Rating: 
Summary: General Thane Steals the Show
Review: First thing that grabbed me was the music. From the first few notes, I knew I had to come online to get the soundtrack....a few moments later I knew why..that Danny Elfman can sure set the mood. We'll see him on Oscar nite. Genuinely amazing makeup on the monkeys...oops I mean apes. Just cut the formalities and give Rick Baker the Oscar now for his incredible job transforming actors into apes with so much expression it's uncanny. Stunning job! Tim Roth as General Thane scared the ever-loving hell outta me. More menacing and dangerous than any onscreen villian I can remember, I cringed every time he was on the screen. He exuded barely contained rage, like a smouldering powderkeg, every time he was onscreen. Seeing Roth play this role to the hilt was worth every penny of my admission price. Much comic relief in this remake. Incredibly expressive comic performance from Paul Giamatti as Limbo the slave trader - great acting - he had me rolling. Helena Bonham Carter was much too pretty to be a chimp. I liked the minor subplot of jealousy between her and Daena (Estella Warren) over the spaceman who fell from the sky. Nothing was ever spoken about it, but a few exchanged looks and expressions said everything - nice acting job, ladies. From the first few words uttered from the character of Thane's dying father - my brain started to whir - I know that voice. My jaw dropped when I realized it was Chuck Heston underneath the old ape makeup! What a great tribute to the original. Chuck was fantastically mesmerizing for the few minutes he was onscreen. Great great great supporting cast. Loved the rivalry between the two older warrior silverbacks. They were truly the heart of this struggle. I hope you've noticed my lack of mention of Mark Wahlberg here. But if you got nothing nice to say then don't say anything at all, right? Wrong. But there was so much great action and character development around him that you hardly notice. Not even his wooden performance could drop this movie to less than 5 stars. The ending definitely leaves room for a sequel. This movie is going to be a blockbuster, so I guess it's inevitable. Let's just hope Wahlberg's character gets killed early in the next installment. Gotta stop writing now and go see this one again!
Rating:
Summary: The best movie I saw in years.
Review: Usally I dont like to wacth movies but when I saw the preview of planet of the apes I knew it was going to be a good movie from the start.I was impressed of how the makeup artist made the charaters look like real apes.I had a little thought that they were real apes but they was just talking.Mark Wahlberg, is a very good acter he shows a lot of courage in the movie.Just like Tim Burton,he's a very outstanding director for directing planet of the apes.
Rating: 
Summary: HORRIBLE!!!
Review: I saw the movie just last night and boy was I, and most of the people in the theatre, dissapointed. The most glaring problem is that Mark Wahlberg CANNOT carry the movie by himself. He was "perfect" in "The Perfect Storm" mainly because, 1) the character suited him perfectly, and 2) he had George Clooney as the main lead. In this movie, he walks around as if nothing surprises him, no reactions of any substantial, nothing but a slight sneer when the "Apes" hit him one too many times. The plot is absurd, the flow of the movie is choppy, and the main character on the "Apes" side walks (jumps) around as if he is always [angry], no range of emotions, nothing but anger for the whole movie! Absurd again. The main scene of the "Apes vs. the Humans" near the end is disjointed and ends up being a huge letdown, and the final part of the movie, the "surprise ending" is the most insane, imcomprehensable, mind boggling, and ultimately dumb scene I have ever seen in a motion picture. ... It made NO sense whatsoever. I truly was looking forward to this movie. While a fan of the original I was not "a nut" for it, and always enjoy a good science fiction film. But this! ... The way the ending went in this movie, they should call it "Planet of the Dopes." PS: See it for yourself, but try and get a free ticket. ...
Rating: 
Summary: Planet of the Apes - Balance begets insanity...
Review: Well, the mega-super-conglomorate blockbuster Planet of the Apes has been released at last, and I feel that is call for a review. Tim Burton's "re-imagining" is, for the most part, a thrill ride that carries many of the undertones of the original movie and the novel by Pierre Boulle. However, many of the messages displayed here can only be found by keen insight, a most unfortunate development. Mark Wahlberg (The Perfect Storm) has really blossomed in his film career, but this almost seems to be a direct slap against him, which made me dislike his performance. He was a completely different character than Charleton Heston's original, but the screenwriters still felt the need to incorporate the same redundant speeches and feelings from the original. If he had, perhaps, a bit more depth and complexity, I would have cared about him more. Tim Roth, by contrast, who plays the prominent General Thade of the apes, gives perhaps the best performance in the movie. This not only makes you hate him more, but you also begin to see his thought processes and struggle for power. Well, the part I most hated about the film has to be the surprise ending, which I won't reveal here, but, suffice it to say that it truly left me with a bad taste in my mouth (and I'm sure that wasn't the popcorn). Granted, it makes a good point, but can't we at LEAST be greated with a happy ending by the end of this thrill ride. I know, the original didn't have a happy ending, but this one could easily have been given one. -- Insane Asylum }:-0 "Double basted with barbecue sauce"
Rating:
Summary: Planet of the Apes
Review: The movie was waste of my time the trailer led me on to believing the movie was something it was'nt. Personally I will tell everyone who wishes to see this movie that diging a hole in your back yard would be more fun.
