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Planet of the Apes (Single Disc Edition)

Planet of the Apes (Single Disc Edition)

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Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Return to the Planet of the Apes
Review: The original 1968 classic "Planet of the Apes" is one of the greatest movies of all time, thus making 2001's Planet of the Apes a highly anticipated film. In the way of special effects and the new "ape" make-up, the movie slapped those anticipations in the face and said to viewers "we did better than you thought." Saddly special effects and make-up a movie do not make and the core audience I think, fans of the orignal Ape movies, were more interested in the story and how the movie would end than anything else. The new "Planet of the Apes" was actually a pretty good sci-fi flick . . . except for maybe the last ten or fifteen minutes which I'll tell you about latter without giving too much away.

What got my attention first was the opening title theme and credit sequence, so much so I had to buy the soundtrack just so I could listen to the open music without watching the movie over and over again. It was that good. The rest of the music was so so, but good. The special effects were great, and the ape make-up was over the top. The actors looked and acted (or should I say walked) like they were five and six feet tall monkeys. If not for the credits, you wouldn't know who was underneath that stuff.

Lastly comes the plot, which as I said before, stays pretty strong until the very end. Everything quickly unravels upon itself when Hollywood once again expects the everyday person to willingly believe electronic equipment will still funtion nearly as well in thousands of years as it does now. Then there's the whole Spaceman trying to rally his human troops thing. I wouldn't follow that guy into battle even if my life did depend on it. The final blow to the movie's end comes at the very last scene which, although I won't reveal the details, made little sense to me or others I know who've seen this reimagined version of "Planet of the Apes." Of course nothing could ever top the original's ending with the Statue of Liberty.

All in all, this was a pretty darn good movie that doesn't lose itself until the very end. If anything else, it was worth it just to see how someone else would invision Planet of the Apes and to see all those actors playing apes in that snazzy make-up. It's probably worth your time to see it at least once. Actually, I liked it better the second time around. Go figure.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Nice remake
Review: I just returned from seeing "Planet of the Apes", the remake by Tim Burton. Overall, I thought it was a nice movie, although I'm not sure how I would rank it against the original. I'll need to see the remake on DVD several times before making that judgment. Getting back to the movie: the ape masks and costumes are slightly more realistic than in the original "Apes" trilogy, and the apes themselves are far more violent. In fact, the remake as a whole is more action-packed than the original. Mark Wahlberg does OK as Leo Davidson, the star of the movie, but he doesn't have the acting talent or charisma of Charlton Heston, who has a cameo here. Helena Bonham Carter as the sympathetic ape Ari is the most interesting character in the movie. Near the end of the picture, she and Leo have a brief kiss, which drew nervous laughter from the theatre audience. The film also has nice touches of humor.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Ape Power
Review: The movie is almost gripping because of non-stop action and dialogue. Sound, costumes, and special effects all combine to make it a watchable and entertaining movie. The ferocious apes enslave humans on a planet in outer space, while on Earth... well I won't spoil the ending--it is rather strange. Tim Burton again succeeded in creating a dark and interesting world that can be fully appreciated only in a movie theater. I heard about the time and work that went into costumes and makeup for this movie. And let me tell you that it payed off.

While the acting is good, the characters themselves are not that memorable, with the exception perhaps of the ape's chief general who, with his sheer ferocity and unimaginable leaps through the air, leave some mark on your memory. You do not feel bored watching this world of the apes and the travails of its human subjects. The movie is entertaining.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Brainless Chase Scenes
Review: This is a pretty brainless movie. Yah it's got great costumes, and you get to see big monkeys jump around but that's about it. If you want to see a movie with OK special effects and great makeup (the apes do look great) then you'll probably enjoy this movie. BUT if you at all enjoy the original movie, you'll be screaming for Tim Burton's head half way through it. Essentially this movie is Jurrasic Park but with Apes instead of Dinosaurs.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Good, but a bit confusing
Review: Tim Burton's view of the Planet of the Apes (based on "a novel of", not THE novel by) had all of the excitement of the original, wasn't as dark as his usual fare, but lacked the social commentary that I expected. Removing the PotA mythology for a second, the movie stands on its own as a Sci-Fi flick. The imagery is nice and clean and the Apes are very well done (both as costumed and as acted characters). The plot did seem a little weak, and the interplay between characters a little too PG (some of the ideas would have been better handled as an R). What confused me was how this fit in the Planet of the Apes mythos (some of the things you expect are missing, some of the new interpretations are muddled in the explanations and events). On the plus side, Charleton Heston was a nice addition, and the Danny Elfman music worked. If you are a PotA's fanatic, you might feel like the Mission:Impossible fans and feel cheated, suspend your belief and you should like the new experience.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: boring and stupid..thank god for eye candy
Review: I have never seen the original. I never want to see the original. The film's star was the only plus of the film. I found Mark Walberg and the cast- who are all Oscar worthy (I think 4 out of 5 have been nominated)- were cheating their talent with a horrible and rushed script. The film was campy and not worth the hubub. Throughout the film, there were moments of seriousness and an attempt to pull the emtional ribbions. This ain't gonna happen! THe theater laughed at times of seriousness. I suggest you rent it unless you are a comic book toting, cult classic loving so and so... then enjoy

