Every Planet Of The Apes Movie Ranked Worst To Best

The most politically heavy instalment of the Apes franchise, Conquest of the Planet of the Apes took inspiration from the 1966 Watts Riot and attempted to lean into its more challenging themes of racial strife and inequality.

The story is set in a horrid future, where the apes have been turned into slaves and Caesar mounts up to lead a rebellion against their human captors.

In Conquest, the action is better than most instalments of the original series, and McDowell gives a typically enthralling lead performance as the revolutionary great ape at the franchise's centre. It also handles its hefty themes pretty well, especially where its ideas on equality and lost rights are concerned.

It still has its issues, mind. The action, palatable as it is, is overshadowed by the film's reduced budget (again), and it suffers from a weak script that leaves many of the core characters stranded with nowhere to go.

It's affecting and relevant, and entertaining enough to get through without moaning, but Conquest still doesn't push itself to where the franchise can be.