the vivarium and cause havoc throughout the base, while Goliath and two other chimpanzees Winston and Spike reach the flight chamber. Inside, Goliath and the two chimpanzees wreck the simulator and short the reactor’s control panel, causing the radiation reactor to go up. Jimmy, Teri and Virgil arrive and see the chimpanzees continue to wreck the flight chamber. Jimmy gets Winston and Spike out and barely escapes, however, Goliath’s refusal to leave despite Jimmy’s pleas traps him in the flight chamber just as the reactor’s control panel short-circuits and generates a radiation blast. A fire extinguisher left by the chimps jams the reactor on its way down, posing a risk of a possible meltdown. Jimmy and Virgil convince Goliath to yank out the jammed fire extinguisher and succeeds, but Goliath later dies from radiation exposure. Jimmy and Teri steal a military plane to help the chimpanzees escape, but military police stop them. While the police are holding them, Virgil pilots the plane, and the chimps fly away. They eventually crash in the nearby Everglades and evade a search. Just as the search is being abandoned, Jimmy and Teri see Virgil hiding in the bush with his chimpanzee girlfriend Ginger. Teri signs to Virgil that he and the others are now "free", and the chimpanzees disappear into the Everglades. Cast Matthew Broderick as Jimmy Garrett Helen Hunt as Teri MacDonald William Sadler as Dr. Carroll (credited as Bill Sadler) Johnny Ray McGhee as Robertson Jonathan Stark as Sgt. Krieger Robin Gammell as Col. Niles Stephen Lang as Watts Jean Smart as Dr. Criswell Daniel Roebuck as Hadfield Marvin J. McIntyre as Cellmate Harry Northup as Congressman Michael Eric Kramer as Lt. Voeks Dick Miller as Max King Jules Sylvester as Airman Richard Cummings Jr. as Lt. Hayes Robert Lee Minor as Air Policeman Ken Lerner as Finley Michael McGrady as Wilson Deborah Offner as Carol Lee Lance E. Nichols as Hamer Ken Sagoes as Patrolman Richard Paul as Lead Ape Production Lawrence Lasker began pre-production of the film at Warner Bros. Pictures with John Badham directing, but switched to 20th Century Fox after Warner Bros insisted on using small actors in chimpanzee suits instead of real chimpanzees. The film was shot in Los Angeles and at Camarillo Airport and at Van Nuys Airport. Reception Critical reception The movie received generally positive reviews from critics. , it holds a 75% approval rating