Beneath the Planet of the Apes

This picks up where the first left off, as Charlton Heston(Taylor) journeys into the desert with his mate Nova(Linda Harrison), where he disappears, but then there is the arrival of a rescue space craft, led by Brent(James Franciscus). He contacts both Cornelius and Zira, who point him into the Forbidden Zone, where an invasion is being led by gorilla leader General Ursus(James Gregory, superb, with lots of memorable lines.)All is revealed when they meet a mutated group of humans, who worship a mysterious deity, one that may prove to be the end of them all... One of the best sequels ever made, builds upon the original, rather than repeats it, with many interesting twists and turns, all leading to an explosive ending that will come as quite a shock; so unexpected(yet sadly inevitable) that it is my personal favorite ending of all time. Pity it wasn't allowed to stand...