Planet of the Apes Ending Explained, Plot, Cast, and More
by Abinaya | Updated Apr 25, 2023
Planet of the Apes (2001 Movie)
Tim Burton directed the 2001 American science fiction adventure picture Planet of the Apes from a screenplay by William Broyles Jr., Lawrence Konner, and Mark Rosenthal. The sixth episode in the Planet of the Apes film series is partially based on Pierre Boulle's 1963 novel of the same name and is a remake of the 1968 film version.
Mark Wahlberg, Tim Roth, Helena Bonham Carter, Michael Clarke Duncan, Paul Giamatti, and Estella Warren star in the picture. It relates to the narrative of astronaut Leo Davidson, who crashes into a planet populated by sentient apes. The apes treat humans as slaves until Leo starts a rebellion with the help of an ape named Ari.
20th Century Fox released Planet of the Apes in the United States on July 27, 2001. Critics gave the picture mixed reviews, praising Rick Baker's prosthetic makeup creations, visual aspects, and musical soundtrack while criticising the convoluted plot and denouement. Despite its commercial success, Fox declined to develop a sequel, instead rebooting the film series with Rise of the Planet of the Apes in 2011.
Planet of the Apes Ending Explained
Davidson, played by Wahlberg, discovers that his former crewmates crash-landed thousands of years before his arrival while attempting to rescue him, seeding both ape and human life on Ashlar and laying the groundwork for the apes' persecution of humans. In Planet of the Apes' puzzling timeline, Leo is then confronted by Pericles, the ape he chased into the storm at the outset of the film.
This puts an end to human-ape conflict and allows Leo to utilise Pericles' intact pod to fly back into the storm in the hopes of returning home. This is where the 2001 Planet of the Apes finale deviates into Tim Burton territory, which ultimately backfires. What was presumably intended to be a fascinating ending was rather unclear, and neither viewers nor reviews liked it.
Leo displays a path for Earth after flying through the electromagnetic storm and being returned to his own time, finally crash-landing on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. As he enters the memorial, he notices that Lincoln's statue has been replaced with one of General Thade, and he is encircled by a simian police force.
The lack of background for Planet of the Apes' conclusion alters the originals by practically flipping them around. Instead of realising he's in the future, Leo returns to his own time only to discover it is dominated by apes. Wednesday's imminent Addams Family revival should teach Burton a lesson. The twist at the end of the 2001 film "Planet of the Apes" completely transforms the audience's impression of the plot.
In the closing scene, astronaut Leo Davidson crashes on Earth and wanders through a barren environment. He arrives across what appears to be the ruins of a familiar city and approaches it to find a monument honouring General Thade, the film's main adversary. When he looks up, he sees a bunch of monkeys approaching him on horseback, brandishing rifles and dressed in military costumes.
The movie's ending reveals that Leo's return wasn't to the present day but rather to a future era where apes are the dominant species on Earth and humans have been reduced to a primitive state. Leo discovers that the city he has stumbled upon is a post-apocalyptic version of Washington, D.C., that has been reconstructed by the apes.
This twist ending offers commentary on the repetitive nature of human history and its inclination towards war and violence. It also leaves the possibility of a sequel open, as the movie's conclusion presents a new world where humans must navigate the challenges of living in a society ruled by intelligent apes.
Planet of the Apes Cast
Mark Wahlberg
Captain Leo Davidson
Tim Roth
General Thade
Helena Bonham Carter
Ari
Michael Clarke Duncan
Colonel Attar
Kris Kristofferson
Karubi
Estella Warren
Daena
Paul Giamatti
Limbo
Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa
Krull
David Warner
Senator Sandar
Erick Avari
Tival
Lucas Elliot Eberl
Birn
Cast
Character
Planet of the Apes Where to Watch?
