Escape from the Planet of the Apes
Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation | Release Date: May 21, 1971 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
69
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 9 Critic Reviews
Positive:
5
Mixed:
4
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
91
IndieWireStaff (Not Credited)
Escape from Planet of the Apes is, in fact, a superior film in many ways to the first, but is lacking that film’s freshness and originality. Still: an undeniable high watermark for the franchise. Read full review
91
The A.V. ClubKeith Phipps
Escape From The Planet Of The Apes gets the series back on track, sending three apes back to the 20th century for a story that begins comically and ends in fear and loathing. Read full review
90
VarietyStaff (Not Credited)
Escape from the Planet of the Apes is an excellent film, almost as good as the original Planet of the Apes. Arthur Jacobs’ production is marked by an outstanding script, using some of the original Pierre Boulle novel characters; excellent direction by Don Taylor; and superior performances from a cast headed by encoring Roddy McDowall and Kim Hunter. Read full review
80
The New York TimesRoger Greenspun
Nobody is going to believe it, but I must say anyway that Don Taylor's Escape From the Planet of the Apes is one of the better new movies in town, and better in a genre—science-fiction—that at the crucial middle level where the history of movies is made, if not written, has recently been not so much bad as invisible. Read full review
80
IGNChris Tilly
McDowell is as good as ever here – this time playing Cornelius – while Kim Hunter is hugely sympathetic as Zira. Read full review
60
TV Guide MagazineStaff (Not Credited)
Former actor Don Taylor directs smoothly and efficiently and elicits fine performances from the cast, highlighted by the warm relationship between Zira, (a touching Kim Hunter) and Cornelius, knowingly played by Roddy McDowall, who returns in the role after being replaced in the first sequel because he was directing a movie (TAM-LIN) at the time. Read full review
60
EmpireSam Toy
With the potency of the central idea diminishing, Escape still manages the tricky move of carrying on a story that really should have ended with the last film, while setting up the series' mythology and paving the way for future chapters. But it's still a dilution. Read full review
60
The New Yorker
The utterance of the three gentle chimpanzees in Escape from the Planet of the Apes tends to blow you out of the cinema seat, not so much because they can talk as because they all speak the same language. Read full review
40
Time Out LondonStaff (Not Credited)
It's a long way down from even the second in the series. Read full review
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