Planet Of The Apes Twist Ending Changed Science Fiction Movies Forever Essay
Max: So Zara’s writing this one because we’ve been arguing about twist endings forever and never agree on any answers.
Quinn: Most of them suck.
Zara: Some of the best movies revolve around them.
Max: Prove it.
Zara: Planet of the Apes is the perfect twist.
Planet of the Apes has one of the best twist endings in sci-fi movies. Not only does it give you a surprise reveal about where the characters actually are (Hint: It’s not where they think it is! ), but also encapsulates everything the story shows you about humanity’s legacy on Earth, the cyclical nature of societies, and our relationship with the planet we inhabit. Planet of the Apes challenges your perspective on what you just saw.
The movie came out in 1968 (Britannica), at the height of the Cold War, during the civil rights era, and just as earth’s environment was starting to become a concern for the world. Everything about this movie, from its stunning visuals to its cultural commentary on what people in the 1960s thought was the future of Earth, speaks to one major event: fear of nuclear war. Franklin J. Schaffner took Pierre Boulle’s novel and transported it to the big screen with a cultural icon that still shows up in movies, TV shows, memes, and artwork to this day. The picture of the Statue of Liberty that Taylor finds at the end is truly unforgettable.
| Director | Franklin J. Schaffner |
| Year Released | 1968 (Britannica) |
| Genre | Science Fiction Adventure |
| Runtime | 1h 52m (IMDb) |
| Critical Reception | 86% Critics (Rotten Tomatoes) 3.5/4 (Roger Ebert) |
| Our Rating | 9/10 |
That ending earned its spot on our list of best 1960’s sci-fi films. Storytelling, cinematography, and a legitimately great twist made people see this movie over and over again. Even now, we watch it and think about how everything went into making this a mystery about Earth’s future.
Why The Twist Works
Spoilers for Planet of the Apes follow.
It’s not a twist ending because the character is on Earth the whole time. It’s a twist ending because you realise everything you watched was actually a commentary on Earth. We follow this man through this strange world and learn about how society falls in cycles, how we as humans treat our planet, and how we treat “inferior” life forms. When you find out we are actually on Earth, everything you watched takes on new meaning.
Taylor is upset that apes are keeping humans as pets and experimenting on them. What you don’t know until the end is that humans actually did this to animals. He’s confused why they treat chimpanzees like they’re superior to him when, well, doesn’t he do that to other people?
Look at the layout of the story. Taylor starts off skeptical of his crew. He leaves the spaceship cynical and bitter. When he looks back and sees that they blew up the planet, he doesn’t seem surprised. He’s walking down a deserted path, unfazed that the home he knew is gone. Through his journey, he witnesses how humans were replaced by apes and how unethical we can truly be.
The movie had to plan out every detail correctly in order to surprise you. If Taylor stumbled upon a Tesla in the middle of the movie or if any of the aliens looked remotely human, you’d be let out of the twist. Everything they found could’ve been from another planet. The “ruins of the civilization” that Taylor visits are never fully shown. When Taylor first discovers a human skull, the ape he’s with explains that they found humans like this before and they used to be superior. Human skulls, anyone?
Now compare that to everythng we know about Earth. If the movie started on Earth, showed us modern day ruins, and human artifacts, you’d know where you were the whole time. Every clue they revealed during the film could be interpreted as proof that they were on Earth or another planet. They hid what we know are human artifacts in plain sight the entire movie and by the time they revealed where they actually were, you had no choice but to be amazed by the surprise twist.
All too often, movies use twist endings to either mess with your mind or to jerk you around. While at the time this movie came out people were surprised you were actually on Earth, the twist doesn’t just come out of nowhere. Sure, you find out you’re actually on Earth throughout the whole movie. But it redefines what you watched.
Tipsy Takeout References Planet of The Apes A Lot
Watch until 1: 02 to see how strong they geek out over Planet of the Apes.
Planet of the Apes taps into the fear we have about our own extinction. It wants you to look at society and ask yourself: are we actually that different from animals? It shows you how we treat life and then turns the table on us. The twist ruins you.
Planet of the Apes came out at a time when fear was spreading through the world. A lot of what we see in this movie reflected what people thought about Earth’s future.
