Review – Planet of the Apes (2001)

Tim Burton gives the old monkey a fresh spanking with this effects-intensive outing that combines homage to the original with a considerable number of new bends and turns. The apes look a lot more like real apes this time around, and the costumes and sets are a lot more sophisticated. Unfortunately, as if to achieve some sort of balance, the plot and characters are a good deal less interesting than the original. Burton does an okay job but not much more. Mark Wahlberg mails in his performance as the stranded hero from another time and place, and most of the rest of the cast is stuck emoting like crazy just to get around their monkey makeup. In particular Helena Bonham Carter’s efforts are undone by the decision to use her ape character as one of the movie’s two love interests, and the whole inter-species thing doesn’t work in a big way. The overall result is entertaining but nowhere near as good as it should have been considering all the talent that went into it both in front of and behind the camera. Mildly amusing