Battle of The Planet of the Apes (Planet Of The Apes [2001] (DVD))

Member Name: Crazy-Christian

Product:	Planet Of The Apes [2001] (DVD)
Date:	20/08/01 (52 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Tim Burton's vision, great designs, special effects

Disadvantages: Not as exciting as it could be, although never dull

Is it ever right to mess about with a classic? That question has been facing Tim Burton for the past couple of years. Obviously, he thought it was worth the risk as he took on this project, not a remake but rather a "re-imagining". The warning signs are clearly there when the producers have to start inventing new terms to describe what sort of a film it will be in relation to the original.

Several other directors, including Ridley Scott, had given up the task as unworkable. The original movie was a big success and has stood the test of time rather well. What is the point in doing it all over again? Can you imagine a remake of Casablanca, with Russell Crowe as Rick and Juliette Binoche in the Ingrid Bergman role? Or how about a new version of Gone With The Wind, starring Mel Gibson and Julia Roberts? Would it be any good? Perhaps, but it would be difficult to tell as we would constantly be comparing it to the original.

Well, as usual, the answer is money. There is no artistic reason, no matter what the producers might argue. Franklin J. Schaffner and Charlton Heston did the job perfectly well the first time. But, Universal know that they have a hit commodity on their hands. Rather than risk millions of dollars developing a new script that might result in a movie that nobody wants to see, better to rehash an old idea that will have an expectant audience, interested to see it no matter what. Of course, as cynical as I might be, I still couldn’t wait to see the movie! Tim Burton. Planet of the Apes? Bring it on!

I am writing this section in anticipation of viewing the film this evening. The expectations of the fan base are a trifle high, I think it is safe to assume. No doubt it will look fantastic, Tim would never deliver less than that, and Rick Baker’s apes will be incredible, I’m sure, but will the story work, how much will it change, will the actors be right, and can they come up with a satisfactory and simi
larly shocking ending as that in the original?

Well, those questions have now been answered.

I tried to avoid reviews of this film before going to see it but failed miserably, coming across three inadvertently. They all hated it. Undeterred, I tried to keep an open mind and at this, at least, I can report a better success rate. I thoroughly enjoyed this movie.

Tim Burton is a fascinating director and a favourite of mine. He has made great films like Beetlejuice, Batman, and the Eds, Wood and Scissorhands. He has also made some visually intriguing but ultimately unsatisfying failures such as Mars Attacks and Batman Returns. (I haven’t made up my mind about Sleepy Hollow, yet.) Burton’s vision is unique. He is an artist and his films always provide excellent eye candy if nothing else. The world he presents in this movie lives up to his previous efforts. But if you thought Batman was dark, wait until you see this!

The ape society is more believably portrayed than in the original movie. It is more jungle-based only moving into the desert terrain halfway through the movie. The apes act more ape-like, leaping all over the place with the aid of CGI and hanging from vines and branches. They move more like monkeys, the smaller ones using all four limbs as they run.

The make-up is fantastic. It’s hard to tell where the ape stops and the human begins. The special effects are stunning and you really have to see this on the big screen to appreciate them and the scale of the final battle.

Here’s a brief rundown of the plot. There are no major spoilers but I would advise you to skip it if you haven’t seen the movie and let yourself be surprised. (Jump down to ***CONCLUSIONS***)

The film is set in the near future with our hero, Leo Davidson, working on an experimental military space station. Here, a team of scientists is training chimps (nice touch!) to fly small one-man pods to expl
ore strange space anomalies. When one of them gets stuck during testing, Davidson disobeys orders to try and rescue him, but soon passes through some sort of wormhole. His pod crash-lands in a jungle swamp on an unknown planet.

Immediately, he is caught up in a hunt as he discovers a bunch of humans, dressed in rags, running from some unseen enemy. He is amazed to find that they are apes, dressed in clothes! He is even more amazed to discover they are in charge and can talk.

