"Planet of the Apes" was the movie that I was most looking forward to seeing this summer. It's a movie directed by Tim Burton, and Tim Burton is my absolute favorite director. I've seen every single one of his movies, as well as his two short films, "Vincent" and "Frankenweenie." I was kinda worried, though. All of Tim Burton's movies have that trademark of his, that "Burtonesque" quality that makes it very obvious that you're watching a Tim Burton movie. Whether it be "Batman," "Beetlejuice," "Edward Scissorhands," "Sleepy Hollow," or any other one, you know you're watching one of his movies. When I saw the trailers to "Planet of the Apes," there didn't seem to be anything Burtonesque about it. I mean, it looked fantastic, but it didn't seem like a Tim Burton movie. Well, I was right. "Planet of the Apes" is the least Burtonesque of Tim Burton's movies, and therefore, the least satisfying. I liked it, but it wasn't as good as I wanted it to be.
It's natural to compare this movie with the 1968 one it's based on. Obviously, the makeup is vastly improved (however, like the makeup for this most recent one, the makeup in the 1968 version was considered revolutionary), but I hate to say it, I might actually like the original better. Trust me, that's hard for me to admit considering my love for Tim Burton's movies, but it's the truth. Sure, this new one is bigger and badder, and it utilizes more advanced technology, but when it comes down to the most basic element, the story, I like the old one better. Please understand that I do like this movie, but I happen to prefer the original. As for it's sequels, I can't say since I haven't seen them.
The cast in this movie is very good. I really like Mark Wahlberg as an actor, and even though he probably underplays his role in this movie (to the point of being unrealistic), his presence is worthy of a leading man. His work in "Boogie Nights" was not a fluke. Michael Clarke Duncan (you may remember his Oscar-nominated role as "John Coffey" in "The Green Mile"), who is a gorilla in the movie, is very good, as is Helena Bonham Carter (she's had prominent roles in high-profile period pieces, but it was her performance in "Fight Club" that impressed me most). I don't know what kinda ape she was supposed to be, though. The only thing I didn't like about the makeup is that the female apes didn't seem like they belonged to a specific species. I like whenever I see Paul Giamatti in a movie (ever since he played "Pig Vomit" in Howard Stern's "Private Parts" movie, this guy's been getting tons of work... he's a great character actor), and as expected, he's great here. As per usual, Tim Burton found another role in one of his movies for his sexy girlfriend, Lisa Marie (she was Ichabod Crane's mother in "Sleepy Hollow," she was also the Martian girl in "Mars Attacks!"). Then there's Estella Warren, who plays a human. They had to get a hottie to make the sci-fi geeks happy, of course. Well, it worked on me! My God, that woman is amazingly sexy. Unfortunately, her role is very small, and she's almost cast aside completely. I remember her in "Driven," and I think she really CAN act. I just wish she was in this movie more. On the plus side, I don't think she's gonna have any problem finding any movie roles in the future.
The one who really blew me away was Tim Roth. Wow, the guy is terrifying! Even under all that makeup, his facial expressions are perfect. Last year, Jim Carrey gave one of the best performances of the year (as well as the most underappreciated) when he was completely unrecognizable in "How the Grinch Stole Christmas." The same can probably be said for Tim Roth this year. He should get an Oscar nomination, but he probably won't.
As you could probably already tell from the trailers and commercials, the makeup is phenomenal. Rick Baker is likely to win yet another Oscar for the makeup effects that he and his crew did for this movie. In fact, I don't think any other movie should get nominated. The makeup is far and away the best I've ever seen, and I don't see how anything else comes close to competing. If he loses the Oscar this year, it'll be highway robbery.
"Planet of the Apes" is based on the novel by Pierre Boulle (it was originally titled "Monkey Planet," but later printings were re-titled "Planet of the Apes"), which I've never read. I kinda want to, though, just to see which movie is more faithful to the book it's based on. Boulle also wrote the novel that later became the movie "The Bridge on the River Kwai."
This movie was written by William Broyles Jr. (he wrote "Cast Away" and helped write "Entrapment" and "Apollo 13") and Lawrence Konner & Mark D. Rosenthal (together they wrote "Mercury Rising," "For Love or Money," and unfortunately, "Superman IV: The Quest for Peace"... they also wrote another ape movie, Disney's "Mighty Joe Young"). The script tries, I'll give it that, but it seemed to be a lotta different things at once while never nailing any of them. There was so much social commentary, and it set up a lot, but with little payoff. They wrote a pretty entertaining movie, and they had a lot to live up to regarding the ending. Well, I'm not gonna give anything away, but despite the controversy, I LOVE the ending. Matt Drudge can go to hell, by the way.
Then there's Tim Burton. Tim Burton made a movie that looks great, has very good action scenes, and is phenominal visually, but it's not a Tim Burton movie. This isn't the kinda material that lends itself to this great director. At one time, James Cameron was gonna make this movie, and he probably woulda been a better choice. This movie does look great, but Tim Burton was not in his element.
On it's own, I like this movie. As a Tim Burton movie, it's a disappointment. As a remake, it's unnecessary. But it IS worth watching, and if nothing else, it's a movie worth talking about. Just don't give away the ending okay? I hate when people do that. CAN YOU HEAR ME, MR. DRUDGE?!?!?!
Scale of 1-10: 7