6 Things That Have Well And Truly Taken Surprise Out Of Cinema

by Tim Colman

1. Buying Planet Of The Apes On VHS In 1999

If you haven€™t seen the original Planet of the Apes then stop reading now. I know I€™m about to become what I have beheld, and act as a giant spoiler, but this needs to be said. Still here? OK, but I did warn you. When the 60€™s classic maniacal monkey movie was released in a specially reformatted version on VHS in 1999 they sensitively plastered a ruined Statue of Liberty on the front cover. Yep, that's the last shot of the film: the twist, and thus the whole point, before you€™ve even watched it. Sorry, before you€™ve even got it into the machine.

Like a child finding his Christmas presents, unwrapping them, making a detailed set of notes as to what they are €“ complete with sketches , maybe the odd Polaroid, the magic is somewhat dimmed from thereon in. Tip to avoid spoilers: Don€™t buy Planet of the Apes on VHS in 1999. Or, as I€™ve just found out, the DVD versions since.
 
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I'm a Westcountry exile now living in Yorkshire with lovely wife and cats (also lovely). I'm a big fan of films, robots, timetravel, and films about timetravelling robots, as well as lots of other action, sci-fi and comedy. I'm currently trying to write a sitcom that doesn't involve robots, and I also blog nonsense on timolsky.blogspot.com. Thanks for taking the time to read my stuff, and feel free to comment.