This was the first Planet of the Apes movie I saw in the theater and I enjoyed watching it over again. It reminded me of other films of the period that reflected the politics of the seventies, like Billy Jack. You kind of have to understand films like this in context to what was going on in the world at the time. There is that message of individualism that was so prevalent then, right after the Vietnam war. There was also that sort of Orwellian feeling that those who are different will be persecuted. The real revelation as an adult though, was how good Kim Hunter is. Her mastery of the movement and the heavy make up is reminiscent of the great physical theatrical schools of the world, Kabuki, Balinese mask work, or Lecoq. No other actor really played through the ape make up as well as Hunter, who seemed to realize that playing through the eyes and with the body was mandatory, as the mouths on those ape prosthetics, really don't move. This is definitely the best of the sequels.