Saga Of The Apes

What I always like about the ape films is how the sequels become prequels, making each new ape film both different in how they looked and in storytelling. Bionic bob takes the first four films and tells the story of how man was conquered by ape in a non-linear style spread over two 90mins films.


Volume 1 blends my two favourite entries in the ape series with planet of the apes and escape from the planet of the apes. The split screen technique works well in moving the edit along without ever getting bogged down with dialogue. What impressed me was how the two stories worked well with one another, the split screen often showing what was being explained to great effect with the carpenters song being the highlight of the edit.


The non-linear style of storytelling also works wonders and kept me interested throughout it's 90mins, slowly the story unravels it self before all the dots are joined up. elements of volume 2 are inter-cut throughout in black and white to great effect. it is both a fresh new way in viewing these two films and I can't recall any fanedit being done in this way so this too felt very original.


volume 2 however didn't all together work for me, while the two films on volume one compliment each over rather well in terms of telling the story of how ape conquered man, volume 2 suffers as both films battle to try and tell their own separate story. the split screen technique didn't work as effectively, I felt that I’d missed something from either film as I tried to follow them. Maybe these could have been made into two separate films instead.


overall I wouldn't consider volume 2 essential viewing as for me the brief snippets I saw in volume 1 work far more effectively than in it's more expanded feature length presentation, Volume 1 however i'd give a perfect 10/10. While it's style of storytelling may not be to everyone’s liking for me I came away from the edit with the feeling that I saw something very original.