Roddy McDowall and Kim Hunter land in present-day California after surviving the catastrophe at the end of Beneath the Planet of the Apes in this third film in the series. It's very much a movie of two halves, the first being an amusing collection of observations on modern life, as seen through the eyes of the more advanced apes. The second half is much darker, with the arrogant and fearful humans being driven to unspeakable cruelty to protect their future. An intelligent script, unassuming direction and solid performances add up to a fine film.

The world is shocked by the appearance of three talking chimpanzees, who arrived mysteriously in a spacecraft. Intrigued by their intelligence, humans use them for research - until the apes attempt to escape.