Top 10 Ape Movies
2026 is off to a great start with the movie everyone has been waiting for dropping so early in the year. I am course talking about ‘Primate’ the horror film about a family chimpanzee that goes rabid. This feels like a great opportunity to highlights 10 of the best movies about apes, because who doesn’t love a good monkey movie? Okay listen, trying to always find a topical article is hard so I’m stretching a bit here.
Planet of the Apes - Well yeah. These are THE ape movies. Take your pick. The original 1968 film starring Charlton Heston or any of its four sequels. The 2001 Tim Burton remake starring Mark Wahlberg. Or any of the modern CGI films with Andy Serkis as Caesar. Though if you pick the 2001 version I will absolutely question your sanity. The strongest films are definitely the modern takes on the story, of which we currently have 4, with more to follow eventually.
King Kong - Another film with many different versions, you have your 1933 film, your 1976 film, and your 2005 film, all simply titled ‘King Kong.’ In 2017 we got the film ‘Kong: Skull Island’ which is a part of the larger Monsterverse film franchise. Kong has returned to the franchise with two more film appearances in crossover films with Godzilla. Maybe the most famous fictional ape, the gigantic Kong is always impressive no matter what story he’s in.
Mighty Joe Young - People just love the apes because they keep getting remakes. The original film came out in 1949, with a remake coming in 1998. Both films depict a giant gorilla who is brought out of it’s home and his bond with a woman he’s known his whole life. It’s like King Kong Lite. Prince Kong if you will.
Gorillas in the Mist - A biographical film from 1988, this film is lessed focused on apes, and actually more focused on real life conservationist Dian Fossey. The film was a 5x Oscar nominee, including a Best Actress nomination for Sigourney Weaver, who played Fossey. The film portrays the importance Fossey had on the gorilla population, with her actions playing a major part in saving her from extinction.
Tarzan - Based on Edgar Rice Burroughs’ 1912 book, this 1999 Disney film is one of the studios best from that timeframe. An Oscar-winning film, winning Best Original Song for ‘You’ll Be In My Heart,’ the whole soundtrack from Phil Collins is the clear highlight of the movie. As you likely know, the movie focuses on a man raised by gorillas who gets his first exposure to other humans.
Better Man - Yes. Better Man. The 2024 Robbie Williams biopic in which Williams is depicted as a chimpanzee. This movie rocks. I absolutely love it. I know nothing about Robbie Williams aside from this film, but it’s just such a well made film. It’s frustrating that it flopped commercially because people wrote it off, and American audiences didn’t want to watch it since they don’t know who Williams is. Which is why the whole chimp thing is cool.
George of the Jungle - George of the Jungle is to Tarzan as Mighty Joe Young is to King Kong. But this Disney film came out two years prior to Disney’s Tarzan, so ha! Brendan Fraser plays the titular role, a man who was raised in the jungle by apes, swings on vines, and needs to watch out for that tree!
Space Chimps - This isn’t regarded as what you may call, a good movie. But I’m sure it has its fans. An animated sci-fi comedy, it stars Andy Samberg, Cheryl Hines, and Patrick Warburton as a group of chimpanzees who travel to another planet and meet an alien. See, now that title makes sense.
Congo - This movie is maybe less about apes and more just features an ape as a central character. The gorilla Amy is the pet of a member of an expedition team who go into the Congolian jungles looking for an ancient civilization. Another film not lauded very highly, it was actually nominated for Worst Picture at the Razzies. It’s based on the book of the same name by Michael Crichton, who also wrote ‘Jurassic Park.’
Curious George - All of these films have been about chimps or gorillas, finally we get one that’s really about a monkey! This 2006 animated film stars Will Ferrell as the Man in the Yellow Hat who finds and eventually adopts the titular monkey, mirroring the story from the popular children’s books.
