POTA Impressions

Planet of the Apes is allegory at its finest. Written six years before the first moon landing with the movie appearing one year before (as with Kubrick's 2001) astronauts walked on our nearest lunar satellite. Planet of the Apes is science fiction rooted in exploring abstract unknowns, yet probably more believable than much of the genre before it. Both Boulle and the filmmakers struck a chord with a wide audience, by merging social critique and entertainment. Much like Alice, the astronauts travel through the proverbial rabbit hole to arrive at "distant" planet much like our own. What ensues it almost an absurdist satire of modern times and a reflection on the brutality of human nature (the apes acting as modern man). We learn through Ulysses/Taylor that this ape society is eerily similar to our own both in technological advancement and politics. Although, it is important to note that the use of language is drastically different in the novel from the film, the protagonist nonetheless finds a way to communicate with the apes and convince them (by speech in the book, by force in the film) that he comes from a race superior to the apes. I thoroughly enjoyed the book and the film and believe that both are extremely strong examples of a modern fable. Boulle does not dwell on sentiment or force ethical messages onto the reader, he does however give the reader titillating passages that entertain and question what we accept in our own society. Literature and film can be transcendent art forms that make lasting impressions on our collective psyche and Planet of the Apes is no exception.