BATTLE FOR THE PLANET OF THE APES is the series swan song, and while there isn't anything fresh or new going on- this isn't a bad little movie. Hedging back on the action found in the previous film, BATTLE FOR THE PLANET OF THE APES heaps on the social commentary. Taking place a few years after CONQUEST OF THE PLANET OF THE APES, we find a post apocalyptic society of apes and humans trying to live in harmony under the leadership of Caesar (Roddy McDowall). Unfortunately, a gorilla general named Aldo (Claude Akins) wants to usurp Caesar's authority and begin a military government under his control- and without the humans. Making matters worse are the radiation-scarred inhabitants of the decimated nearby city that want to wipe out the apes, who they blame for their own downfall. Will the new threat forge a permanent bond between ape and human, or will it signal the end of everything? The cast of BATTLE FOR THE PLANET OF THE APES also includes Natalie Trundy, Severn Darden, Lew Ayres, Paul Williams, Austin Stoker and John Huston.

20th Century Fox Home Entertainment has made BATTLE FOR THE PLANET OF THE APES available on DVD in a 2.35:1 wide screen presentation that has NOT been enhanced for 16:9 playback. The transfer looks fine on a 4:3 display, although this outing has a weaker appearance than the earliest films in the series. BATTLE FOR THE PLANET OF THE APES never appears soft or lacks detail, but unimpressive image is the result of the film's original budgetary constraints. Colors tend to be subdued, although they never look faded. Still, flesh tones maintain a reasonably natural appearance. Neither chroma noise nor bleeding is an issue on this DVD. Blacks are sufficiently black and shadow detail is decent. The film elements are in very good shape, with only minor blemishes being apparent. Mild film grain does make an appearance form time to time. Digital compression artifacts are well concealed throughout the presentation.

The Dolby Digital 2.0 channel soundtrack decodes to standard surround and is better than I expected. Surround usage is somewhat limited, but is engaging when utilized. The forward soundstage is pretty lively, and the films climax is well served by the sonic activity. Fidelity is improved over the early films in the series, which gives the sound effects a greater level of believability. Dialogue reproduction is very good, with the actors' voices sounding crisp and maintaining full intelligibility. A French language track is also encoded onto the DVD, as are English and Spanish subtitles. Animation and sound enhance the interactive menus, which provide access to the standard scene selection and set up features, as well as theatrical trailers for all the PLANET OF THE APES movies.

While no where as good as the early film, BATTLE FOR THE PLANET OF THE APES is an entertaining send off that prevents the popular film series from going out with a whimper. The DVD presentation is pretty decent, but still could have been better had the disc featured the 16:9 enhancement. Hopefully, Fox will re-issue BATTLE FOR THE PLANET OF THE APES at some point in the future with the anamorphic enhancement.

Presently, BATTLE FOR THE PLANET OF THE APES is only available on DVD as part of The Evolution Box Set, which includes all five APES films for $89.98.

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