MovieChat Forums > Conquest of the Planet of the Apes (1972) Discussion > Are the apes supposed to be a different ...

Are the apes supposed to be a different species ?

posted 8 years ago by MyDarkStar
7 replies | jump to latest

I've never understood if the apes were supposed to be viewed as intelligent apes or an evolved version of apes. They obviously don't look like the typical apes/chimpanzees you'd see in a jungle, but are we as the viewers supposed to just ignore that and view them as though they look exactly like chimps ?

The reason I ask is because in this movie it is said that all of these apes came from humans breeding apes. So, if they were created by humans then I'm assuming we are supposed to view them as though they look just like chimps - and not some kind of hybrid chimp/human...?

[–] Fletcherj119 8 years ago

They're supposed to be normal-looking apes. But of course they're played by humans, so a suspension of disbelief is required so as not to question why they're larger than real apes.

[–] MyDarkStar 8 years ago

Ok, thanks.

[–] JamesA-1102 8 years ago

The reason I ask is because in this movie it is said that all of these apes came from humans breeding apes. So, if they were created by humans then I'm assuming we are supposed to view them as though they look just like chimps - and not some kind of hybrid chimp/human...?

They are not a hybrid but apes that were bred by humans to be taller and more intelligent.

[–] MyDarkStar 8 years ago

It would have made so much more sense if they had mentioned some kind of genetic engineering as a way to explain how the humans managed to advance a species so dramatically in just 20yrs.

It also would have been better if they hadn't made a connection between the humans breeding apes and some kind of dog/cat plague. It's pretty stupid to essentially say that all of the ape breeding came along because humans needed new pets.

[–] JamesA-1102 8 years ago

would have made so much more sense if they had mentioned some kind of genetic engineering as a way to explain how the humans managed to advance a species so dramatically in just 20yrs.

Probably, but genetic engineering was in its infancy back then and not many people knew about it.

[–] MyDarkStar 8 years ago

True, but it's not like it was completely unknown. I think Asimov might have even written about it in Foundation.

I mean, hell if you're gonna write a script do a little bit of research. Don't just say humans needed new doggies and cats so they raised apes.

[–] andrewwjohnson 8 years ago

Unlike the recent reboot with it's motion capture computer generated apes all they had, in 1972, were ape suites sized to normal human actors.

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