BACK TO THE PLANET OF THE APES is the first of the cut 'n' paste TV movies from the early 1980s, each of which stapled together two episodes of the unsuccessful '70s TV series PLANET OF THE APES. As usual, these are low rent affairs that don't really work as two movies, because the episodes are self-contained and joining them together feels like an artificial experience.
The first half of this movie is the better of the two, mainly because it's the pilot episode so it sets up the plot for the rest of the story. It's the usual stuff - pilots crash land on the titular planet are imprisoned by the apes - a weak retread of the famous film, no less, but it's okay. It doesn't help that the production values are low and the performances worse. The second half of the film is a dull human/ape bonding story that'll have you reaching for the remote. All in all it's not very good, but four more pasted TV movies would follow.
The first half of this movie is the better of the two, mainly because it's the pilot episode so it sets up the plot for the rest of the story. It's the usual stuff - pilots crash land on the titular planet are imprisoned by the apes - a weak retread of the famous film, no less, but it's okay. It doesn't help that the production values are low and the performances worse. The second half of the film is a dull human/ape bonding story that'll have you reaching for the remote. All in all it's not very good, but four more pasted TV movies would follow.