i have to say it .
tim burton 's retelling of planet of the apes is more fun than a barrel of monkeys .
ok , that 's off my chest .
no more monkey puns , i promise .
seriously , though , planet of the apes is one rip - roarin ' summer outing , filled with thrills , action , adventure , wit and bits of funny
( dare i say , monkey ) business .
i know , i know
, i promised .
and for those film buffs who are fond of the original , burton 's version includes a couple tips of the hat to that movie .
mark wahlberg stars as capt . leo davidson , a deep - space pilot whose ship gets drawn into a magnetic field and hurled into the future .
he crash lands on a planet where apes are the dominant species and humans are hunted , captured and sold into slavery .
despite being darker than the original , burton 's film is not as heavy handed nor as sanctimonious .
some of the movie 's flashes of humor are surreal as well as typically burton : an organ - grinder ape with a midget or an elderly ape taking off a wig and removing false teeth as he prepares for bed .
then there are the parents who buy a little girl as a pet for there young daughter .
the seller advises the parents to get rid of the girl before she reaches puberty : " one thing you do n't want in your house is a human teen - ager , " he says .
you do n't have to be an ape to realize the truth in that statement .
touches such as these are what stamps this movie with burton 's brand .
lines that hearken back to the original movie are sprinkled throughout : the first words spoken by an ape to davidson as the astronaut is regaining consciousness and grabs the simian 's foot to try righting himself are : " take your stinking hand off of me , you damned , dirty human .
"
anyone familiar with the first version of the film will , of course , recognize the irony in that piece of dialogue .
another of burton 's in - jokes is to have charlton heston , star of the original , play the chimpanzee father of tim roth 's gen .
thade .
the young chimp goes to visit his dying father .
both have one thing in common , a hatred of humans .
with his dying breath , the elder spews out his vile : " damn them , damn them all to hell , " he says before expiring .
that is the famous line heston 's taylor shouted at the conclusion of the original after discovering the planet 's terrible secret .
the performances throughout are top - notch .
wahlberg plays davidson not as some gung - ho hero , but as a confused and somewhat frightened explorer who only wants to return home .
he is reluctant to lead the human rebellion ; his only objective being to find a way off this upside - down planet .
this hesitation is what makes his character believable and vulnerable .
roth is ferocious , cunning , cruel and savage as the fascist chimp who wants to rid his planet of all vestiges of humanity .
he leaps and bounds as if he had springs on his feet .
it is a masterful turn .
helena bonham carter is ari , the chimp who believes that apes and humans can live in peace and as equals .
hers is a smart , compassionate characterization .
michael clarke duncan is big and brutal as attar the gorilla aid to thade who blindly follows his leader until his faith is shaken .
a fine comic outing is given by paul giamatti as limbo , the ape slave trader making a living off the misery of the humans he captures .
as the battle between apes and humans looms , the cowardly limbo pleads , " ca n't we all just get along , " echoing the words of rodney king .
much of the success of planet of the apes goes to burton 's technical crew , especially production designer rick heinrichs and the legendary rick baker who created the ape makeup .
burton 's musical collaborator , danny elfman , provides another fine score , though it is not as memorable as his work on batman or sleepy hollow .
the movie 's only letdown comes at the very end where burton tries to outshock the finale from the 1968 original .
he comes close , but falls short .
otherwise , planet of the apes is what a summer movie should be : an amusement park ride filled with lots of action , stunts and a few laughs .
this is one feature in which the expectations lived up to the pre - release hype .
Output: P