Directed by:
Tim BurtonCinematography:
Philippe RousselotComposer:
Danny ElfmanCast:
Mark Wahlberg, Tim Roth, Helena Bonham Carter, Michael Clarke Duncan, Paul Giamatti, Estella Warren, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, David Warner, Kris Kristofferson (more)Plots(1)
After a spectacular crash-landing on an uncharted planet, brash astronaut Leo Davidson (Mark Wahlberg) finds himself trapped in a savage world where talking apes dominate the human race. Desperate to find a way home, Leo must evade the invincible gorilla army led by ruthless General Thade (Tim Roth) and his most trusted warrior, Attar (Michael Clarke Duncan). Now the pulse-pounding race is on to reach a sacred temple that may hold the shocking secrets of mankind's past - and the last hope for it's salvation! (official distributor synopsis)
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Reviews (8)
Someone said it before me. The masks and overall production design are absolutely captivating, but when the story is weak, there's simply nothing that can be done about it. Burton could have tried as much as he wanted, but from this script, nothing better could have been squeezed out. The ending tried to surpass the original film, which was a bold move, and now the creators should repent.
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More of a parody of the original film. Visually stunning, with some of the typical elements of Tim Burton. The action is decent and the make-up effects are truly masterful. The plot, on the other hand, lacks drive and not much actually happens overall, to put it simply. Helena Bonham Carter and Mark Wahlberg are pretty decent, but the most captivating by far is the demonic Tim Roth. The ending is at least peculiar, and there are also a few clear blunders and mistakes, but despite all this, Planet of the Apes remains a skillfully made summer blockbuster with typical genre attributes. Whether this mess was intentional will likely remain a mystery forever, but I must admit that I was quite entertained.
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There's no murder of the original here. Mark Wahlberg gives an appealing performance as the captain of the ship, the special effects work all throughout the film, and there's even an interesting variation of the final twist that worked for me. Except that this is simply a "remake of Planet of the Apes", which brings with it slightly higher expectations.
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Everyone expected a serious sci-fi movie in the spirit of Schaffner’s original and Tim Burton tricked them by turning the subject into a joke. The film’s biggest stars are not the humans, but the apes, and the conclusion isn’t shocking and thought-provoking, but popcorn fun. The spark in the love triangle between the American hero Mark Wahlberg, the chimpanzee with beautiful eyes played by Helena Bonham Carter, and simple Barbie Estella Warren is as irresistible as Tim Roth is repulsive in the role of General Thade. The film offers brilliant technical execution, verve and action, as well as a helping of ironic humor. I applauded and laughed with gusto at the end. And I almost fell in love with the eyes of Carter’s chimpanzee character, who was prominently featured on my desktop for months after the premiere. Don’t take this film so seriously. Times are changing and not everyone needs to see the story of Planet of the Apes the same way Schaffner did.
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The film has an incredibly gloomy screenplay that stubbornly clings to one plotline, which, on its own, wouldn't be enough for even 20 minutes. And unfortunately, even Tim Burton wasn’t able to breathe life into it through visual finesse. Although the film dazzles with its grand production design and impeccable masks, the narrative emptiness inevitably plunges the viewer into boredom. The film has unquestionable strengths, including the mentioned ones such as the casting, camera work, and excellent music by Danny Elfman. However, there is still a lingering feeling that the two-hour runtime should have been trimmed by at least a good 30 minutes. This would have left us with an audiovisual extravaganza in which Burton's great sense of humor would shine even brighter, as evidenced by the excellent final scene and the closing credits remixed by DJ Paul Oakenfold.
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