Forgotten City of the Planet of the Apes

FORGOTTEN CITY OF THE PLANET OF THE APES has a cool title but that's about this. This is yet another case where two episodes of the '70s TV show have been joined together to stand as a TV movie. The problem is that the two episodes are almost entirely unrelated so the cut and pasting is really noticeable, plus the television values don't really lend themselves to a feature length format.

The first half of this film is the more interesting because the episode focuses on gladiator bouts between the various humans who have been captured or enslaved by the apes. There are a few good fight scenes here, with not bad choreography and a general momentum which keeps it all going. The second half/episode has a bigger budget as it depicts the ruins of an ancient human city and its technology, but the storyline is weaker and doesn't really go anywhere.

Other than the usual cast members, viewers may spot youthful roles for both Marc Singer (THE BEASTMASTER) and, in particular, WATCHMEN's Jackie Earle Haley, who's still a kid here but still instantly recognisable from his role in the later film.