Escape from the Planet of the Apes (1971)

Escape from the Planet of the Apes (1971), an American sci-fi film directed by Don Taylor and written by Paul Dehn, follows three chimpanzees (Cornelius, Zira, and Dr. Milo) who flee Earth before its destruction. Using Taylor’s ship, they travel through a time warp and end up on present-day Earth, specifically the Pacific coast of the United States. The apes are eventually taken to the Los Angeles Zoo and placed under the care of friendly scientists Dr. Stephanie Branton and Dr. Lewis Dixon. However, their stay is cut short when Milo is killed by a gorilla at the zoo. A Presidential Commission is created to investigate their sudden arrival and during questioning, Cornelius and Zira deny any knowledge of Taylor but disclose that they came from the future in order to escape a war that devastated Earth.

The government welcomes them as guests, and the apes covertly reveal to Stephanie and Lewis how humans are treated in the future, along with Earth’s demise. The scientists are stunned yet understanding, cautioning the couple to keep it a secret until they can assess their hosts’ potential reaction. Inundated with gifts and media attention, the apes are elevated to celebrity status. Their fame catches the attention of Dr. Otto Hasslein, President’s Science Advisor, who learns about Zira’s pregnancy. Worried for humanity’s fate, Hasslein claims he only wants to understand how apes rose above humans. Cornelius discloses that humans will ultimately bring about their own downfall and that the destruction of Earth was caused by a weapon created by humans.