This is DEFINITELY not your daddy's (or granddaddy's) Planet of the Apes!! Completely different from the original, both movies can proudly stand on their own. If Tim Burton had attempted a remake, it would have failed miserably because the original really was a social commentary on the turbulent 1960's. However, Burton's genius shines through once again with cheeky homages (including a human male kissing a chimp female) to the original that can only be described as "Burtonesque". I'm not sure that many others in the theater recognized these precious moments because I was the only person who noticeably reacted (I sometimes find it difficult to mask my keen insight). Their juvenile disgust at Leo (Mark Wahlberg) kissing Ari (Helena Bonham Carter) sickened me, but I should understand that everyone cannot be as enlightened as I am.
Tim Roth's ferocious portrayal of General Thade is the most impressive performance; Paul Giamatti's (Limbo-a human slave trader) expressiveness adds some humor to lighten a darkened story. Everyone else supported capably but not remarkably.
Arguably, the most surprising moment in a movie during the 1960's occurred in the original-Taylor (Charlton Heston) stumbles across a decaying Statue of Liberty and realizes that nuclear war had devastated Earth. BURTON TRUMPS THIS-not once, not twice, but three times!! Three distinct surprises that bumped my rating upward and solidified it. |
