Rating: 
Summary: That was It?!?!?
Review: Yep, that is a direct quote of a lady a few rows behind me that sums up my review. The ending hit....the entire theater goes silent...and than, "that was it?!?!" and after I stopped laughing I have to agree. The monkey makeup will win an Oscar. But you could fly a spaceship (and Marky Mark does) through the plot holes. The humans lack depth while the apes are fleshed out a little better and the ending? The film's super hyped ending fails miserbly, logically and once you see the film you'll understand that the numbers just don't add up. A pale wannabe of the orginal classic. The bulid up to the ending is at least ok but the ending leaves you flat and just does not satisfy the 2 hour long bulid up, the very defination of anticlimatic! PS I got my tickets for free, I would have really been mad if I had actually had to pay.
Rating: 
Summary: Fascinating parts were not explored deeply enough - Sequel?
Review: I thought this movie was great, top notch. I will buy the DVD, and eagerly await the next episode. I've heard nothing about the next film, but with the way this one ended, they left it wide open for the story to continue.You've by now heard all of the banter about the quality of the APE costumes and Markie Mark's acting (I liked both). I enjoyed some very different aspects to this movie and wish they would have explored them deeper: I was amazed at the obvious racism between humans and apes, and the parallels to our society (references made to a welfare state bankrupting the government). At one point the humans are reduced to serving the dinner at a household table attended by the ape society's best, General Thade, a distinguished senator and others. They are debating what needs to be done about the human uprising and what has went wrong in the past. I would have loved to have seen this explored a little deeper and let us see how the ape society worked on different levels concerning how they interacted and felt about humans. One interesting scene has a darling three year old girl being taken as a pet by General Thade's neice. The apes of this planet were descendants of the genetically selected space chimpanzees of the beginning, yet it would be fascinating to see how all of this come about (monkey evolution was referenced to in another part) Then there was the sudden and intense interaction between the young human boy and Leo. The boy wanted to take a greater role, be aggressive and accomplish something and Leo kept sending him back to mundane tasks. When he did reach out, he failed, and yet I thought it would have been nice to see him taking a bigger role in the aftermath. Other unexplored story threads were the interactions between Leo and the rest of the humans - it just didnt happen. They spoke a little bit, but the movie was so rushed there was just not enough time for them to develop any real characters. Regardless, I loved the movie and enjoyed every minute of it. The over the top antics of General Thade that was criticized in an earlier review was simply a temper tantrum in action. These apes, as explained by the cameo of Charlton Heston, were better at violent and strong action than man, and this was a good example of it. See it at the cinema, no matter how much you want to wait. This is one of those films that is incredible on the big screen. The sweeping view of the ape city was amazing, along with the Capt. Leo's massive attack on the apes. Thanks, Tim Burton, for not making this movie too weird. You could have done it, and probably wanted too, but the money people kept you on track and in control.
Rating:
Summary: Ape Lincoln
Review: Looking at this film objectively and trying not to make any comparisons to the original I found it to be just average filmmaking. The story and character development is very minimal. The denouement is just ridiculous.
Rating: 
Summary: Sometimes You Have To Ask Yourself A Question...
