I have never seen the original movies on which this remake is based, so I
cannot make a reasonable comparison but from the perspective of a sci-fi
fan, Planet of the Apes is both a fascinating and memorable foray
into the "what if" of a different society. It's a different take for
director Tim Burton and one that, while slow at the start, contains both
memorable characters and great battle sequences.
The year is 2029 and the space ship Oberon has encountered an unusual storm
in the outer reaches of the galaxy. Rather than risk the life of one of
their human pilots, they choose to send a trained ape instead but in the
midst of his maneuvers, his craft veers off course and vanishes into the
electrical current. Determined not to leave him behind and find out the
origins of the storm, Captain Leo Davidson (mark Wahlberg) goes against the
orders of his superior officer and launches a pod in pursuit. Within
seconds, he loses contact, flies out of control, and makes a crash landing
on a nearby planet. Ejecting from the pod and making his way to land, Leo is
astounded to find himself in the midst of a futuristic society in which
humans are enslaved to intelligent, super-advanced apes.
Herded along with the beautiful Daena (Estella Warren) and the other prisoners into
a cage, Leo and his companions are sold to a money-grubbing slave trader
named Limbo (Paul Giamatti). His ill-treatment of them draws the attention of Ari
(Helena Bonham-Carter), a human rights activist who offers to take the
troublemakers off his hands. Leo finds a kindred spirit in his new owner but
wants to return to his pod and await the arrival of his ship. His escape
earns the unwanted attention of Thade (Tim Roth), a brutal general who has been
hoping for an excuse to wipe out the humans once and for all. Not knowing
the original series I cannot say whether or not the plots are exactly the
same, but from what I understand there have been a few modifications and a
dramatic change to the ending that is more in keeping with the book.
One of the most interesting things about the production is that underneath
all the prosthetics, you can tell the actors at a glance. Somehow, the
makeup team have managed to keep enough of the facial expressions and eye
movements of the cast to make them impossibly realistic and what's more,
charming. Helena is absolutely beautiful (who would have ever thought an ape
could be beautiful?) as the spirited Ari, and I must admit to being
impressed with Giamatti. He customarily is cast in much more serious roles
but here provides the comic relief and his wide-eyed expressions are
priceless. Other cast members are adequate, but Roth is brilliant as the
bitter Thade and Charlton Heston makes an appearance as his father
(ironically, the former NRA president bestows him with a automatic weapon).
I didn't realize Heston was involved but would have known him anywhere, even
under all the make-up.
Burton has a technique and style that veer from the norm and interestingly
enough, this is one of his most "normal" projects. The look of the film is
very different from his artsy productions and I might not have known he was
involved if it were not for the beautiful close-ups and little Burton
touches here and there. I did find the first ten or fifteen minutes a bit
dull but once the pod crash lands the plot takes off. I was surprised how
charming and intricate the civilization of the apes was, how human their
behavior. There are messages about racism and hatred, but also a few things
that might make Christians wince. There is a religious aspect that involves
the apes praying to their god, who made them in his image. Their mythology
about their origins and birthplace turns out to be something scientific,
which makes their deity no more than a clever deception by one of their
former ape leaders. Some consider this an assault on organized religion and
Christianity in particular, but I was not too offended by it.
There is a lot of battle violence and humans are abused by their masters --
they are punched, kicked, stabbed, bludgeoned, and beaten. Thade murders two
of his guards and slashes a man from behind. In a battle sequence in which
most of the impact is unseen, a man has his neck snapped. Humans and apes
are branded with a hot iron. Three abuses of Jesus' name and mild
profanities are involved. There's some flirting between an ape woman and her
husband but their mischievous mating dance is interrupted. Daena wears
rather revealing clothing. Some of the minor plot points are never fully
explained and the ending has generated a lot of confusion among casual and
long-time fans. I think the reason I liked it so much is the sheer
creativity involved and the interest it contains in creating a completely
different society than what we are accustomed to seeing. It may not be for
everyone, but it certainly entertained me.
