Planet of the Apes (2001) 3 1/2 stars out of 4. Starring Mark Wahlberg, Tim Roth, Helena Bonham Carter, Michael Clarke Duncan, Paul Giamatti, Estella Warren, Kris Kristofferson, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, David Warner and Charlton Heston. Screenplay by William Broyles Jr. and Lawrence Konner & Mark Rosenthal. Based on the novel by Pierre Boulle. Music by Danny Elfman. Directed by Tim Burton. Rated PG-13. Approx. 2 hours
I have to say it. Tim Burton's retelling of Planet of the Apes is more fun than a barrel of monkeys.
OK, that's off my chest. No more monkey puns, I promise.
Seriously, though, Planet of the Apes is one rip-roarin' summer outing, filled with thrills, action, adventure, wit and bits of funny (dare I say, monkey) business. I know, I know, I promised.
And for those film buffs who are fond of the original, Burton's version includes a couple tips of the hat to that movie.
Mark Wahlberg stars as Capt. Leo Davidson, a deep-space pilot whose ship gets drawn into a magnetic field and hurled into the future. He crash lands on a planet where apes are the dominant species and humans are hunted, captured and sold into slavery.
Despite being darker than the original, Burton's film is not as heavy handed nor as sanctimonious.
Some of the movie's flashes of humor are surreal as well as typically Burton: An organ-grinder ape with a midget or an elderly ape taking off a wig and removing false teeth as he prepares for bed. Then there are the parents who buy a little girl as a pet for there young daughter. The seller advises the parents to get rid of the girl before she reaches puberty: "One thing you don't want in your house is a human teen-ager," he says. You don't have to be an ape to realize the truth in that statement. Touches such as these are what stamps this movie with Burton's brand.
Lines that hearken back to the original movie are sprinkled throughout: The first words spoken by an ape to Davidson as the astronaut is regaining consciousness and grabs the simian's foot to try righting himself are: "Take your stinking hand off of me, you damned, dirty human." Anyone familiar with the first version of the film will, of course, recognize the irony in that piece of dialogue.
Another of Burton's in-jokes is to have Charlton Heston, star of the original, play the chimpanzee father of Tim Roth's Gen. Thade. The young chimp goes to visit his dying father. Both have one thing in common, a hatred of humans. With his dying breath, the elder spews out his vile: "Damn them, damn them all to hell," he says before expiring. That is the famous line Heston's Taylor shouted at the conclusion of the original after discovering the planet's terrible secret.
The performances throughout are top-notch. Wahlberg plays Davidson not as some gung-ho hero, but as a confused and somewhat frightened explorer who only wants to return home. He is reluctant to lead the human rebellion; his only objective being to find a way off this upside-down planet. This hesitation is what makes his character believable and vulnerable.
Roth is ferocious, cunning, cruel and savage as the fascist chimp who wants to rid his planet of all vestiges of humanity. He leaps and bounds as if he had springs on his feet. It is a masterful turn.
Helena Bonham Carter is Ari, the chimp who believes that apes and humans can live in peace and as equals. Hers is a smart, compassionate characterization.
Michael Clarke Duncan is big and brutal as Attar the gorilla aid to Thade who blindly follows his leader until his faith is shaken.
A fine comic outing is given by Paul Giamatti as Limbo, the ape slave trader making a living off the misery of the humans he captures. As the battle between apes and humans looms, the cowardly Limbo pleads, "Can't we all just get along," echoing the words of Rodney King.
Much of the success of Planet of the Apes goes to Burton's technical crew, especially production designer Rick Heinrichs and the legendary Rick Baker who created the ape makeup.
Burton's musical collaborator, Danny Elfman, provides another fine score, though it is not as memorable as his work on Batman or Sleepy Hollow.
The movie's only letdown comes at the very end where Burton tries to outshock the finale from the 1968 original. He comes close, but falls short.
Otherwise, Planet of the Apes is what a summer movie should be: An amusement park ride filled with lots of action, stunts and a few laughs. This is one feature in which the expectations lived up to the pre-release hype.
Bob Bloom is the film critic at the Journal and Courier in Lafayette, IN. He can be reached by e-mail at bloom@journal-courier.com or at bobbloom@iquest.net. Other reviews by Bloom can be found at www.jconline.com by clicking on golafayette. Bloom's reviews also can be found on the Web at the Internet Movie Database: http://www.imdb.com/M/reviews_by?Bob+Bloom
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