Some claim Jaws was the first summer blockbuster. Or maybe Star Wars because of the marketing craze it inspired and global phenomenon it became. But Planet of the Apes was the true original – a high-concept, sci-fi feature that was unleashed on an unsuspecting U.S. public in April 1968, packed cinemas throughout the sunny months, and was followed by multiple sequels, a TV spin-off, a comics run, a toy line, a reboot, and a recent prequel-of-sorts. With Dawn of the Planet of the Apes hitting screens worldwide this month and receiving its fair share of rave reviews, we thought now would be a good time to look back at the legacy of the franchise, and to rank the eight feature films from worst-to-best…

8 Battle for the Planet of the Apes

No, we’re not kicking off with the Tim Burton reboot, but don’t worry, it’s coming very soon... Battle was the last of the original flicks, and the franchise had clearly run out of steam – and money – by this point. Roddy McDowell plays Caesar, the non-violent leader of the Apes who wants to work alongside man. But his efforts are scuppered by unhinged mutant humans and gorilla soldiers who crave war. Unfortunately, it’s all much less interesting than it sounds, with the dialogue poor, the effects risible, and the plot defying logic at several turns. That said, it’s the film that helped inspire the plan in Argo , so at least it wasn't a total waste of time.

7 Planet of the Apes

There was a time when James Cameron was developing a Planet of the Apes remake, with Arnold Schwarzenegger set to play the lead. That however, morphed into the somewhat less appealing prospect of Tim Burton directing Mark Wahlberg in the project, and the resulting film was a huge disappointment. Rick Baker’s make-up work is stellar and the sets and special effects are impressive, but the acting and direction is flat, the storyline all over the place, and the twist finale laughably bad. The production on this one was famously troubled, and love him or loathe him, the real tragedy of this project is that it’s the only movie in Tim Burton’s back catalogue that doesn’t feel like a Tim Burton film.

6 Beneath the Planet of the Apes

They say lightening doesn’t strike twice, but it does in the Planet of the Apes franchise, with yet another astronaut crash-landing on post-apocalypse earth in this hastily developed sequel to the first flick. That’s because Charlton Heston didn’t want to star and only agreed to appear briefly, so the filmmakers were forced to find a new lead. James Franciscus therefore plays the main human, who spends the film searching for Heston’s character, but instead finds apes who wish to conquer ‘The Forbidden Zone’ and telepathic humans who worship the atomic bomb. A workmanlike sequel, it lacks the wit and intelligence of its predecessor.

5 Escape From the Planet of the Apes

Escape plays out like the first film in reverse, with scientist – and most importantly pacifist – chimpanzees Cornelius, Zira and Dr. Milo travelling back in time to 1973. Initially captured and held prisoner by man, they eventually reveal their intelligence and are quickly embraced by civilization. But when Zira’s pregnancy comes to light – her baby potentially triggering the end of human civilization – they are hunted down in a tense face-off between monkey and man. McDowell is as good as ever here – this time playing Cornelius – while Kim Hunter is hugely sympathetic as Zira.

4 Rise of the Planet of the Apes

Where Tim Burton opted for practical apes in his version, Rupert Wyatt went fully CG, and Rise of the Planet of the Apes looks spectacular, with special effects having progressed to the point that the primates looking pretty much photo-real. Just as impressive is the film’s storyline – penned by Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver – which works as something of a prequel to the original film while at the same time playing out as a gripping origin story to send the franchise in a new direction. James Franco is good as the scientist whose honourable intentions have dire consequences for the human race, but it’s Andy Serkis who dominates proceedings, his performance-capture work as Caesar beautiful, powerful and heartbreaking.

3 Conquest of the Planet of the Apes

The Planet of the Apes movies were always an entertaining way to address complicated social and political issues, and Conquest tackles slavery and race relations head-on. The film is set in 1991, when a plague has wiped cats and dogs from the face of the earth, resulting in monkeys being domesticized and pampered as pets. Their intelligence finds them soon abused as servants, before finally being oppressed as slaves. It’s a thought-provoking parable, and Roddy McDowell delivers a note-perfect performance that had audiences cheering on the ape revolution.

2 Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

Cloverfield’s Matt Reeves assumes directing duties for the Rise sequel, and takes the franchise to the next level in terms of both effects and emotion. The film takes place 10 years after the events of its predecessor, when ‘Simian Flu’ has wiped out much of humanity. Caesar is now the leader of an increasingly intelligent primate tribe who have taken refuge in the woods, close to a dam that the nearby humans need to restore power and start rebuilding society. The stage is therefore set for conflict, but before we get to the jaw-dropping action, the film is a compelling meditation on man’s foibles and propensity for war. If that wasn’t enough, performance-capture artists Andy Serkis and Toby Kebbell go toe-to-toe with the live-action efforts of Jason Clarke and Gary Oldman, and the monkeys win.

1 Planet of the Apes

We’re used to high-concept fantasy and sci-fi hitting screens on a near weekly basis, but when Planet of the Apes was released in 1968 the film was something of a revelation. Based on Pierre Boulle’s 1963 novel La Planete Des Singes, the story revolves around a group of astronauts who crash-land on a distant planet where apes are the dominant species. What follows is a hugely entertaining action adventure as chief astronaut Taylor (a magnetic Charlton Heston) is hunted, caught and held captive by the primates, during which time the genetic tables are cleverly and sometimes hilariously turned. He then pulls off a daring escape, only to finally – devastatingly – come face-to-face with one of the greatest twists in movie history. Smart, sophisticated and thought-provoking, Planet of the Apes is a blockbuster with brains that has managed to stand the test of time.

Chris Tilly is the Entertainment Editor for IGN in the UK and bloody loves monkeys. He can be found contributing very little to society on both Twitter and MyIGN