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The original 'Planet
of the Apes' film was either fantastic (if you were me) or a load
of rubbish (if you were my parents), but seeing this remake of the
60's classic just proves they did a great job in 1968.
Paul Sims
It seems to
me that the make up in the 60's version is almost as good as Tim
Burton's remake, although more attention has been focused on how
the apes move this time.
It's the one outstanding
feature that separates the two versions.
This time round Charlton Heston gets to wear the ape make up and fans
of the old film will find his few lines in this new version amusing,
if not a little contrived.
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| Tim Roth
as General Thade |
The stand out actors
are definitely Tim Roth, totally convincing as the malevolent General
Thade and Helena Bonham Carter brings a brilliant depth of character
to the human sympathiser Ari.
Considering
the original film is an apocalyptic look at what the human race
is doing to one another and the planet, this Tim Burton version
is almost the opposite. The original message is lost and replaced
by a glossy, lightweight slice of fantasy.
More explanation
is given than in the original as to how our space travelling hero,
played by Mark Wahlberg, lands on a planet ruled by apes. Which
gets rid of some of the mystique but is needed to explain events
at the end of the film. Although most of the twists and turns were
cliché and easy to see coming.
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| Helena
Bonham Carter as 'Ari' |
The basic story
has the space program in the year 2029 using genetically engineered
chimps instead of humans to conduct particularly dangerous scouting
missions.
When Leo Davidson
(Wahlberg) attempts to rescue a chimp lost in a space-time storm,
his pod is damaged and he crash lands on a strange alien world where
apes rule and humans are kept as slaves.
The sets are great and evoke a feeling of the apes ruling over a
mixed regime portraying the power of Ancient Rome and the Mongol
hordes.
If all the performances
had matched Tim Roth and especially Helena Bonham Carter then this
remake would be fantastic.
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| Ready for
action |
As it stands I'd
say I enjoyed Tim Burton's 'Planet Of the Apes'. Some performances
shine above others, attention to detail is impressive but on the
down side the make up wasn't anything special and the ending was
a bit hashed together.
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