Planet Of The Apes
Main Cast
- Mark Wahlberg is Captian Leo Davidson
- Tim Roth is General Thade
- Helena Bonham Carter is Ari
- Michael Clarke Duncan is Attar
Director: Tim Burton
Rating:
Worth
a watch.
Plot Summary: Astronaut Captain Leo Davidson (Mark Wahlberg) crash lands on an unknown planet after his small space shuttle gets caught up in an electromagnetic storm. When he struggles from the wreckage he is captured by apes and quickly learns that apes rule the planet and that humans are slaves. He is determined to escape and get back home but General Thade (Tim Roth), a ferocious ape, who is the leader of the military will stop at nothing to prevent him…
Review: This science fiction action movie is based on ideas from the original Planet Of The Ape movies and considering that the ideas for the story already existed this movie is a little disappointing. It is hard not to feel that it could have been a lot better. It is a bit of a cliché but there were some missed opportunities in the movie. For example the apes appear very quickly after Leo Davidson crash lands and the opportunity to build up some suspense to introducing the apes is missed. Another was the opportunity to develop the attraction felt by Ari (Helena Bonham Carter), one of the sympathetic apes, towards Davidson.
I wasn’t too keen on the ending but I don’t want to ruin the story so I won’t say what happens!
On the plus side the portrayal of the apes is brilliant. It is nearly possible to forget that the “apes” are actors “dressed up”. As well as talking these apes also do a lot of realistic snarling, grunting, climbing, jumping and chest beating. The makeup is excellent and allowed for a lot more facial expressions that the original movies. The fact that each “ape” is made up differently also helps. There are a variety of young, middle-aged, old, humorous, gentle, sympathetic, aggressive and ferocious chimps and gorillas.
Tim Roth is brilliant as the snarling, ferocious General Thade who rules by fear. Helped by some great makeup he is genuinely scary and really makes a first class villain.
Mark Wahlberg wasn’t the ultimate hero. I’d have to think twice about following him into battle against the gorilla storm troopers! Wahlberg’s character Leo Davidson is less of a hero for his single-minded self-interest in getting home and his disinterest in what happens to the oppressed humans.
Helena Bonham Carter is good in the role of Ari who is sympathetic towards the humans and who still manages to express her feminine charms in spite of being made up like a chimp!
Look out for Charlton Heston who starred in the original movie and who has a brief part as Thade’s dying father.
Lasting thought: In the future will the only apes that exist live in Zoos and Laboratories?
Reviewed by Niall Quinn 2001