The famous and classic 1968 sci-fi movie Planet of the Apes was based on a novel by French author Pierre Boulle from 1963. It started a franchise that lasted through the first half of the 1970s and included four more movies, tie-in books, a live-action TV series, and even an animated movie. People were excited about this world war between humans and clever humanoid apes, which also touched on social problems like racism, animal cruelty, and the Cold War. Some of the best sci-fi movies ever are made with it.
It would be thirty years before there was a reboot, but Tim Burton’s 2001 remake of the first movie wasn’t enough to bring the series back to life. Up until Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011), a reboot prequel, 20th Century Fox would not have another hit movie. This time, they would have a full new series.
Is it now possible to go on a full trip through time? We can’t promise that, but we will do our best. This disturbing story about humans being replaced by a new species that evolves quickly and having to deal with servitude and subjugation is worth seeing, so let’s look at how to watch the Planet of the Apes movies in order. When you’re done with this, don’t forget to read our full description of the Planet of the Apes movies in order!
How Many Movies Are in the Planet of the Apes Franchise?
The Planet of the Apes world has been the setting for ten movies, starting with the 1968 original and its four sequels. With the reboot in 2001, there are now ten. The four prequels, which show how the world fell to the apes, make up the last five.
The Planet of the Apes Movies in Order:
But there is one catch: the three prequels that came out in the last ten years or so have nothing to do with the base line of movies. They show a completely new timeline, likely with a different future than the one that Charlton Heston’s character, an astronaut, finds in the 1968 movie. It’s still fine to watch them first, though…
1. Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011)
In the 1980s, motion capture technology and digital characters were very popular. This meant that the Planet of the Apes series could move beyond real makeup and into a new area of special effects that would let the lead Apes show more feeling in their acting. Andy Serkis, who plays Gollum, gave Caesar, a monkey whose intelligence is raised by science, some of his extraordinary skills. Caesar becomes the main character of a flashback story about the start of the end for humans. As the story takes place in “present day,” Rise of the Planet of the Apes stars James Franco, John Lithgow, Brian Cox, and Freida Pinto. It sets the stage for a war that will affect the whole world.
2. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014)
Matt Reeves, who directed The Batman, will direct the next two movies in the prequels. The first is the great Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, which brings back Andy Serkis’s character Caesar years after the Simian Flu killed most of the people on Earth and the intelligent Apes set up a colony near San Francisco. This movie stars Jason Clarke, Gary Oldman, Keri Russell, and Toby Kebbell. It’s about the first peace talks and truces that go horribly wrong because both sides are dishonest.
3. War for the Planet of the Apes (2017)
In Matt Reeves’ War for the Planet of the Apes, the fight between humans and apes has reached a point of no return. Andy Serkis’ Caesar is out to get revenge for the people he has killed. Woody Harrelson and Steve Zahn join the cast of this critically acclaimed conclusion to the Caesar Trilogy. It was supposed to end at the doorstep of Planet of the Apes (in a way, since these are reboot prequels), but it made a lot of money and, well, Hollywood rules say there has to be a follow-up.
4. Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes
The movie Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes will be in cinemas on May 8, 2024. It seems like the new movie picks up where the last one left off, but it actually happens 300 years after War for the Planet of the Apes. At this point in the story, the apes have completely taken over, and people and their technology are a thing of the past.
5. Planet of the Apes (1968)
Planet of the Apes, starring Charlton Heston as an astronaut named George Taylor who gets lost and wakes up on a planet inhabited by ape-like people with human intelligence, is a classic sci-fi movie with one of the best twist ends in movie history. An unexpected turn thanks to Rod Serling, the master of “gotcha!” ends who turned the original book into a movie and added his own unique brand of shock and awe.
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6. Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970)
Beneath the Planet of the Apes, which came out in 1970 and starred James Franciscus as a different scientist named Brent who is sent on a journey to find Taylor, had Charlton Heston come back for a short time. Brent has to stay alive in this new, dangerous world while also stopping the doomsday bomb from destroying everything. He does this by finding a secret group of psychic humans who worship an old nuclear weapon. A good, if crazy, follow-up.
7. Escape From the Planet of the Apes (1971)
In an exciting bit of time travel chaos, Cornelius (Roddy McDowall), Zira (Kim Hunter), and Dr. Milo (Sal Mineo) escape what happened in the last movie and end up on Earth in 1973, where they face the worst of humanity’s abuse. Because it blends light and dark until it gets really dark, Escape From the Planet of the Apes is more emotional and character-driven than the movies that came before it.
8. Conquest of the Planet of the Apes (1972)
In Conquest of the Planet of the Apes, Roddy McDowall returns to the franchise but this time plays Caesar, the intelligent son of Cornelius and Zira who wants to lead a rebellion against humans after a pandemic turns people into fascist slave owners. Yes, the reboot prequels were mostly about Caesar. People have different ideas about whether we’re in a different world or the same one that George Taylor was in when he crashed into the future in Planet of the Apes. No matter what, a lot of people still die in Conquest because of the full ape revolt, and humanity is on the verge of falling apart.
9. Battle for the Planet of the Apes (1973)
In the last movie that follows the first one, Caesar (Douglas Booth) tries to keep the peace between humans and apes again after the humans have been beaten. However, there are protests, and the message is made clear: power corrupts everyone in charge, whether they are human or not. While Battle for the Planet of the Apes was billed as “The Final Chapter,” both reviewers and fans didn’t like it. However, it did wrap up the sci-fi story that had begun five years before.
10. Planet of the Apes (2001)
You can watch Tim Burton’s version of Planet of the Apes whenever you want, but we suggest you watch the 1968 original first. In this movie, Mark Wahlberg plays a pilot who gets lost, and Tim Roth, Helena Bonham Carter, Michael Clarke Duncan, and Paul Giamatti play apes. The story is like the first movies, but the personalities are different, and the ending isn’t quite as simple as it used to be.
A Complete Guide to Watching the Original Planet of the Apes Movies in Order:
- Planet of the Apes (1968)
- Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970)
- Escape From the Planet of the Apes (1971)
- Conquest of the Planet of the Apes (1972)
- Battle for the Planet of the Apes (1973)
Viewing Guide – Planet of the Apes Movies in Release Order:
If you want to watch all the planet of the Apes movies in order they came out in theaters, this is the right list:
- Planet of the Apes (1968)
- Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970)
- Escape From the 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 Reboot (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)
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