The 2001 movie Planet of the Apes can be watched on platforms like Starz or Amazon Prime. You are able to stream Planet of the Apes by renting or purchasing it on iTunes, Amazon Instant Video, Google Play, and Vudu. "Planet of the Apes" is a science fiction film directed by Tim Burton and starring Mark Wahlberg, Tim Roth, and Helena Bonham Carter. The film is a rough remake of the same-named 1968 film.
Planet of the Apes 2001 Plot
Leo Davidson works with trained apes aboard the Oberon, a space station belonging to the United States Air Force, in 2029. One of his favourite colleagues is a chimpanzee named Pericles. As a deadly electromagnetic storm approaches, Pericles pilots a space pod to investigate. However, the storm causes Pericles's pod to vanish.
Leo decides to go after him in a second pod but ends up losing contact with the Oberon and crash-landing on Ashlar, a planet ruled by humanoid apes in the year 5021 A.D. These apes communicate in English, ride domesticated horses, and consider humans to be slaves. Leo encounters Ari, a female chimpanzee who condemns the mistreatment of humans. Ari resolves to purchase Leo and a female slave named Daena as servants for her father, Senator Sandar.
Leo escapes his cage and helps other people. Limbo, an orangutan who trades in captured humans and those who witnessed them, has been sentenced to keep quiet. General Thade and his junior, Colonel Attar, march ape troops to hunt down the humans. Leo discovers Calima, the prohibited yet holy shrine of "Semos," the first ape whom the apes worship as a god.
Calima is shown to be the wreckage of the Oberon, which fell on the planet's surface and now appears ancient (the name Calima comes from the warning sign CAution: Live aniMAls"). The station has been there for thousands of years, according to computer logs. Leo deduces that when he entered the vortex, he was pulled forward in time, while the Oberon, who was hunting for him, was not and crashed on the planet much sooner.
According to Oberon's log, the apes on board, led by Semos, organized a mutiny and seized the vessel after it crashed. The survivors of the conflict, both humans and apes, abandoned the ship, and their descendants are the people Leo has met since landing. The apes approach and attack the humans gathered to watch Leo, but he evens the odds by firing a final blast at the first wave of apes with the Oberon's remaining shards of fuel.
The struggle comes to a halt when a familiar vehicle descends from the sky, which Leo immediately acknowledges as the pod piloted by Pericles, the chimp astronaut who was pushed forward in time as Leo was and had only just arrived on the planet, the electromagnetic storm actually releasing people from it in the opposite direction in time to their arrival.
When Pericles lands and the pod opens, the apes bow, perceiving his entrance as the return of Semos, and human-ape hostility abruptly ceases. Pericles enters the wreckage of the spaceship Oberon, followed by Leo and General Thade. Leo and Thade engage in a fight, while Pericles tries to assist Leo but is violently thrown against a wall by Thade.
Thade takes Leo's gun and attempts to use it against him, but Leo manages to trap Thade inside the pilot's deck by closing the automatic door. Thade fires at the door in a panic, causing sparks to fly and forcing him to seek refuge under a control panel. In order to leave the planet Ashlar and return to Earth, Leo entrusts Pericles to Ari's care and bids farewell to Ari and Daena before boarding the undamaged pod belonging to Pericles.
Planet of the Apes Ending Explained - FAQ
Tim Burton directed the 2001 film "Planet of the Apes."
William Broyles Jr., Lawrence Konner, and Mark Rosenthal wrote the script for the 2001 film Planet of the Apes.
Planet of the Apes stars Mark Wahlberg, Tim Roth, Helena Bonham Carter, Michael Clarke Duncan, Paul Giamatti, and Estella Warren.
The 2001 film World of the Apes follows astronaut Leo Davidson as he crash-lands on a world populated by sentient apes that regard humans as slaves. Leo begins a rebellion with the assistance of an ape named Ari.
The 2001 film Planet of the Apes received mixed reviews from critics. While they commended the prosthetic makeup, aesthetic features, and musical soundtrack, they were critical of the plot and finale.