud leader in the final minutes of War For The Planet Of The Apes. It was a terribly sad cinematic moment, but it was also made clear that the character's legacy will live on thanks to his young son, Cornelius. Naturally, it is the role of Cornelius that fans would expect Andy Serkis to play -- a perfect nod to the contributions of Roddy McDowall.

You can watch Andy Serkis talk about his potential return as the star of the Planet of the Apes franchise in the future by clicking play on the video player below!

Those excited to dive back into the world of this special franchise now have that very opportunity, as Matt Reeves' War For The Planet Of The Apes is now available for digital download. And for those of you waiting to pick up a 4K, 3D, Blu-ray or DVD copy of the feature, you'll get your chance when they all hit stores on October 24th.

The intelligent chimpanzee Caesar has been the lead character of all the current Planet of the Apes films so far, but it's been noteworthy that each story has continued to see a dwindling role for humans to play in the larger narrative. It makes one wonder if it's possible that we could eventually see a movie in the canon that features no human characters at all -- and one person who definitely thinks that idea is on the table is franchise star Andy Serkis, who told me the following this past summer:

With War For The Planets Of The Apes still in theaters, I had the opportunity to sit down with Andy Serkis at the Fox Home Entertainment booth at San Diego Comic-Con this summer, and it was while discussing the advancing technology that I asked the actor/producer about the possibility of a human-less Planet Of the Apes story. Serkis agreed that motion-capture filmmaking has definitely gotten to a point where audiences don't necessarily need Homo sapien characters to tell a story, and the focus can entirely be on the CGI creatures.

As noted by Andy Serkis, War For The Planet Of The Apes definitely makes the concept very possible. Not only do ape characters get the bulk of the screentime in the film, but there is even a developing conflict generated in the plot that can be expanded in future stories. The Planet of the Apes franchise has a legacy of chimpanzee vs. gorilla in-fighting that is introduced in the latest Matt Reeves blockbuster, and one could definitely see a future sequel putting that particular battle front and center.

You can watch Andy Serkis talk about the future of the Planet of the Apes franchise and the possibility of a human-less narrative by clicking play on the video below!

For those of you who missed War For The Planet Of The Apes in theaters or are excited for the opportunity to see it again, the good news is that the film is now available for Digital Download purchase. And for those of you patiently waiting for the Blu-ray, you'll be able to pick up a copy when it hits stores on October 24th.

Moviegoing audiences have gotten a double helping of ape-centric action this year thanks to March's Kong: Skull Island and July's War for the Planet of the Apes. While both properties have enjoyed decades of success on the big screen, they've have never crossed over with each other before in the cinematic medium and possibly never will. Fortunately for fans of both franchises, it's just been announced that the original Planet of the Apes mythology will soon share page space with the King Kong lore in an upcoming comic book series from BOOM! Studios.

Written by Ryan Ferrier and illustrated by Carlos Magno, the six-issue miniseries Kong On The Planet Of The Apes will take place after the 1968 Planet of the Apes movie. When Dr. Zaius and General Ursus lead a a group of soldiers into the Forbidden Zone to wipe away any traces of George Taylor's time among the ape society, they stumble upon the body of a Kong. It turns out that in this continuity, Skull Island still exists in the future, so Zaius will lead an expedition (which includes Cornelius and Zira) to this habitat to uncover the truth about this giant gorilla.

While BOOM! Studios' other King Kong comic book series, Kong of Skull Island, explores how there are numerous members of Kong's species roaming around, because Kong On The Planet Of The Apes takes place thousands of years in the future, the Kong that Zaius and the other intelligent apes find on Skull Island will be the last of his kind, who Ryan Ferrier described as "old and weary." Ferrier also detailed to Empire about why it was so appealing to bring these two properties together, saying:

This marks the first time BOOM! Studios has crossed over King Kong with another property, but the old school Planet of the Apes mythos has already crossed over with Tarzan, Star Trek and Green Lantern in recent years. Pairing them with King Kong, though, feels like a match made in heaven. There's no convoluted science fiction explanation required for why this "meeting" is happening, so the intelligent apes can simply travel to Skull Island and learn about an island containing a life form they never knew existed until now.

You can pick up Kong On The Planet Of The Apes' first issue digitally or at your local comic book store this November. And for those of you eager to see King Kong back in theaters, he'll be dealing with a different kind of crossover when he fights Godzilla in Godzilla vs. Kong on May 22, 2020.