Review: After the original film of the same title and it's numerous sequels, you have to ask the question, did the world really need another version? Even with the advancements in technology and special effects since Charlton Heston first landed on the planet, it's kind of like an aging actor getting yet another face-lift; it looks good but it just can't recapture that original beauty, no matter how good the surgeon is. And 'Planet of the Apes' couldn't have had a better man to hold the scalpel, but even director Tim Burton couldn't make this one any more than what it is, an imaginative adventure story that basically just puts a new face on something tried and true. It looks great, and the atmosphere Burton created fairly crackles; but as a story, we've been there, done that, and even with a slightly different twist at the end, this one simply does not have much to add, with the exception that the apes really look good. But does being able to showcase make-up and F/X wizards justify resurrecting this one? I guess the bottom line is, this movie's going to make a killing at the box office. It all begins on a space station where some highly advanced chimps are being trained to go into space and do amazing things. One of those in charge of these wannabe astronauts is Leo Davidson (Mark Wahlberg), and when his special ward, Pericles, is launched and lost in a huge electrical storm, Leo jumps into a space capsule and takes it upon himself to go where no man has gone before. He quickly gets swallowed up by the storm himself, and after some exceptionally good visual effects, he not only gets spewed out onto an unknown planet, but he's some four to five hundred years into the future. He emerges from his landing with nary a scratch, but after barely having enough time to catch his breath or get his bearings, he finds himself caught up in the middle of some kind of hunt, and the prey happens to be humans. And it's then, of course, that he discovers that something is terribly wrong here. Apes are the hunters, and they seem to be in charge of everything. He readily discerns that there doesn't seem to be much percentage in attempting a parley at this juncture, intelligent as the marauding primates appear to be, so he opts for that which is often the better part of valor: He runs. And the adventure begins in earnest. If this movie had to be made (which obviously, it did) at least the right man ended up in the director's chair, because Burton has a way creating a look and a mood that suits this kind of material perfectly, just as he did with 'Batman,' 'Sleepy Hollow' and 'Edward Scissorhands' (just to name a few). But there just isn't that much story here. It's an incredible journey, to be sure, but it's just not fresh enough to maintain interest for very long, even as good as it looks and exciting as it gets. And, whereas the original had something of a message about the miasmatic direction society was headed, about the only message here is the one that can be found in the 'Cha-ching!' of the cash register. As the hero of the tale, Wahlberg comports himself well enough, but in all fairness, this wasn't a role that required much emoting. Basically, if he could run well and look alternately confused and determined, the part was his. He did and it was. And to his credit, he did it very well. Character development was unnecessary for the purposes of this film, so with Leo, what you see is what you get. No surprises, and you never really get to know much about who this guy is or what makes him tick-- but it doesn't make any difference. He's the hero, he cares about his chimp, and that's all you have to know. Helena Bonham Carter does a terrific job as Ari, the Ape who champions the cause of the humans, in whom she sees a value beyond the level of degradation to which her peers have consigned them. Of all of those in the cast, she actually manages to do some acting, and she does it exceptionally well, expressing herself much better than what anyone would have the right to expect here, especially taking the cumbersome make-up into consideration. You cannot help, however, getting a sense that this is what it would have been like had Merchant/Ivory made 'Gorillas In the Mist.' As General Thade, the ruthless military leader of the apes, Tim Roth adds a villain to his resume that is quite unlike any he's played before and, like Bonham Carter, actually gives a remarkable and agile performance, all things considered. The supporting cast includes Michael Clarke Duncan (Attar), Kris Kristofferson (Karubi), Estella Warren (Daena), Paul Giamatti (providing some comic relief as Limbo, the slave trader),Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa (Krull) and features a clever cameo by Charlton Heston. Taken at face value for the action/adventure film it is, 'Planet of the Apes' is entertaining, but lacks the substance of the original and may be disappointing to anyone hoping for anything more than a visually engaging foray into a kind of twilight zone of the new millennium. For what it is, it's well made and delivered; it just seems that the talent involved with this project could have been better served elsewhere.
Rating: 
Summary: Perfect, with the exception of the ending
Review: The movie was a wonderful thrill ride, and had lots of action and imagination. During the movie (up untill the last 3 minutes) I was wondering why it had recieved such horrible reviews. Then, however, came the ending. It was pretty ridiculous. They should have ended the movie when Mark took off from the planet. But they had to go on! The whole "ape's face on Lincolns face" was very stupid and made it seem like a comedy, which, up untill the end, it would never be considered. I choose to forget the ending and live without it. And, with that done, it is a very good movie. The monkeys, not to mention the dark faced apes, could be very fierce and sometimes freaky, which gave it a real sense of adventure. My advice: see it, because it is really good, but forget the ending.
Rating:
Summary: A Real Sci-Fi Story.
Review: I loved the Tim Burton's version of "Planet of The Apes". It fits the mold for really good science fiction. In the 1968 version, one of the underlying themes was a warning against the use of nuclear weopons. In this version (if I got it right), the warning seems to be against space travel and mankind's tampering with unknown forces that perhaps should never be touched. The beginning scenes set that premise up perfectly. Mark Wahlberg's character (Leo Davidson) made sense and fit the action of the film very well. He's not a leader (though the enslaved humans saw him as such) and he truly wants off the ape planet. As for the ending, it seemed to build towards the idea set in the beginning of the film. I'll agree that the writing could have had a little more depth. But as action/sci-fi, it really hit the mark for me. I've seen it twice and will return a third and forth time soon. I really enjoyed this film.
Rating:
Summary: Good movie and great action scenes!
Review: I liked this movie. The end battle is pretty cool. I thought the ending was weird, and I kinda want to see the original now. Well, good job Tim Burton!
Rating:
Summary: Great Visuals, Lame Script.
