A*P*E was a Korean/American co-production that was originally supposed to be titled The New King Kong before RKO filed a lawsuit making them change the name. It came out in 1976 when Dino Delaurentis' ill-advised remake of King Kong came out.
I hadn't seen A*P*E in years and I couldn't believe how awful this movie was. I can't really fathom how anyone involved with this piece of crap thought that this was releasable. At the beginning of the flick that gargantuan ape has already been captured and promptly escapes. Much hilarity ensues as the beast walks around all hunkered over like it's really constipated or something.
The worst part is that the ape suit looks like it had been getting eaten by moths prior to filming and at certain points in the movie the actor's t-shirt in the suit can be seen through holes in the costume. There are also numerous spots where the wrists of the man in the suit are completely visible.
The movie was also filmed in 3-D so we get treated to tons of shots where things like rocks are "thrown" torwards the camera. No attempt was made to hire wires in these shots of any sort.
Easily the movie's most infamous moment is when the ape after swatting a toy helicopter into a mountain side promptly flips off the camera:
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I took it that he's actually flipping us off, the viewing audience who are having to suffer through this cinematic abomination.
I should also mention numerous shots in which Korean extras are supposed to be running in total fear of the giant ape but are instead clearly smiling and running all goofy towards the camera in numerous shots.
There's also the usual cantankerous general who finds it hard to believe that a giant ape is running loose after seeing proof of it at numerous points. There's the usual female actress who the ape falls for briefly for (played by Joanna Kerns of Growing Pains fame).
Anyway, beware of this one.
