By the time Star Wars was released in 1977, Planet Of The Apes had already had the arse franchised off it to the tune of five movies, a live action TV series, and an animated spin-off. Only Star Trek pipped it to the position of granddaddy of all science fiction properties, and it beat that in the film races, having tied up its first movie outings a clear half-decade before Star Trek: The Motion Picture. Almost all of it was good, as well. The iconic Charlton Heston original from 1968 was a masterstroke of ’60s sci-fi, filled with the wonder of what might lay beyond our frontiers (in an age before man had been to to the moon), as well as an ironic sense of commentary and its now-spoiled-beyond-effectiveness surprise ending. Its leading man may have resisted a&nbs...