Planet of the Apes Review
by Christian Pyle (Tlcclp AT aol DOT com)December 1st, 2001
Planet of the Apes
Reviewed by Christian Pyle
Directed by Tim Burton
Written by William Broyles Jr., Lawrence Konner, and Mark Rosenthal (based on the novel by Pierre Boulle)
Starring Mark Wahlberg, Tim Roth, Helena Bonham Carter, and Michael Clarke Duncan
Grade: C
Twentieth Century Fox has been trying to get a new "Planet of the Apes" franchise up and running for awhile. The still-popular 1968 original spawned four sequels, two TV series, and countless merchandising, so a reprise was inevitable. When Tim Burton took over the project (from Oliver Stone, of all people), I had high hopes; Burton has a gift for turning cult camp into engaging films (see "Batman," "Ed Wood," "Mars Attacks"). However, this "Planet" is unevolved.
The astronaut running from monkeys this time is Capt. Leo Davidson (Mark Wahlberg). While working on a deep-space research station in 2029, cocky Leo flies into a strange electrical storm and finds himself transported to a planet ruled by apes. He's abducted with a group of primitive humans, including beautiful Daena (Estella Warren) and her father (Kris Kristofferson), who will be sold as slaves to the simian aristocrats. While in captivity, Leo meets ruthless General Thade (Tim Roth), who is bent on eradicating all humans, and human rights advocate Ari (Helena Bonham Carter), the rebellious daughter of a senator (David Warner). Before long, Leo has escaped from bondage and led Daena, Ari, and a mixed group of humans and apes out of the city. The rebellion finally gets Thade permission to exterminate humanity . . .
The original "Planet" with Charlton Heston, who has a cameo in the remake as Thade's father, had a disarming freshness that no remake can recapture. Like a lot of 1960's science fiction, "Planet 1968" mixed social commentary with the action in a way that made the film seem like an allegory. True, its commentary picked easy targets and tended to be simplistic. The main subject was the conflict between science and religion, which was reduced to "science good / religion bad." However, it worked because the allegorical aspect made its simplicity charming.
The commentary in Burton's "Planet" seems trite and forced. Burton's target is racism, with the apes as the "master race" and the humans as the oppressed minority. The script seems peppered with race-related soundbites just to lend some depth to a superficial storyline. The screenwriters for "Planet 2001" seem to have borrowed the basic plot outline from "Antz" (power-mad general bent on genocide, young female aristocrat who teams up with a lower-class rebel on the run), but they forgot to borrow the cleverness of that film's dialogue.
Most of "Planet" seemed tedious. The only part I liked was the controversial ending. "Planet 1968" was co-written by "Twilight Zone" creator Rod Serling, and its memorable twist ending was one of his best. So, "Planet 2001" is obliged to provide a similar twist, and it does. Burton's ending inverts the original version's ending while paying homage to it. The ending's a lot more clever than the rest of "Planet 2001."
© 2001 Christian L. Pyle
More on 'Planet of the Apes'...
Originally posted in the rec.arts.movies.reviews newsgroup. Copyright belongs to original author unless otherwise stated. We take no responsibilities nor do we endorse the contents of this review.