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: TIM BURTON'S "APES" IS MAGNIFICIENT!
Review: Tim Burton's "Planet Of The Apes" pays good homage to the original. (See if you can catch some lines from the first "Apes". Charlton Heston himself comes back as one of the apes!) If for nothing else, see it for the apes themselves. Man oh Man, that was the best makeup & costume job I've ever seen. You seriously forget that there are actors behind it all. I love the 1968 original, (Don't see the sequels, they were cheesy as heck), but Tim Burton's rendition is definitely the best of all the "Apes" movies, it gives us a very fast pace while staying true to the original novel. Despite what some people have said, I enjoyed the ending. I won't give it away, but I will say this: Can we say "FRANCHISE"!?

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: OK movie, but "reimaging" leaves alot to be desired.
Review: First of all i would like to say that i am an avid lover of the original "Apes". The newly released "reimagined" Burton film by the same name is a horribly "reimagined" example of Hollywood remakes/sequels gone wrong. My major gripes with the film are how the apes seem very wild, and at times, not civilized or advanced. Also many of the apes are ridiculously sinister. Tim Roth is a fine actor, but his "Thade" is over the top laugh out loud funny. I know he wasnt meant to be but when he is constantly using that silly gruff growling/talking voice, it is difficult not to laugh. Also his little rampage?/celebration?/hissy fit? before they go to look for the humans was very unnecessary. My 2 biggest dislikes about the movie were the lack of Dr. Zaius (no, i dont care about Giamatti's part) and the ending was lame. Not only did it not live up to the granduer of the first ending, but it was silly and confusing with no real explanation of the events. As a follow up to this movie, rent the far greater original classic.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: "Get Your dirty hands off me, you DAMN DIRTY HUMAN!!!"
Review: One hell of a film. I can't say enough how much this shocked me. I've been awaiting the arrival of "P.O.T.A." for quite some time, and was a little hesitant about it from the trailors and whatnot. I was still excited for it nonetheless. After reading the reviews from Roger Ebert and EW, which gave it fairly poor reviews, I knew it was going to rock. I mean, EW and Ebert both gave my favorite movie, "FIGHT CLUB", a pretty poor review upon it's initial release. Ever since that happened, I went with this logic: If they give it a bad review, it must be great. So I went into "P.O.T.A." with higher expectations than I really wanted to; afraid of being disappointed.

I wasn't. It surpassed all my expectations, and has quickly escalated to the top of my favorite Sci-Fi flicks. Not only was the make-up fantastic(hand Rick Baker an Oscar!), the acting of the apes was pretty damn awesome. I give all the ape-portrayers much appreciation for having to endure what they did for this film. The best ape would have to be Tim Roth, in his portrayal of Thade. Thade is unquestionably one of the besyt villains since the Joker in the original "BATMAN"(also directed by Burton, coincidence?). I hated Thade for all that he was and stood for, which in the end made him my favorite character. Helena Bonham Carter, Paul Giamatti, Michael Clarke Duncan and Cary Hiryuki-Tagawa(?) also deserve praise for their portrayals of characters. As for the humans, they didn't do as great a job. Estella Warren wasn't in it quite enough, and Mark Wahlberg did a good job, except for one delivery, inspiring the humans. Tim Burton? This guy knows how ti direct! I think that he's grown and matured from just his last film, "Sleep Hollow". One perfect example of this is a beautiful dolly near the end, going from Attar, revealing Krull.

This is definitely a film you absolutely must see before Summers end. I really loved this, and seen it twice already. I'm gonna try a third time, hopefully it won't be gone by then. There's not much to dislike about this film, contrary to what one reviewer in particular said(Jeff, I think was the name). The make-up alone is worth the price of admission, the ape-portrayals are another, and the best ending since "FIGHT CLUB" is another. Don't miss this. You'll be sorry you did.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: disappointment
Review: I am huge "Planet" fan therefore my expectations where probabably too high. Getting that out of the way, the movie is average at best, actually, I got bored. Tim Roth is the only positive. You find yourself thinking "man, i wish that would have done something different in that scene or good idea, but I wish they would have done this".

Any rate, here is my verdict. Don't rush out to see it. If you have never seen the original you will probably like it. If you are a big fan of the series you will find it disapointing. The sad truth is it may be the best big budget release this summer.


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