I was eight when I saw "Escape" as it was released to theaters. I cried and was upset when Hasslein killed the baby. Very upsetting for an eight-year-old to see. This was the very first time in my life I saw a a baby (human or simian) shot dead. Not deserving of the G rating.
I was 9 when I first saw it when it first aired on TV. I found the ending to be offbeat and surprisingly tragic, but dramatically sound. (I was a precocious kid, I guess.)
I think this is the *ONLY* movie I've ever seen a baby shot dead. In the remake of Dawn of the Dead they kill an undead baby- but even that is off camera and you hear the shot. They actually show the bullets impacting the baby chimp wrapped in the blanket
i cant remember if we actually *see* the mutant baby shot in It's Alive (1974).
Each of the POTA movies has different scenarios, and all the movies are basically about humans and apes simply trying to survive and flourish. Sure, one group will be the villains and the other the ones we root for, but in the POTA movie series, it's not always the same. I suppose it's down to the viewer which side they will support per movie. It's really not a simple good vs evil thing, each side has their reasons for their actions.