Planet of the Apes

Someone has already written about it before me. The masks and overall production are absolutely captivating, but when the story is bad, there's simply nothing that can be done about it. Burton could have tried as much as he wanted, but nothing better could have been squeezed out of this script. The ending tried to surpass the original film, which was a great courage, and now the creators should repent. (06/08/2014)

The film has an incredibly gloomy screenplay that stubbornly clings to one plotline, which, on its own, wouldn't be enough for even 20 minutes. And unfortunately, even Tim Burton wasn’t able to breathe life into it through visual finesse. Although the film dazzles with its grand production design and impeccable masks, the narrative emptiness inevitably plunges the viewer into boredom. The film has unquestionable strengths, including the mentioned ones such as the casting, camera work, and excellent music by Danny Elfman. However, there is still a lingering feeling that the two-hour runtime should have been trimmed by at least a good 30 minutes. This would have left us with an audiovisual extravaganza in which Burton's great sense of humor would shine even brighter, as evidenced by the excellent final scene and the closing credits remixed by DJ Paul Oakenfold. (04/12/2005)

More of a parody of the original film. Visually stunning, with some of the typical elements of Tim Burton. The action is decent and the make-up effects are truly masterful. The plot, on the other hand, lacks drive and not much actually happens overall, to put it simply. Helena Bonham Carter and Mark Wahlberg are pretty decent, but the most captivating by far is the demonic Tim Roth. The ending is at least peculiar, and there are also a few clear blunders and mistakes, but despite all this, Planet of the Apes remains a skillfully made summer blockbuster with typical genre attributes. Whether this mess was intentional will likely remain a mystery forever, but I must admit that I was quite entertained. (30/04/2006)

Properly as wacky as you’d expect from Burton, with flawless sets and make-up effects, and a surprisingly bland Wahlberg. Overall, I would have liked it, but the incredibly idiotic final half hour, including a very weird ending, put a damper on everything. According to the reviews, not many people understood it, and I appreciate the ending in the older classic version all the more. (11/05/2003)

No killing of the original is taking place. Wahlberg acts as the captain of the ship sympathetically, the tricks work throughout the entire duration, and even an interesting variation of the final twist pleases. It's just simply a "remake of Planet of the Apes" and that brings a slightly higher expectation. (23/06/2006)