I don't think this inept script could have ever been produced without
the name of Tim Burton behind it. Science fiction aficionados
should take note that, unlike the original PLANET OF THE APES,
this non-remake makes no effort to lay any kind of logical
connection between the different time frames alluded to in the plot.
If you have ever seen any time travel films before, even mediocre
ones, you will have come to expect some logical inconsistencies
(reflecting that time travel is theoretically impossible in the first
place), but Burton seems intent on simply giving the finger to any
semblance of logic here. If you haven't seen the film yet, you have
probably been told to expect a surprise ending; I would tell you to
expect a surprisingly stupid ending that is surprisingly insulting to
the audience's intelligence.
Burton's fondness for dark sets is apparent here, but instead of
the decadent, wildly overgrown urban landscape of his Gotham
City, all you get here is sensory deprivation and an urge to nod off
during one of the film's frequent and lengthy periods of inactivity.
The ape makeup, which was groundbreaking at the time of the
original film, has not really improved much. Some of it is quite
good (Tim Roth as Thade), but it is otherwise uneven, as is the
acting.
Burton makes much of the difference in strength and agility
between apes and humans, but the way he shows this is not by
endowing the apes with natural animal-like grace, but by loading
them onto hidden catapults and launching them into the scene. It's
laughable.
The DVD has a few extras, including commentary by Tim Burton
and Danny Elfman, but I got the best laugh from the cast bio
section, which gives page after page of gushing plaudits for
Burton's untalented girlfriend, Lisa Marie, who is alleged to have
appeared in the film. Darned if I could find her though. Jeez, what
_won't_ Burton stoop to to keep his bed warm!
Rating: 3/10.
the name of Tim Burton behind it. Science fiction aficionados
should take note that, unlike the original PLANET OF THE APES,
this non-remake makes no effort to lay any kind of logical
connection between the different time frames alluded to in the plot.
If you have ever seen any time travel films before, even mediocre
ones, you will have come to expect some logical inconsistencies
(reflecting that time travel is theoretically impossible in the first
place), but Burton seems intent on simply giving the finger to any
semblance of logic here. If you haven't seen the film yet, you have
probably been told to expect a surprise ending; I would tell you to
expect a surprisingly stupid ending that is surprisingly insulting to
the audience's intelligence.
Burton's fondness for dark sets is apparent here, but instead of
the decadent, wildly overgrown urban landscape of his Gotham
City, all you get here is sensory deprivation and an urge to nod off
during one of the film's frequent and lengthy periods of inactivity.
The ape makeup, which was groundbreaking at the time of the
original film, has not really improved much. Some of it is quite
good (Tim Roth as Thade), but it is otherwise uneven, as is the
acting.
Burton makes much of the difference in strength and agility
between apes and humans, but the way he shows this is not by
endowing the apes with natural animal-like grace, but by loading
them onto hidden catapults and launching them into the scene. It's
laughable.
The DVD has a few extras, including commentary by Tim Burton
and Danny Elfman, but I got the best laugh from the cast bio
section, which gives page after page of gushing plaudits for
Burton's untalented girlfriend, Lisa Marie, who is alleged to have
appeared in the film. Darned if I could find her though. Jeez, what
_won't_ Burton stoop to to keep his bed warm!
Rating: 3/10.
