Directed by: Tim Burton
Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Tim Roth, Helena Bonham Carter, and Michael Clark Duncan
Reviewer: Brett Gallman
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Reviewer's Rating: **½ (Two and a half Stars)
In this 21st century update, Mark Wahlberg subs for Charlton Heston as an astronaut who finds himself stranded on a strange, backwards planet where apes rule over humanity. He meets with a few ape sympathizers (Helena Bonham Carter is among them) who help him rebel against his captors in an attempt to return to his crashed vessel. To its credit, this redux doesn’t simply rehash the original film from a narrative perspective and instead borrows elements from the likes of Logan’s Run. With the exception of some thinly-veiled allegorical dialogue, this one mostly drops the brainy, philosophical approach of its predecessor and trades it in for tepid action and uninteresting characters that betray a fine cast that also includes Kris Kristofferson, Paul Giamatti, and Estella Warren’s body.
Per usual, Burton’s production is visually impressive, as the film’s various technical aspects outclass the 1968 film (though some CGI sequences don’t hold up well ten years later). The production design is outstanding, with Rick Baker’s make-up effects proving to be especially top-notch. Unfortunately, they’re at the service of a mostly dull story that sees Wahlberg emerge as a sort of Spartacus to the downtrodden human species. I find him to be a hit or miss actor, and his turn here falls somewhere in between; he lacks the charisma to be a compelling lead, and he is outshined by just about everyone surrounding him (even by Heston himself, who brings more gravitas to his brief, surprising cameo appearance).
In an attempt to (ahem) ape the original film’s surprise ending, this one goes wildly off the rails with a conclusion that makes little sense. An obvious cliffhanger to set-up a sequel that never happened, it basically pulls the rug out from under the film, leaving you to scratch your head not unlike a primate.
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