Planet of the Apes: The Complete History

by Sean Egan

Planet of the Apes was a concept that started life in 1963 as a quirky work by French literary novelist Pierre (The Bridge on the River Kwai) Boulle. His concept of a world where humans are ruled over by apes proceeded to become one of the biggest multi-media sensations in history.

The 1968 Charlton Heston motion-picture adaptation of Boulle's book was celebrated and successful but was just the beginning. By 1973, said picture had spawned four sequels. It then spun off a live-action TV series, which in turn spun off the animated TV show Return to the Planet of the Apes. What with this, comic books, novelizations, and a tsunami of merchandising, the late sixties and first half of the seventies had a distinctly simian flavor. A new generation was introduced to the concept when, in 2001, Tim Burton's updating of the series appeared in cinemas. This itself was rebooted a decade later in the form of Rise of the Planet of the Apes and its two sequels. Despite all the fantasy (and money-chasing), however, the series has always been marked by thoughtfulness, exploring serious themes alien to most franchises.

Planet of the Apes explores every aspect of this media phenomenon---from books to films to comic books to television shows to video games to merchandise---to provide an overview of Planet of the Apes that is truly definitive. With the help of new and exclusive interviews, it examines the contributions of producers, directors, writers, actors, and makeup artists in an attempt to gain an understanding of how this media property has changed the world.

Genres: Media Tie In, Nonfiction

320 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 2021

About the author

A freelance journalist, author and editor who writes about arts and entertainment (music, film, TV, comics and literature), social history (20th and 21st centuries) and sport (soccer and tennis history).

Reviews

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher Rowan & Littlefield for an advanced copy of this new behind the scenes movie collection.

When I was in school, one of the highlights of the year was Ape Week, which was actually two weeks, which showed instead of the usual boring 4:00 O'Clock movies on WABC, two weeks of Planet of the Apes movies and televisions shows. This and Monster Week, all Godzilla for a week, were as eagerly awaited as Christmas.
So I bring a large bias to Sean Egan's Planet of the Apes: The Complete History book. I love the movies, the show and cartoons, and many of the comics, I had no idea there were so many comics until I read this book. The remakes might grow on me, but Ape Week made me a classic fan for life.

The book does not disappoint. Mr. Egan starts with the original novel, the creation and sale to the studios. From there he covers every form the Apes franchise as gone into movies, television, toys, books even computer games. The book is very interesting with many new facts and stories that I have not seen and was unfamiliar with, especially on the costuming and makeup. Mr's Egan's writing is very readable, never bogging down whether he is discussing rights issues, or comics issues, or the long drought between movies. There is a tremendous amount of information and research and Mr. Egan presents it very well and in a very engaging way.

Reading this brought me back to Ape Week and I enjoyed that. I learned a lot of new things about Planet of the Apes I found his summations for the new movies very intriguing. A great gift for Ape fans both old and new, and also a good read for people interested in the growth of merchandising in film history.

[Sergey Geller · Rating 3 out of 5]

Its a well rounded book if you're new to the Planet of the Apes franchise and would like to become familiar with its origins and longevity. I knew most of the stuff covered here, being a massive fan of the series, owning 80% of the comics, having seen every movie and tv series, and even owning a few collectors items and games. Still interesting to see how many people were attached, what was going through the minds of the actors and kind of crazy how many big time directors almost helmed an apes film before Burton took it, during that quarter century coma of the series. I wasnt the biggest fan of the writing in this book. It didnt need to recap every movie and the writing style itself felt like something you would read in a magazine rather than a well structured book.

[John Schorg · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you are looking for an overview of the entire franchise, here you go. The author's reviews of all the films are the best part of the book, especially since he points out the flaws he sees and doesn't take the approach that every Planet of the Apes film is genius. The sections of the book that deal with merchandise, games and comics aren't as interesting.

[Amanda Mae · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had fun reading this book. Not much on the original movies was new to me since I've seen a few documentaries about the franchise, but I still relished getting into the behind the scenes of all the movies and other projects again. It's got me interested in reading some of the novelizations, too!

[Karl O' · Rating 3 out of 5]

It gets the job done. But it’s pretty telling that there are no insights or illustrations. The author did not seem to have direct access to anyone involved in these movies. The book is more a nicely consolidated set of already available information.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really like the writing style, lots of information without ever being boring.
Covers all things 'ape', from the origins through comics/tv shows and all the movies (at the time of publishing).

I'll be looking up Sean's other books.

[Luke · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun read that tells the whole story of this cultural phenomenon from Pierre Boulle through Arthur Jacobs and on up to Matt Reeves.

[Dann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Planet of the Apes: The Complete History does a deep dive into this long-running and groundbreaking franchise. Author Sean Egan chronicles all things Planet of the Apes; from the original novel to the films to the comics and toys to the movie tie-in books. Egan does an especially good job at showing the ups and downs of the franchise and how it was sustained and revived after the original films by placing everything in chronological order. And he reveals a number of little known facts about the behind-the-scenes of the films, and bring a critical eye that calls out some of the unreliable and apocryphal stories that have become part of the series lore. However, his writing is a little difficult to work through at times, as it’s a bit wordy and uses a lot of formal terminology (yet at the same time abbreviates science-fiction as “SF”). Yet minor quibbles aside, Planet of the Apes: The Complete History is a fascinating read and brings a real appreciation for the achievements and durability of this beloved franchise.