Planet of the Apes (2001)

Film of 2012 #60


After watching the original Planet of the Apes and the recent release of the Rise of the Planet of the Apes which I reviewed here, I revisited the remake from Tim Burton. Starring Mark Whalberg as the lost astronaut and Helena Bonham Carter, Tim Roth, Paul Giamatti and Michael Clarke Duncan taking the roles of Apes. While this film is a remake in basic terms it is a very different film, there are some homage's to the original and the idea behind it with a human discovering the Planet ruled by Apes is the same concept but what it explores is a different idea. 

The film explores some of the ideas of the original with Humans being the weaker race but the ending is vastly different and the overall idea behind the film misses something of the original. If this film had been an original idea or at least had taken a different name I could almost accept this as a film, however it simply plays on the name of the original. As a remake it does not stick to the original idea which in itself makes a different movie but it gets lost in the comparison to the original so is not judged fairly. 

I have to say that I like what the film does with the ending with the statue at the end but overall the film annoys me specifically with the decisions that the Mark Whalberg character makes. This film is an interesting idea behind what a remake could be taking an original idea and taking it in a totally different direction rather than as a shot for shot remake, overall I cannot get behind Mark Whalberg and the decisions or the direction the story goes. This is a 2 star avoid, worth seeing if you are interested in Tim Burton's take on the Planet of the Apes but no more than that.

Planet of the Apes (1968)

Film of 2012 #59


The Charlton Heston Sci-Fi classic, sees Charlton Heston crash landing on an unknown planet where humans are the slaves and the planet is ruled by Apes. I have seen this a few times and it is enjoyable enough however Charlton Heston is annoying in this film, he is arrogant and quite unlikeable and having heard a few things about him I do not know if this is supposed to be the character or the actor himself. Anyway one of the big things about this film is the make up effects with Roddy McDowall and Kim Hunter spending the entire film in Ape make up and the effects are quite  fantastic. 

This film is another film with a message about the equal treatment of animals and other races as the roles are reversed with Humans being the test subjects in experiments that include the dissection of the brain. Also there is a feeling from Heston of the frustration at getting his point across with him not being believed to the point where he is not allowed to defend himself and being treated like an animal. Cornelius and Zira played by Roddy McDowall and Kim Hunter are the liberals of the Ape world fighting for equal rights for humans.

This is a classic film and is worth seeing on many levels from the moral question about humans being treated as equal to the shocking conclusion that leads to other questions about humans on this planet to simply the make effects before CGI. Overall this is a 4 star recommend with a note to it being a classic film worth watching.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011)

I went to watch this film with anticipation and some trepidation it falls in to the double whammy category of remake, of a sorts from the Apes films and a prequel to the Mark Whalberg remake of the Charlton Heston classic Planet of the Apes. So I was not really sure what to expect from the film in general I knew that with James Franco and John Lithgow acting in the film and Andy Serkis doing the motion capture there were going to be some good acting and great special effects. The trailers which I have seen a few of and reviewed one here did not give as much away as I thought after seeing the film. The editing of them was quite deceptive and watching the trailer after seeing the film I have to say that they look like they are advertising a different type of film.
I have to say that overall I was fairly satisfied by the film as a whole, there was some good acting by John Lithgow as the Father with Alzheimers and a good performance from Tom Felton as a keeper in the Primate sanctuary with an interesting performance from Brian Cox as his father. The biggest disappointment to me was James Franco I thought he was totally miscast as the scientist I could not believe in him as a super intelligent character, which is a shame as I have really enjoyed a lot of his films recently. With Andy Serkis doing the motion capture for Ceaser I have to say that it was totally believable and the CGI which the film has to rely on heavily was awesome. The Apes which had to convey so much emotion without any words or communications you could see the intelligence and what they wanted from their movements and reactions.

Overall with worried expectations I have to say that I really enjoyed this film it is a strong 3 stars and I am interested what they are going to do with the series if this film is successful enough to spawn the probable sequel, I have to say that the nods to the original with Charlton Heston and the fact that it lossely linked back to the Mark Whalberg film were fantastic and I really enjoyed catching them. The one thing that bothereed me while watching was the sheer number of Apes in just the one city.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011) Trailer

Decided that along with reviews I am going to look at some upcoming films that I might go and see and see what I think of them from the trailer and have a comparison when I have seen the film.

First up is the remake of The Rise of The Planet of the Apes, now I am not sure if this is a remake of the original film by this name or if it a sequel/prequel to the Mark Whalberg remake of the original classic.

So from the trailer I am highly anticipating this film, with James Franco and Andy Serkis and the effects that the trailer show it looks really good, it is the set up of how the apes take over? do they take over, well if it is a sequel/prequel to the remake then we know how it is going to end up but ultimately it still looks great and I cannot wait to se this at the cinema.

UK Release Date - 11th August 2011