Clearly a labor of love, POAR is jam packed with interesting interviews and interesting tidbits about the production of the first classic film and the well made sequels. This fine book corrects a lot of "myths" about the films (such as the fact that screenwriter Michael Wilson came up with the "hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil" scene and the fact that Rod Serling's original screenplay was a mess)and reminds us how groundbreaking this first science fiction film series was.

Although memories occasinally differ as to who did what (most notably about the twist ending of the first film. There has been some debate as to who came up with it although it clearly has Serling's fingerprints all over it),the authors have put together a terrific volume that works both as film history and puts the films in their historical perspective. Sure they're all entertaining (some to a lesser degree than others) but the first film (and to a lesser extent the sequels)works both as allegory and social satire in the tradition of Swift's Gulliver's Travels.

The book is stocked with rare photos (including a series of stunning photos from Lydia Heston's private collection)and great interviews. If you're an Apes fan this terrific book is a perfect companion to the DVD re-release of the films (and the making of documentary that aired on cable a couple of years ago). My only complaint is I would have liked to see a bit more of the Apes memorabilia reproduced perhaps even in a separate section.

What's surprising is the impact these films have had over the past 30 years. Although some of the participants would go on to bigger things (director Schaffner's classic Patton and Serling's stint as creator/host/writer on the uneven Night Gallery series), none of their efforts has had the impact of this fine series of films. Although it's taken over 15 years to for this fine book to finally see the light of day it was well worth the wait!

Planet of the Apes revisited is a must for all fans of the classic film series. From the Introduction by Charleton Heston, right through to the final chapter on Tim Burton's "re-Imagining", the Authors manage to answer every question you could possibly have about the Ape Movies, TV series, and Cartoon series. This book was over 15 years in the making, so the Authors were able to interview just about everyone associated with the films, from the Stars to the Crew. Kim Hunter & the late Roddy McDowell provide great anecdotes, and the struggle of the late Arthur P. Jacobs (Producer of the original Series of Films) to get a Studio to MAKE the Movies is exhaustively documented.

Two small problems: 1)- Many of the pictures in the book aren't captioned, so you aren't sure who or what you're looking at; and 2)- The Authors briefly mention the Ape Comic Books, by Marvel and Malibu. I would have liked to see a chapter covering these books, as well as a chapter (or Two...), about other Ape ancillary products.

Ape fans will love this book, and when you're done reading it, you'll watch the Movies with a new appreciation.

This is one of those books you can open at any page and start reading and find something interesting about the Ape Saga that you didn't know before. The writer gives tons of background info on each movie, the TV series, and the cartoon series, and there are lots of great photos.