There is no franchise in Hollywood filmmaking that is as consistently good, and as consistently interesting, as “Planet of the Apes.”I feel very strongly about this, and not because I am an admitted enthusiast of genre filmmaking. Like any long-running series, “Planet of the Apes” — which spans 10 films and more than 50 years — has its lows. If you somehow are not familiar with the premise of “Planet of the Apes,” it is surprisingly straightforward. The first five films, beginning with 1968’s “Planet of the Apes” and concluding with 1973’s “Battle for the Planet of the Apes,” tell the story of the fall and rise (and fall again, perhaps) of ape society. When the apes finally arrive — as predators hunting a roving band of humans — it is in a kinetic sequence of genuine intensity.

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Persons: —, Charlton Heston, Franklin J . Schaffner, “ Patton, Leon Shamroy, Cleopatra ”, Taylor Organizations: Hollywood, of