Review: Tim Burton has proved again and again that he is a marvelous craftsman. His movies always have this tremendously artistic appearance. They are a spectacular vision of the imagination and they are seamlessly fused together with a distinctive appearance that is instantly recognizable. But one has to seriously wonder why he doesn't bother to attach his unmatched creative abilities to the work of a competent writer. In "Planet of the Apes," there is this extremely frustrating conflict between great potential and consistantly missed opportunities. On the surface, everything is truly beautiful. It is easy to just sit back and be dazzled by the perfectly crafted visuals. When Mark Wahlberg is introduced to the mysterious planet he crashes on, his experience is mirrored by excessively dark compositions that heighten the anxiety and sense of forboding that is the halmark of the "Planet of the Apes" franchise. However, Burton's addition is to add flashes of light that expose pieces of brilliant color against the darkness, both on the Apes grotesque body armor and within the faces of the terrified humans. In years past, a scene like this would have been little more than a muddled cloud, in Burton's hands, the sequence is an artistic composition, and it is far more effective for this meticulous handling. However, even though Burton's efforts make the film look great, you can tell he simply has no concern for any other component of his art form. The actors are visibly left to interpret scenes on their own and some of the choices they make in delivering their lines are clearly inapropriate. Fortunately, Marky Mark isn't given all that much to do, and he is pretty adequate (think the bewildered Keanu Reeves in The Matrix--an expression he has down pat) but the extremely talented Helena Bonham Carter is allowed a little too much self-indulgence. On the other hand, Tim Roth is absolutely perfect and he steals every scene much like he single-handedly took over "Rob Roy" several years ago. His costume is also the most genuine as well as his half-monkey half-human swaggering gate. The main problem with the movie is that it is way to content to make "cutesy" references to the prior movies and doesn't bother to make any kind of social comment whatsoever. When Charlton Heston shows up disguised appropriately as an ape and gives a refrain of his famous speech from the original but this time directed at the humans, people chuckle to show their own cleverness in picking up on irony rather than because they actually felt any amusement at the scene. What is most infuriating is that you have all these wonderful potential metaphors walking around. The movie could have so easily turned into a comment against racism, slavery, sexism, a philosophical examination of humanity, or even a futeristic version of "Braveheart" with Wahlberg in the Willam Wallace role. Instead, it is more like "Rambo III" without three fourths of the action, I don't even know what all the dialogue was meant to accomplish except to display the fact that the monkeys can move their mouths really well (far better than the old movie anyway). But still, even without any real plot or purpose of any kind, this movie is pretty cool to look at, and if you really buy a ticket for a summer blockbuster like this with the intention of seeing something highly intellectual, then you're the ape.
Rating:
Summary: It pains me to say this...
Review: ...It's hard for me to talk badly about a Tim Burton movie. It's very hard. But I'll do it. The "re-imagining" (can we say "buzzword"?) of the classic allegory is pretty much what was expected out of a summer blockbuster. Action, romance, visual flair, and a twist ending (along with Burton's talent) should have made for one ... of an adventure. But alas, all is not well in Apetown. To begin with the pros, the aesthetics are superbly done. Costuming, sets, and the apes themselves are believable as apes, not as actors. The city/habitat looks especially vibrant, in a weird Neo-Gothic way. Unfortunately, "Apes" has a deluge of snafus. The crux of any movie, a process called "acting", seems to be slightly disregarded. Tim Roth appears to be the only one having fun here, hamming it to the extreme as the maniacal General Thade. Roth simply steals every scene he's in. The action scenes are for the most part, poorly and muddily shot. The climactic battle royale has one of the most cop-out resolutions in recent memory. "Apes" is so caught up in plot that nothing is ever fleshed out, much less the central conflict. Yes, this reviewer realizes there probably will be a sequel or sequels to this. Still, that's no reason for the ending, which managed to be both nonsensical and offensive. I find it hard to believe I wasted an hour and a half and twenty bucks (including snacks and my date) on this tripe. Sorry, Tim. We all have our "off" days.
Rating:
Summary: Ejoyable, but tries to do too much.
Review: This movie's biggest problem is that it tries to tell the audience in an extremely short amount of time how all of these apes came about. In the originall, we never really knew why everything is the way it is. A concept like this is way to complicated to try and cram into one movie. In the 70's, they practically dedicated 2 entire movies to the origins of these apes. There are so many plot holes that could have been avoided if they hadn't tried to tell us EVERYTHING. Oh well, it's still fun.
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