The 1968 science fiction film Planet of the Apes portrayed a world turned upside down, in which apes are the masters and humans are treated like animals. The movie's exceptional makeup effects and memorable performances made it a box-office smash that inspired numerous sequels and spin-offs, including a 2001 remake.

Based on a novel by French author Pierre Boulle (1912–1994), Planet of the Apes starred Charlton Heston (1924–) as George Taylor, the leader of a crew of futuristic astronauts. When their ship crash-lands on a planet in the distant future, Taylor is captured by talking apes, imprisoned, and threatened with medical experimentation. With the help of some sympathetic chimps, he escapes the clutches of the evil Dr. Zaius and takes off into the desert "Forbidden Zone," where he learns that he is not on an alien world at all, but merely on the Earth of the...