Sold as a slave, he finds a young female chimp, Ari, who opposes the cruel treatment dished out to the humans, insisting that they should be treated as equals. She helps him and a group of slaves escape and they head for the desert where his locator indicates he will be rescued by his crew. They are pursued by mad General Thade and a huge army of apes. As tribes of humans gather to meet their saviour from the stars, the human who stands up to apes, Davidson must decide if he can help them. And as he homes in on the signal he makes a shocking discovery…

***CONCLUSIONS***

The plot is slight as in most blockbusters today. Some have accused this film of being dull but I think that’s a little unfair. It’s probably short of a set-piece or two in comparison with recent epics like Gladiator but it passes the time pleasantly and keeps you interested in what is going on. It’s also great fun to compare it with the original. Burton has thrown in a few things to keep the fans happy, such as a clever inversion of Charlton Heston’s famous "Get your stinkin’ paws off me..." line and an uncredited cameo appearance from the great man himself as a dying ape with a secret.

It is in comparisons with the 1968 version that this will suffer. That movie was a huge hit and its iconic final image will rest (or more truthfully, lie unsettled) in the minds of many a movie-goer. I actually read Pierre Boulle’s novel a few we
eks ago and was surprised to find it a highly entertaining read. In many ways the classic movie, although also inspired by and based upon rather than a straight adaptation, captures the tone of the book perfectly. The book has a different ending but the shock twist is essentially the same. The book is more talky and intellectual and the first film reflects that without ever becoming boring.

There is an interesting element of faith v science in the Burton version. The apes believe that their creator ape will return one day to bring peace to the planet but educated people believe that to be a fairytale to help understand their origin. When the truth is discovered this shakes the foundations of their society. As Ari says at the conclusion of the film, one day people/apes on her planet will believe that the story of Davidson’s coming from the stars will be thought of as a fairytale - but she will know it to be true. Burton’s interest in fairytales is well known and this must have been an attractive notion for him to play with. Whether he meant the film to be anti-religious or not, I’m not really sure but I found the theme very interesting and was pleased to see at least some attempt at philosophy in this version.

Where the film does fall down quite badly is in the characterisation. Davidson (Mark Wahlberg) is a reluctant hero, very similar to Heston’s Taylor, and he does an OK job. Tim Roth as a snarling mental Thade steals the show though, particularly with his aggressive body language. Initially, I found Helena Bonham Carter’s Ari less convincing as she just seemed to mumble and act all girlie round Davidson, but as my wife pointed out, she was playing a young chimp, not one the same age as the actress. I think I kept trying to substitute characters from the original, contrasting her with the wonderful Kim Hunter as Zira, despite their parts being completely different. Roddy McDowell’s Cornelius is also missed. M
ichael Clarke Duncan, the gentle giant John Coffey in The Green Mile, is imposing as Colonel Attar. I have to say I preferred the ape characters in the original and felt they were more believable somehow, despite the not as sophisticated make-up.

Burton does insert some bizarre humour along the lines of Mars Attacks, and this occasionally lightens the film, but the comic relief character, an orang-utan called Limbo, is just embarrassing. The dialogue is pretty ropy as well. I should also take the time to mention the usually excellent Danny Elfman’s failed attempt to emulate Jerry Goldsmith’s brilliant and unique score. Apparently he copied the technique, Goldsmith used odd pieces of everyday equipment such as dustbin lids and kitchen utensils, to give it an eerie alien sound, but it just doesn’t have the same frisson. However, having seen and heard Goldsmith conduct a live orchestra playing this theme, Elfman was always going to struggle to win me over.

Finally, we have to discuss the question of the ending (without giving anything away.) Have they managed to top that ending. Well, yes and no. Rather sneakily they throw in a similar big twist just over halfway into the film when a rather different structure is found in the sand. This pays homage to the original but then they have another go at the climax of the film. It is shocking but for a different reason - you’ll probably guess part of what’s going to happen, but this is okay. The book works in exactly the same way, as the audience guesses the ending just before it happens. In many ways, Burton’s ending is a clever mix of the book’s and the original film’s one. If nothing else, it certainly sets up an intriguing sequel!

The great thing about the three forms of this story is that you can read/watch all of them separately and enjoy each one for its own particular flavour. They are all different enough to still be surprised. But who wins
the battle of the Planet of the Apes. Well, I have to go with the book first of all, followed by the original film and Burton coming in last. It is enjoyable but it had already been done well enough. The next thing you know, some trendy filmmaker will try and remake something like Psycho. Nah - no one would be THAT stupid - would they?

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