Think back to 2001, right after Tim Burton's Planet of the Apes remake tried to modernize the classic series of films for a new audience. We never thought in a million years that it'd actually be attempted again, much less succeed in a non-ironic context. And yet, last weekend marked the closure of a trilogy of Planet of the Apes films that not only modernized the story of damned dirty apes taking over the world, but also managed to act as a successful prequel to the classic adventures. Of course, with War of the Planet of the Apes culminating in a trilogy of films leading to the conquest of humanity, there's one big problem: we're really going to need a reboot to the original film.

Let's start with the practical aspects, because even though we know the 1968 classic exists, it's so disconnected from the films we've just seen in recent years. The apes are no longer villains, nor do they really seem all that interested in enslaving humanity. Now that could come with a couple more prequels developing the idea of rounding up humans, and Apekind becoming more mentally sophisticated. Those tensions could possibly rear their head as more humans are discovered. But even then, that's forgetting the reason why Planet of the Apes worked so well: it was a product of political issues of its time.

Much like this new trilogy that started with Rise of the Planet of the Apes, the original 1968 film was a sci-fi parable that took on the issue of race relations and social superiority. In the case of the new trilogy, there were still shades of the original film's conflict between humans and apes. However, the focus seemed more on jingoism and the hawks of conflict versus those who have cooler heads and ideals. Again, the Planet of the Apes films took on a mind-set that reflected the political fears of the day, and made them hay for the impending battle of the species. So with this new tone struck, there's going to be a lot of ground that could be more effectively covered with a new spin on that very first film.

Of course, even in a cosmetic sense, having Planet of the Apes connecting directly with War for the Planet of the Apes is a little more difficult due to the advances of motion capture and CGI versus the old fashioned makeup and prosthetics that were used in the classic canon. While this isn't meant to rail against practical effects, it is meant to point out that even though the stories might be able to co-exist, the modern approach to War for the Planet of the Apes and its predecessors basically requires a fresh coat of visual paint to continue its story. The look of the series has changed, and it's a good time to re-imagine the future of the Apes in a new context.

Most importantly, the momentum of the newer films is going to necessitate a new plotline for the returning astronauts, as the series has been reinvigorated with a new approach to storytelling. If you change the Apes, you have to change the humans in order to create a seamless experience that tells one big story to its fullest potential. The reboot of Planet of the Apes has worked like gangbusters, and if the franchise wants to continue in such a direction, it's important to update the rest of the timeline to the story and standards that have brought the brand back in the first place.

Having a new future for the Planet of the Apes saga helps continue the storytelling tradition that's been started with the newer films. At the same time, the newer approach would exist to pay tribute to those original films, as there will undoubtedly be aspects, plot points and characters that would cross over from the older films to any new follow-ups that would be proposed. Ultimately, the one key factor that eluded the original sequence of films would be a great asset for the series going forward, as continuity will be restored, with the story proceeding on the best track possible.

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Warning: SPOILERS for War for the Planet of the Apes are ahead!

Recently, War for the Planet of the Apes hit theaters, and it delivered an incredible conclusion to the trilogy that began six years ago. We've watched Caesar grow from an innocent ape who was different from others of his kind to the leader of a revolution that changed the world. During this time we've also watched Earth change into a post-apocalyptic landscape where pockets of humanity are struggling to survive and the intelligent apes are building a new society.

War for the Planet of the Apes not only ended Caesar's story powerfully, but it also paved the way for the next era of Apes movies, if 20th Century Fox decides to continue the series. Before we delve into the seeds planted for the future, let's look at how the movie wrapped up.

How It Ended

War for the Planet of the Apes kept its promise on delivering an explosive, climactic conflict, but it was during this time that Caesar's fate was sealed. While The Colonel's soldiers were dealing with the rival military forces that arrived to execute him, Caesar and Rocket were able to free the other imprisoned apes. However, rather than join his followers in their escape, Caesar went to kill The Colonel to carry out vengeance for his deceased wife and son, but upon discovering that The Colonel had succumbed to the very infection he was determined to stop from spreading, Caesar decided not to pull the trigger. The Colonel, on the other hand, was all too eager to do the deed, as he would have rather died than become a primitive being.

While leaving The Colonel's complex, Caesar discovered that some of The Colonel's men were gunning down his fellow apes. Grabbing a belt of grenades, Caesar attempted to blow up a nearby fuel container to eliminate those soldiers, but he was by shot by a crossbow before he could do so. Fortunately, Caesar was saved from another arrow when Red, the formerly treacherous gorilla, redeemed himself and obliterated Caesar's would-be killer with his grenade launcher. Red was instantly shot, but his sacrifice allowed Caesar to blow up the fuel container, which subsequently destroyed the rest of Alpha Omega and its facility. After cheering at the demise of their enemies, the opposing military forces then turned their attention to the apes, but before they could take any action, an avalanche buried them all. Caesar, his followers and Nova survived by climbing up the nearby trees and avoiding the avalanche's deadly smothering.

