Movielogr

Rating: 3.5 stars

All movies seen on 03/23/2014

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Planet of the Apes (2001)

Directed by Tim Burton

Science Fiction | Action | Drama

Most recently watched by lordofthemovies, vivalaserdisc, elisabethwithns, sleestakk

Overview

After a spectacular crash-landing on an uncharted planet, brash astronaut Leo Davidson 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.

Rated PG-13 | Length 120 minutes

Actors

Mark Wahlberg | Tim Roth | Helena Bonham Carter | Michael Clarke Duncan | Kris Kristofferson | Estella Warren | Paul Giamatti | Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa | David Warner | Erick Avari | Lucas Elliot Eberl | Lisa Marie | Evan Parke | Glenn Shadix | Freda Foh Shen | Chris Ellis | Anne Ramsay | Andrea Grano | Michael Jace | Michael Wiseman | Eileen Weisinger | Deep Roy | Chad Bannon | Kevin Grevioux | Isaac C. Singleton Jr. | Quincy Taylor | John Alexander | Jay Caputo | Philip Tan | Callie Croughwell | Allie Habberstad | Brett Smrz | Howard Berger | Rick Baker | Cameron Croughwell | Joshua Croughwell | Hannah Peitzman Myers | Molly Peitzman | Jesse Tipton | Shane Habberstad | Chet Zar | Linda Harrison | Eddie Adams | Todd Babcock | Lorenzo Callender | Shonda Farr | Kam Heskin | Jim Holmes | Todd Kimsey | Candace Kroslak | Joanna Krupa | Elizabeth Lackey | Mark Christopher Lawrence | Melody Perkins | Tate Taylor | Jonna Giovanna | Charlton Heston

Viewing History (seen 2 times)

Viewing Notes

An effective transformation of a drama into an action piece, with more self-aware comic relief. Mark Wahlberg’s character is underwritten; he’s simply a man going through the paces, which weakens the overall effect, and as a leading man he didn’t have the presence (at that point in his career) to compensate.

But it’s not as bad as I remembered. The production design, makeup and costumes are superior, thanks in part to the much bigger budget; it’s a more stylish production. Tim Roth and Helena Bonham Carter make for lively counterparts on opposite sides of the ape/human debate.

It also deserves points for endeavoring to tell a different origin story, which is probably why it rubbed against my grain at the time. The ending is superior to Pierre Boulle’s book, though unable to capture the devastating impact of the 1968 film.

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