Planet of the Apes - The Ultimate DVD Collection

This is a phenomenal collection housed in a magnificent, collectible case. The only reason for the 4 star rating is that the lacks a few vital bits of footage (enumerated in another review on this page), preventing it from being the "definitive" Apes collection for "completists." That said, I thought I would make an additional comment as well as a suggestion.

COMMENT: The first two discs in the set replicate the 35th Anniversary Edition of the original PoTA, which was issued on DVD a couple of years ago. Discs 7-10 replicate the previously released DVD edition of the TV series, while discs 13-14 replicate the two discs that were included in the 2-Disc Special Edition of Tim Burton's remake. Only discs 3-6 (the newly remastered editions of the 4 theatrical sequels) and 11-12 (the animated series) include content that was previously unavailable in the North American DVD market.

SUGGESTION: (Careful, this includes spoilers!) Don't just sit down and view the discs in order. If you want to gain a greater appreciation for the powerful story arc of the PoTA saga as depicted in the theatrical films, watch them in the following order: Escape, Conquest, Battle, Planet and Beneath. (Or, in terms of this set, Discs 4, 5, 6, 1 and 3.) In this way, you would follow the chronology of the saga in Earth time, beginning with the arrival of the apes from the future. You would be spared the disappointment of concluding the films with the anti-climactic Battle for the Planet of the Apes, easily the weakest of the theatrical films, and would instead conclude your viewing with Beneath the Planet of the Apes, the most fitting way to end your PoTA movie experience via the most powerful (and most bleak) final moments of perhaps ANY mainstream Hollywood studio release. (Hint: it has something to do with a tiny, insignificant planet ceasing to exist.) Give it a try!

If you're like me and grew up watching the Planet of the Apes on TV, then you'll want this Collection! It has all those you watched years ago, plus the ones in the theater! Unlike the ones that are repeated on cable channels (and they rotate the same eleven of them every few months), this collection has them all!

These shows cannot be duplicated. All these were made with no vulgar language, or blood and guts violence, yet everyone enjoyed watching them!

Wanna have an "Ape Marathon?" Close the blinds, turn off the phone, get a drink and some snacks and fire up the DVD player to have your own Ape Marathon weekend of watching nothing but Planet of the Apes!!! Stay awake watching nothing but the Apes!

Also, Amazon must have their numbers wrong for the Certificate of Authenticity. I have stamped number 5*##, yet they say Amazon was only going to stock 1-100.

I recieved this about a week early so I'll give a little insight to it:

It comes in a very large box with the cover art you've seen already inside that is a white inside box with the certificate on top my number is 03920 of 10000 then under is the sterophome packaging.

Inside the sterophome lies the ape head!!!!

This is one beautiful head very very nice!!

The DVDs are housed on the back side of the ape, on the shirt there is a flap of cloth that comes up that velcros back shut inside is the great 14 disc set of dvds.

The dvd packaging is very well done not like those other large sets like the alien quad. or taken with those glues that come off. The packaging is done incredibly well, there is a booklet attached which basically gives the credits to each of the discs. No plot outlines so first timers won't be ruined by that.

Right now I have watched films 1-3 out of the set and am working my way through it, the films are very clear and the audio is really well done.

This is truly one great set for any Planet of the Apes fan, a must have, it was perfect for me since I didn't have any of these before but just rented them. Amazing simply amazing, enjoy it when you get it. It is a treasure!

I'm not "not" buying this "because" of the Burton movie, but I will hold out for the animated stuff to be released as a stand alone product (and why is it incomplete?). I've already got a lot of this and do not really want the Ape head which seems a tad over the top. Of all this stuff I reccommend the Apes TV show, it really is great work and a real shame for it to be so short lived. If the TV show were made into 5.1 Digital Dolby Surround, I would have at least considered this set.

And I must repeat: The Tim Burton Movie was a huge mess.

HEY GUYS,
IT'S YOUR FRIENDLY DVD REPORTER HERE. (RICK). I CAN'T WAIT FOR THIS SET TO BE RELEASED. I ALMOST PURCHASED THE EVOLUTION SET LAST MONTH UNTIL I FOUND OUT ABOUT THIS SET COMING OUT. BUT, TO LET YOU KNOW. THEY MADE THIS SAME KIND OF SET FOR THE ALIEN QUADTRIOLOGY IN THE UNITED KINGDOM AND JAPAN. FOX ONLY RELEASED IT THERE. IT'S AN ALIEN HEAD THAT HOLDS THE DVD'S IN IT. I PURCHASED IT LAST MONTH AND IT IS TOTALLY COOL. IF YOU WANT TO BUY IT, YOU CAN FIND IT AT AMAZON. UK. JUST GO TO THE BOTTOM OF THE PAGE AND CLICK ON UNITED KINGDOM AND ONCE THAT SITE PULLS UP JUST ENTER UNDER DVD SEARCH - ALIEN HEAD AND IT WILL PULL UP. YOU DON'T GET THE REGION 1 DVD'S, THEY ARE REGION 2 AND DON'T WORK ON AMERICAN DVD PLAYERS. HOWEVER IF YOU WANT THE COLLECTOR'S ALIEN HEAD YOU CAN BUY IT THERE. I FOUND THIS OUT BUY READING THIS REVIEW AND THEN DID SOME RESEARCH. PEACE.

We've got some major release updates for you today.

First of all, we have the official skinny from 20th Century Fox on their upcoming celebration of all things Planet of the Apes on DVD. The centerpiece of the affair will be the 3/28 release of the 14-disc, THX-certified Planet of the Apes: The Ultimate DVD Collection (SRP $179.98). Here's a disc by disc list of the extras, as confirmed by the studio:

As you can see, what's new in The Ultimate DVD Collection are the new anamorphic transfers of the four classic Apes films that have previously been available in letterboxed widecreen only, along with the complete animated TV series (its first appearance on DVD and exclusive to The Ultimate DVD Collection) and a couple new extras on the 1974 live-action TV series. All of this comes with a special "ape" display case designed to replicate the original mask designs from the classic films. This is the kind of packaging that Fox has previously released in Japan only (with I, Robot and The Alien Quadrilogy), so you've got to at least give the studio credit for making it available to U.S. fans as well (expensive though it is). Here's a picture of the packaging...