With all the human soldiers from both sides dead, Caesar and his tribe (including Nova and Bad Ape) set out on their original objective: to cross the desert and reach the location that Rocket and Blues Eyes discovered. After many weeks of hard travel, they arrived, and it was immediately clear that this would be a great home for the apes. Unfortunately, the arrow wound that Caesar received at the Alpha Omega facility was worse than it looked, and like Moses, Caesar would not get to live in the Promised Land. As Caesar succumbed to his injury, his longtime friend and adviser, Maurice, promised him that Cornelius would know who his father was and what he stood for. Content with this assurance, Caesar died, and his tribe must now face what's to come without him guiding them.

Now that we've gone over War for the Planet of the Apes' ending, let's look at the seeds the movie planted for the future.

Bad Ape

The super intelligent apes we've followed along with up until War for the Planet of the Apes all either came from the primate sanctuary where Caesar temporarily stayed, Gen-Sys or the San Francisco Zoo. But when the Simian Flu spread across the world and killed most of humanity, other apes became smart as well. That was shown through Bad Ape, who previously lived at the Sierra Zoo. Bad Ape learned to speak English by listening to humans, but because he lived on his own for more than a decade, his eccentric personality was a sharp contrast to the disciplined members of Caesar's tribe. Bad Ape represents the other apes across the United States and elsewhere in the globe who are just as smart as humans, but haven't benefitted from Caesar's leadership. Even though Caesar's followers have found a new home, they may want to keep exploring the U.S., and when they do, they'll likely run into other apes who've been surviving on their own. However, just like it is with humans, there's no guarantee that these apes will get along, and there may come a time when Caesar's tribe will have to wage war with a different ape tribe.

The Devolving Humans

The Simian Flu killed off most of humanity, and unfortunately, those who survived must now deal the virus' mutation, which renders humans mute and devolving them into primitives. Nova was the best example of this; she wasn't able to speak, although her intelligence didn't appear to be affected, as she quickly learned sign language to communicate with Maurice. Nevertheless, these side effects are spreading, and if we look at the original Planet of the Apes movie as the endgame, then eventually all of humanity's descendants will turn into primitives, much like apes were before Gen-Sys inadvertently changed everythig. For the apes to rise and become the superior species, humanity needed to fall and become simple beasts.

The Franchise's Future

Caesar's arc is complete, but that doesn't mean the Planet of the Apes reboot series has to end. Both Matt Reeves and Andy Serkis have expressed interest in seeing the franchise continue, and a fourth movie has been in development since last fall. So where can we go from here? Well, one option is to jump forward a decade or two and follow along with Caesar's son, Cornelius. If that happens, it would be excellent if Andy Serkis could play him, too, serving as an homage to Roddy McDowall, who played both Cornelius and Caesar in the original Planet of the Apes movies. We could watch the adult Cornelius try to live up to his father's legacy as he defends his people from a rival ape colony (let's skip another conflict with humans).

However, if the fourth Planet of the Apes reboot movie is looking to distinguish itself from its predecessors, the best course of action would be to jump forward even further in time, i.e. a couple centuries or even a millennium, where Caesar is now revered as a legend and possibly even worshipped. That would give audiences apes closer to the ones seen in the original Planet of the Apes, i.e. wearing clothes, living in buildings, maintaining a government, etc. It's also worth noting that while Caesar's tribe is now living in the closest thing they have to paradise, it's unclear exactly where their new home is located. If it is somewhere in the Midwest, since the apes in the original Planet of the Apes lived on the East Coast, perhaps the fourth movie could show the society that descended from Caesar's tribe being forced to leave and find a new home, eventually establishing the classic Ape City and paving the way for the legend of the Forbidden Zone(s).

Finally, there's always the possibility that somewhere down the line, Planet of the Apes will be remade. Tim Burton tried doing that in 2001 and it didn't go well, but the advantage this series has is that it wouldn't be a direct remake, as the history of the apes seizing the Earth in this continuity is much different than it was in the previous series. Let's also not forget that in Rise of the Planet of the Apes, news reports showed that the Icarus spaceship was launched and soon disappeared, so George Taylor and his crew are primed to accidentally travel to the future and discover an Earth more alien than it is familiar. Most importantly, though, is that because audiences have watched Earth become a planet of apes over the past three movies, they'll arguably more emotionally invested in seeing a different kind of Planet of the Apes adaptation. We've watched how one civilization fell and another one rose just over a decade, and now we can see how things have changed thousands of years later.