Subject: Review: Planet of the Apes (2001)

From: Steve Kong <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 30 Jul 2001 21:00:40 -0000

Planet of the Apes (2001)
Reviewed by Steve Kong ([email-masked])
Copyright (c) 2001 Steve Kong
URL:  http://www.ultramookie.com/reviews.php?op=showcontent&id=7

Planet of the Apes is all Tim Burton style. The movie plot is pretty 
simplistic and that is good since this is a summer movie. A pilot Leo (Mark 
Wahlberg) crashes on a plane that is ruled by apes. Humans are second class 
citizens on this planet and are treated like animals. Leo runs into a group 
of humans that he befriends, one of the humans is the beautiful Daena 
(Estella Warren). Helping this group of humans is an ape named Ari (Helena 
Bonham Carter). The plot? Humans fight for their rights on this planet and 
Leo is their saviour that fell from the sky.

Yes, there is one or two plot twists to this story and a ending that 
surprised me (thought was unsatisfying), but they story is pretty thin. So 
what is there to watch in this movie?

Simply said, The Apes. The apes in the movie upstage the humans! Tim Roth 
as the vile General Thade, Michael Clarke Duncan as Attar, and Carter as 
Ari all turn in wonderful perfomances from under all that make up. The same 
can't be said about the humans. Wahlberg is a very limited actor and it 
shows here. Watch just what little reaction he has when he encounters 
talking apes. And Warren is just there as eye candy, her part is so thin 
that if she disappeared halfway through the film I doubt anyone would miss 
it. The apes though are great! Not just because of the revolutionary make 
up that they have that lets they truly emote, but because the actors that 
play the apes are top-notch. Roth's performance is only a one note 
performance, but he plays that note well. And Carter as Ari adds some 
warmth to any otherwise bland character.

Rick Baker (Men in Black) has to be given many kudos for the work he's done 
for this movie. The ape make up is perfect. The score by Danny Elfman is 
perfection also. Every detail in this film is done to perfection and that's 
what should be watched for. It's too bad that all the perfect pieces don't 
fit together all that well. And although I enjoyed the movie and liked how 
Burton threw in the surprise ending, the movie in the end is just a 
mediocre movie -- something that's to be expected from a summer movie, but 
I expected a whole lot more out of Burton. 

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