Rating:
Summary: bad bad bad bad bad bad bad bad bad bad
Review: this film is so amazingly bad it boggles the mind. the story is truly boring with a plot that resembles a costume soap opera rather than a summer block buster action flick. it seems like marky mark is either playing the same character in boogie nights, or that he's just playing himself. the social message about the apes is confused by a dual metaphore; half the time the apes represent how humans treat other animals, the other half the apes represent black people and slavery. when marky mark reluctantly kisses the ape lady, we dont know if its an inter racial thing or a beastiality thing.
Rating:
Summary: Terribly disappointing :(
Review: Being a big fan of the original film and Tim Burton's work to date, I looked with anticipation on this re-make. What a disappointment! The scenery and makeup are fantastic but the screenplay is awful. Mark Wahlberg is given the impossible task of bringing a poorly written character to life & is unsuccessful. Helen Bonham Carter fares a little better but is severely limited by the writers and poor acting by Warren. Some of the lines are so trite or cliche, the audience erupted in laughter. And then there's the ending...awful, awful, awful. This is probably one of the worst films I've seen in the last year and I'm usually pretty easy to please. Save yourself & go see Shrek again...or pre-order the original on DVD.
Rating:
Summary: Serious Art, No!, Great Sci-Fi: Yes!!!
Review: This movie is a triumph for Tim Burton, and his Apes. It is a story that needs to be told darkly (unlike Burton's macabre take on Christmas) and Burton is masterful at it. In particular, General Thade, the movie's central antagonist is a meanicing character. Thade, a direct descendant of the Ape planet's first son [AKA Adam], is a human hating, ego-manical wannabe dicator. He is anxious to grab power and destroy the hated human population. Burton enhances the drama of this character by giving him a swager, and a bit of a snort, that seems realistic for an Ape, and is effectively scary. This is a story that is best enjoyed if the audience makes allowances at times for a plot that is necessarilly unrealistic. I mean, come on, it is the "Plant of the Apes!" So when Walberg time travels not once, but twice, those of you seeking complete realism will grind your teeth. But if you thought the Star Wars trilogy was realistic enough, you'll definitely be comfortable watching "Planet". Burton's Apes are the best part, and most interesting part, of the movie. The costuming is uncanningly realistic. And when the movie depicts Ape hatred of humans, or Ape political machinations around "human rights" it is at it's best. The movie slips from time to time into cute one liners. This makes it effective popular entertainment, but burns away any hope that some might have, at a serious movie. An inherent weakness of the film is that the issue of race is less pressing in 2001, then it was in 1967 when the original "Planet" was made. The plot seems less daring, less cutting edge, then the original. This forces the movie to rely more on modern costuming and special effects, which it does very well, to impress the audience. But, "Planet's" commentary on modern socio-political issues is also necessarily updated, but the movies does this less well. The movie quickly falls into the all too familiar "hollyweird" liberal worldview. The kindly female Ape that supports "human emancipation" is clearly identified with modern liberalism. And the movie's antagonist, General Thade, uses a somewhat edited Barry Goldwater quote. "Extremism in the defense of [Apes] is no vice" ... Hollywood, as usual, portrays their contemporary politics (& politicians) as the good guys, and Republicans as the bad ones . ... Having said that, Taylor -- or should I say, Charlton Heston, makes a cameo appearance in this movie. The scene is superbly acted, helps move the plot, and is chock full of ironic humor. First, Heston is an Ape, unlike Taylor, who of course was the original Planet's "Space Man". Next, Heston repeats a famous line from the original movie but it has a completely different meaning (I'm not going to give it away here, but it's definitely ironic). And finally, this Heston scene culminates with a gun being used to prove the barbarity of humans. ... If you liked the original "Planet" movies, or loved Star Trek, or just like Sci-Fi thrillers, this is a great movie for you. It is an updated, modern remake, of the original "Planet". Burton makes his Apes realistic and terrifying. True, the human scenes are not complellng and are not well written. The realism of the plot could have been improved. And yes, the politics of the movie, is a bit of liberal conventional wisdom. But, it is a fun movie, without bad language or gratutious sex and violence. I recommend it.
