Planet of the Apes – The Complete TV Series

Intro

If you are part of the MTV generation, you may find this collection more ancient then entertaining. If you grew up watching this series, it will bring back memories….

Synopsis

It changed the face of television forever. Based on the enormously popular and successful Planet of the Apes movie, the 1974 TV series has become a true cult classic. Now all 14 episodes (including “The Liberator,” which never aired during the show’s original run) have been compiled and are available to ow… for the first time.

After their spacecraft travels through a time warp, two astronauts (Ron Harper, James Naughton) from 1981 crash-land back on Earth in the year 3085-a time when intelligent apes rule and humans have been reduced to servants or pets. Captured by the apes and sentenced to death, they are saved by a curious chimpanzee named Galen (Roddy McDowall). But now all three are on the run, trying to keep one step ahead of the gorilla army led by General Urko (Mark Lenard), who is determined to kill the renegades.

Audio

The audio on this set sounded extremely dated. The only audio track is mono, and there is NO low-end bass. With mono audio there is obviously NO surround activity, and no left-to-right movement. This unfortunately sounds like what it is… a 25 year old television series.

Video

Similarly to the audio, the video also looks quite dated. The blacks are somewhat ineffective, and the colors are somewhat muted. Most of the issues with the video are not from the transfer, which is the original 4:3 aspect ratio, but more the fault of the shows photography. The transfer itself was not too bad, with only a little bit of granulation and print damage.

Features

The best thing about most “Complete Series” compilations is the fact that they come with some fun special features to sort through. This is not the case with this set. The only notable special feature is 2 trailers. That’s it, that’s all folks.

Closing Thoughts

Unless you are a huge fan of the original films or television show, this set is not a must have. The video, audio, and special features are questionable, and the show is dated. This set will be loved by many, but will also be dismissed very easily by many others.

Special Features List

• Trailers