Racism was prominent. What happened to African American people wasn’t too far off from what happened to humans in the film. Sure, apes kept them as pets and did medical testing on them, but we put slaves on ships and shipped them to another country. Every opportunity an ape got to say that humans were inferior to them was our history screaming at the screen.
We were afraid of nuclear war. Our world could’ve looked like the planet of the apes if we kept bombing each other. Every time those apes shouted at Taylor about how we destroyed ourselves, audiences thought about World War II and all of the nuclear bombs we drops since then.
Climate change was a thing. It’s no coincidence that Taylor first finds out he’s on Earth because he discovered the remains of a city buried in sand. Everything was buried. Birds were mutated and killed by the sun. Animals were all deceased. We screwed up our planet so bad we created an apocalypse movie without trying.
The Movie Holds Up Today
Critics Score: Planet of the Apes is 88% audience-approved on Rotten Tomatoes.
I don’t want to spoil too much, but the movie was political back then and it’s still political today.
The visual effects in this movie are groundbreaking, even today. John Chambers did an amazing job at making these apes look like actual apes but with intellect. Every character from the leader Alfred to Zira and Cornelius had their own personality. You could feel their battle over what to do with Taylor and it’s because of the amazing makeup.
Story wise, they did an amazing job at tricking you into thinking you were somewhere you knew. Every piece of technology they used was sleek and modern, but not too futuristic. They threw in jeep’s and airplanes to make you think this place was highly advanced, but you never saw computers or machines we would only find in a sci-fi movie. Their “spaceship” looked old and damaged so you thought they were space pioneers rather than time travelers.
Let’s talk about that picture at the end for a second. They don’t show you it right away, and it takes you a second to understand what you’re seeing in the desert. Everything they found was old and buried. When the camera scanned the human skull we saw a couple scratches that looked like writing. They found this massive rock that looked like a person, but couldn’t make out any details.
That final shot of Taylor staring at a ruined Statue of Liberty is one you’ll never forget.
Planet of the Apes was one of the first films to make you question what it means to be human. The movie made you think about society and how it grows, it made you wonder about our relationship with nature, and how we view life as a whole. The movie was bigger than just sticking it to the man. It educated you about our fears through one film.
Images References:
Cover photo by Tuomas Lehtinen on Unsplash
The Spaceship Photo by Timothy Eberly on Unsplash
Cars Photo by Joshua Sortino on Unsplash
Conclusion
Planet of the Apes will forever hold a special place in movie history, but also in our hearts. This was sci-fi movie done right. There was a great story, amazing visuals, and strong societal commentary. It taught us how to use twist endings to amp up your story. If you haven’t seen Planet of the Apes since you were younger, go watch it. If you’ve already seen it multiple times, go watch it again. You’ll thank me later.
Planet of the Apes had the best twist because it didn’t have a twist because of what we discovered during the film. Not once did they break the factor that we were actually on Earth way before Taylor got there. They spent 1 hour and 52 minutes teasing you that this was Earth without you noticing it.
Planet of the Apes showed you how powerful commentary could be in film. We watch movies to escape real life. What Planet of the Apes did was force you to look at society and ask yourself:
“If we’re not careful, will we end up like the apes?”
Film Critics Score: Planet of the Apes currently holds an 8.0/10 on IMDb.
Sources
IMDb – https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0063442/
Rotten Tomatoes – https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/planet_of_the_apes
Britannica – https://www.britannica.com/topic/Planet-of-the-Apes
The Numbers – https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Planet-of-the-Apes
Roger Ebert – https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/planet-of-the-apes-1968
Zara Valen is Dystopian Lens’s forward-thinking voice, exploring the intersection of sci-fi and emerging technologies. With a passion for cyberpunk, AI themes, and speculative fiction, Zara dives into how the future is portrayed in media and what it means for our real-world technological advancements. She’s always on the cutting edge, combining sleek, tech-driven writing with deep insights into AI, VR, and robotics. Whether analyzing how sci-fi predicts future trends or offering bold speculations, Zara brings a futuristic, analytical lens to every article, making her the go-to for readers looking for a glimpse into tomorrow’s tech-driven worlds.