[There is a lot of action in "Planet of the Apes"], but more vital are the arguments between apes and man, and, as presented in the screenplay …, they are fascinating. Man does not always come out best. Surprisingly enough, the film has some good humor, thanks, among other things, to the script's putting clichés into the mouths of those apes who think they're so damn smart. The finale of "Planet of the Apes" will make your blood run cold. I can't remember when a science-fiction film like this socked you in the face at the end with a warning to mankind. (p. 625)

Philip T. Hartung, "The Naked Human," in Commonweal, Vol. LXXXVII, No. 20, February 23, 1968, pp. 624-25.∗