‘In six months, we’ll be running this planet’: Varying visions of insurgency across the Planet of the Apes franchise

For those who watched the films playing in 1968, the science-fiction classic Planet of the Apes left a lasting impression, not only visually for its surprising verisimilitude but also for the themes it tackled in a time of great social upheaval, bringing with it thoughtful commentary amidst war, inequality, political and societal strife. Insurgency is one of the unheeded themes that permeated the Apes franchise, which is the focus of this article. While some of the film’s themes are seemingly well explored or at least enjoyed sufficient discussion, the role of insurgency remains overlooked, yet extremely relevant today considering so many current conflicts around the world. This article explores the ten Planet of the Apes films in terms of the insurgencies encountered by characters: Taylor, the Mutants, both Caesars, Aldo, Koba, Noa and Mae. Each insurgency is considered to better understand how the series has consistently covered insurgency which continues to challenge modern society today as much as it did in 1968.