Planet of the Apes (Special Edition)
by Tim Burton
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Helena Bonham Carter, Mark Wahlberg, Michael Clarke Duncan, Paul Giamatti, Tim RothDirector: Tim Burton
Brand: Planet
Producer: Iain Smith
Producer: Katterli Frauenfelder
Producer: Ralph Winter
Writer: Lawrence Konner
Writer: Mark Rosenthal
Writer: Pierre Boulle
Writer: William Broyles Jr.
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language)
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DTS Surround Sound, DVD-Video, NTSC, Special Edition, Widescreen
Picture Format: 2.35:1
Running Time: 119 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2003-02-11
Audience Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Movie Reviews of Planet of the Apes (Special Edition)
Movie Review: Spank that monkey!
Summary: 3 Stars
Hmm, I watched this one on the telly the other day and in my view it is a better film than it gets credit for. A little more effort in filling in plot holes would have been nice though, although the ending (spoiler warning) was made as it was to spawn a sequel, it was annoying to have had them miss out on the opportunity to make an "Aperaham Lincoln" gag, which was of course mighty frustrating. The thing that annoyed me most about the film was that the humans could speak, for me, the original 1968 film had Charlton Heston's main shocking capacity to the apes, was not that he was a spaceman, but that he could talk. By having everyone being able to talk, it immediately robs Leo Davidson's character of the one thing that would have made him uniquely interesting and that bothers me. The idea that the apes and humans had originated from the crashed ruins of the Oberon was another rather elegant plot twist that impressed me, the fact that the crew reported that the revolting apes had overcome them was a little paradox however, it would have been better if the computer log had said that they were abandoning the wreckage of the ship (or the ship, I am unclear if it had crashed before the ape mutiny) and going off to found a colony somewhere. And where did the horses come from? Don't tell me that on the Oberon, the apes were doing the exploration, and presumably the horses were in charge of repairing the ship or something? A little more care and thought would have made this a decent film, but even so, it really not that bad, I enjoyed watching it for the second time (after seeing at the flicks in 2002) more than I thought I would. And one last thing, as if a big mighty gorilla would less an tiny chimp boss him around. If I was one of the gorillas, I would have told general Thade to get stuffed.
Its always hard to remake such an iconic film as Planet of the Apes, but this is a decent enough effort.
Summary of Planet of the Apes (Special Edition)
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!Billed as a "reimagining" of the original 1968 film, Tim Burton's extraordinary Planet of the Apes constantly borders on greatness, adhering to the spirit of Pierre Boulle's original novel while exploring fresh and inventive ideas and paying honorable tribute to the '68 sci-fi classic. Burton's gifts for eccentric inspiration and visual ingenuity make this a movie that's as entertaining as it is provocative, beginning with Rick Baker's best-ever ape makeup (hand that man an Oscar?!), and continuing through the surprisingly nuanced performances and breathtaking production design. Add to all this an intelligent screenplay that turns Boulle's speculative reversal--the dominance of apes over humans--into a provocative study of civil rights and civil war. The film finally goes too far with a woefully misguided ending that pays weak homage to the original, but everything preceding that misfire is astonishingly right.
While attempting the space-pod retrieval of a chimpanzee test pilot, Major Leo Davidson (Mark Wahlberg) enters a magnetic storm that propels him into the distant future, where he crash-lands on the ape-ruled planet. Among the primitively civilized apes, treatment of enslaved humans is a divisive issue: senator's daughter Ari (Helena Bonham Carter) advocates equality while the ruthless General Thade (Tim Roth) promotes extermination. While Davidson ignites a human rebellion, this conflict is explored with admirable depth and emotion, and sharp dialogue allows Burton's exceptional cast to bring remarkable expressiveness to their embattled ape characters, most notably in the comic relief of orangutan slave trader Limbo (played to perfection by Paul Giamatti). Classic lines from the original film are cleverly reversed (including an unbilled cameo for Charlton Heston, in ape regalia as Thade's dying father), and while this tale of interspecies warfare leads to an ironic conclusion that's not altogether satisfying, it still bears the ripe fruit of a timeless what-if idea. --Jeff Shannon
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