When the astronauts Burke and Virdon, with their chimp companion Galen, are captured in a fishing village that employs human slave labor, they must prove their worth as fishermen or be sacrificed to the 'gods of the sea,' or what the men call sharks. Escaping from the forced labor camp, the trio become involved in a plot to develop a glider to drop a fragmentation bomb on the gorilla council. [The fifth of five telefilms edited from episodes of the 1974 TV series; this film combines the episodes "Tomorrow's Tide" and "Up Above the World So High"]
Acting
Roddy McDowall's Galen remains the franchise's beating heart in any format.
Practical Effects
The ape makeup still impresses for 1974 television standards.
Director
John Meredyth Lucas
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
This 'film' never played theaters—it was five TV episodes edited into telefilms for syndication after the show's cancellation.
The 1974 series killed Apes on screen for nearly 30 years, making it franchise kryptonite until the 2011 reboot.
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