← Back to Directory
Planet of the Apes
Movie

Planet of the Apes

1968 • Adventure, Sci-Fi

Woke Score
6
out of 10

Plot

Taylor and two other astronauts come out of deep hibernation to find that their ship has crashed. Escaping with little more than clothes they find that they have landed on a planet where men are pre-lingual and uncivilized while apes have learned speech and technology. Taylor is captured and taken to the city of the apes after damaging his throat so that he is silent and cannot communicate with the apes.

Overall Series Review

The film follows astronaut Taylor, a self-described misanthrope, after his ship crashes on a planet ruled by highly intelligent, civilized apes. He and the remaining humans are quickly captured and reduced to the status of pre-lingual, caged animals. The apes operate a rigid caste system: Gorillas are the military enforcers, Orangutans are the governing, conservative religious leaders, and Chimpanzees are the liberal scientists and intellectuals. Taylor, temporarily rendered mute, must fight to prove his intelligence to avoid being experimented upon, castrated, or killed. The narrative pits scientific inquiry, championed by the Chimpanzee characters Zira and Cornelius, against the dogmatic, theocratic rule of the Orangeutan Minister of Science and Defender of the Faith, Dr. Zaius. The story explores themes of prejudice, institutional power, and the historical self-destructive nature of humanity. The core conflict is a mirror placed before the viewer, forcing an examination of the cruelty and illogical nature of a species-based hierarchy. The film contains scenes of intense dehumanization and institutional suppression of truth.

Categorical Breakdown

Identity Politics7/10

The core plot is a direct allegory for systemic oppression and prejudice, where the white male protagonist is violently reduced to a sub-human slave based entirely on his immutable characteristic (species). This structure aligns with the 10/10 definition’s focus on narrative existence for lecturing on systemic oppression, but the critique is framed through a species-based role reversal rather than an explicit vilification of whiteness. The narrative’s focus is on the mechanism of hierarchy and prejudice itself, as the dominant ape society is shown to suppress the subjugated humans.

Oikophobia10/10

The entire premise rests on the ultimate self-destruction of human civilization, which the protagonist vehemently condemns in the final scene. This outcome serves as a total deconstruction and demonization of the ancestors and their 'home culture' for its violence and hubris. The final images literally show the ultimate ruin of a great Western monument, explicitly framing human heritage as self-annihilating and fundamentally corrupt.

Feminism3/10

The primitive human female, Nova, is a mute, submissive, and objectified companion to the male protagonist, which aligns with anti-feminist tropes of the era. However, the primary intellectual female character, the chimpanzee scientist Dr. Zira, is portrayed as highly intelligent, strong-willed, and an equal partner to her male peer, Cornelius, undermining the 'men are bumbling idiots' trope. The film avoids the 'Girl Boss' trope entirely, and the anti-natalist comments are marginal in the plot, resulting in a score closer to the middle-low range.

LGBTQ+1/10

The narrative adheres to the traditional male-female pairing as the standard for both ape and human characters. There is no presence of alternative sexualities, centering of sexual identity as a primary trait, deconstruction of the nuclear family, or lecturing on gender theory. Sexuality remains a private aspect of the character pairings that drives no significant political conflict.

Anti-Theism9/10

The main antagonist is the orangutan Dr. Zaius, who serves as both the Minister of Science and the Defender of the Faith. This character uses religious scripture and dogma (the 'Sacred Scrolls') to justify authoritarian rule and suppress scientific discovery, particularly historical truths about humanity. Traditional religion is explicitly portrayed as a tool of political manipulation and the root of institutional ignorance, fitting directly into the 10/10 definition of traditional religion being the root of evil, even though it is a fictional ape religion that parodies human faith.