Rating: 
Summary: Good Points, But Too Many Bad Ones To Save It
Review: First, let me state that I have *not* seen the original 1968 'Planet of the Apes' film, so I am judging this 2001 release on its own merits - no comparisons. As a summer-time, sci-fi action movie, the film does o.k., but it really falters in dialogue, acting, and (dare I say it) direction. Mark Walhberg, who is quite a capable actor, is *very* flat as an astronaut named Davidson, who is working closely with monkeys on a space station in the year 2029. The opening scenes on board the space station are unintentionally funny, as the lines are pretty bad, and the acting worse. When a weird sort of vortex opens up near the station, a chimp is sent to investigate. It gets into trouble, and so Davidson valiantly goes to its rescue. He gets caught in a rift in the vortex, is shot forward 4,000 years, and crash lands onto a planet mostly populated by highly intelligent, verbal, quasi-civilized apes. They hunt down humans, who are no better than slaves to them, and Davidson is soon caught and put in a sort of prison. Helena Bonham-Carter plays Ari, an ape sympathetic to the humans, and as her father is a powerful senator, she can get away with her outward acceptance of mankind. Tim Roth plays an evil general, Thade, who is hell-bent on wiping out the humans, and Michael Clarke Duncan is his *very* loyal sidekick, Attar. Davidson soon escapes, with the help of Ari, and many other humans blindly follow them. Thade and Attar are in hot pursuit. The visuals for the film are well-done. The Ape City (or whatever it's called) is a nice set-piece, and the apes themselves are wonderfully rendered by make-up artist Rick Baker. Many of the scenes of the apes chasing the humans are somewhat scary, and the settings used evoke a good sense of atmosphere. The actors confined in the ape suits do a nice job with their roles. Unfortunately, those are the only good points to the movie. Where 'Planet of the Apes 2001' fails is mainly in the plot/writing, and *somewhat* in the direction. The Davidson character isn't really a very sympathetic hero - in fact, he can't really be called a hero at all. In the first scenes on the space station, he isn't exactly glowing with warmth for the monkeys. One character even notes that he tries to tease them too much. But then, when the monkey sent out to investigate the vortex falls into danger, Davidson RISKS HIS LIFE to go save it. Huh? Then, when he crash lands on the planet of the apes, he is *totally* concerned with getting *himself* free and off the planet, *not* with the plight of the other humans - this, after he risked his life to save a monkey. The other humans simply seem to have invited themselves along with his escape. Of course, during the climactic battle, he stands with everyone, but that is more out of necessity than anything else. The writing in certain spots (mostly the scenes involving humans) is pretty bland. Some of the lines are actually kind of embarrasingly simple. I know this is a summer movie, but it manages to fall short, even in *that* genre. Tim Burton's directing is pretty even-handed, except that the part of the film which falls between Davidson and the human's escape from Ape City, and the final climactic battle seems to drag-on too long. It gets really slow, and could have been tightened up a bit. There are also problems with the apes themselves. For one, it is revealed (after the audience has probably already guessed it) that the apes are descended from the monkeys on Davidson's space station. Now, I'm no evolution major, but *that* kind of advancement CAN NOT happen over the course of the 4,000 year time frame which is laid down to us. And another thing: Attar (the loyal ape to Thade) is *very* religious. At the first inkling that his religion might have some holes in it, he is quicker to abandon it than a rat on a sinking ship. That kind of faith shattering just does not happen (believably, anyway) that quickly. And, finally, we come to the "shocking ending", which, from what I gather, many people find suitable. I did not. Gosh darn it, I've tried, but I just can't see how it works into ANY part of the rest of the movie. It makes NO SENSE whatsoever, except to serve as a "shocking ending", and a possible lead-in to a sequel. Well, there you have it. Maybe the whole point of this movie went over my head. Maybe I missed things. Maybe I over-analyzed it. Or maybe, just maybe, it was a bad movie with a few good spots to make it watchable. Maybe.
Rating:
Summary: "Hi-Tech" Apes
Review: I'm sure everyone has seen the Planet of the Apes series atleast once. This is not one to miss out on. Without spoiling too much for everyone: The story is slightly different from the original. Just enough to give it it's own, unique flare, the characters names are different, along with (some of) their personalities. It takes an interesting mission, spins it, and creates a wonderful, yet somewhat unsuspecting story woven into the familar background that we all know- the original. Man vs Apes vs predjurist. If you enjoy any of Tim Burton's movies, sci fi or any in the "Apes" series itself, this is definately something to see!
| 
