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Planet of the Apes
Review by Mike Furches (Mike's bio)
Directed by Tim Burton
Novel: Pierre Boulle
Screenplay: William Broyles Jr., Lawrence Konner, & Mark Rosenthal
Mark Wahlberg .... Leo Davidson
Tim Roth .... General Thade
Helena Bonham Carter .... Ari
Michael Clarke Duncan .... Attar
Kris Kristofferson .... Karubi
Estella Warren .... Daena
Paul Giamatti .... Limbo
Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa .... Krull
Erick Avari .... Tival
Luke Eberl .... Birn
Evan Dexter Parke .... Gunnar
Freda Foh Shen .... Bon
David Warner .... Senator Sandar
Glenn Shadix .... Senator Nado
Lisa Marie .... Nova
Charlton Heston .... Thade's Father
Produced by Ralph Winter (executive producer), Richard D. Zanuck (producer)
Original music by Danny Elfman
Cinematography by Philippe Rousselot
Film Editing by Chris Lebenzon
Rated PG
Very rarely do sequels or remakes hold up to their original predecessor. Tim Burton's Planet of the Apes is a wonderful exception to the rule. This film features the artful direction of Burton from some of the Batman series, Sleepy Hollow, Edward Scissors Hands, The Nightmare Before Christmas and numerous other recent hits. His quirky style has developed a following that can count at least this one reviewer under his wing as a fan. While Burton has a dark side of his films, Planet of the Apes is a retelling of the original movie that will please many new fans as well as the old Planet of the Apes faithful. If you are expecting the same story of the original movie, you will be in for a surprise.
While this film is laced with excellent direction from Burton it has so much more. From a technical perspective, critics should be watering at the mouth to see this film again and again. There are numerous aspects which should have film classes studying it starting with this year's fall classes and for classes to come throughout the years. The editing and sound are exceptional. It is likely that this film will win awards in both categories, especially the sound categories. Don't wait for this one to come to video, go see it at a first run theater with a quality sound system. Movies this good should be experienced and viewed in the best way possible, a big screen with the full sound effects loud and blistering. While there is violence through the film there is seldom any blood or bad language. The film is deservedly rated PG. which is a nice change of pace for many movies today. There are several scenes of bludgeoning and violence but most of this is left to imagination.
There where several other aspects which I believe makes POTA exceptional. Starting with the acting ensemble. I can not recognize a week role in the film. Leo Davidson is played as well as Mark Wahlberg can play it and the part was wonderfully cast. There is also a wonderful supporting cast led by the brilliant villain Tim Roth.
I saw POTA understanding that due to the nature and style that it would probably be relegated to recognition only for make-up and special effects by critics in the near future. I also knew that even though there where wonderful actors such as Roth, Helena Bonham Carter, Michael Clark Duncan, Kris Kristofferson, Estella Warren, and one of my new favorites a wonderful character actor Paul Giamatti (of Big Mama's House and Private Parts fame) the acting would not be recognized due to the cover-up of make-up by Rick Baker's make-up team. Rick Baker, the all time guru of make-up has made it a possibility that the ability of the acting might just be recognized. It is possible, that come awards time, that Tim Roth will be recognized with numerous nominations and possibly even with a few awards to take home. Along with Jon Voight in Pearl Harbor, this is easily the best supporting role I have seen this year. While this should not distract from the wonderful job he does in this film, it will really be a credit to Rick Baker for his ability to allow the actors in this film work through and show their expressions through the almost 4 hours of make-up that each ape character had to endure each day while filming. I will say this, that from here on out through the duration of the year, they might as well go ahead and engrave Rick Baker's name on yet numerous other awards to add to the ones which he has already won over his lifetime for make-up.
While I could make numerous other comments about the other actors in the film, space does not allow. I will say that Michael Clark Duncan, of The Green Mile fame, Paul Giamatti and Charlton Heston of the original Planet of the Apes films add tremendously to this film. There is a sequence with Charlton Heston who plays Thade's father that will please every fan of the original POTA series. If you haven't seen the original first two movies you will not understand the significance of the humor in his portrayal of his character in this film. Duncan is as forceful as ever and Giamatti will have audience members asking who this guy was because he is so good and outside of his distinguishable voice you might never know who he is but you will certainly be laughing at many of his great one-liners.
Usually up to this point one would say or ask, O.K., oh yea, but what about the story? The story line is a classic retelling of deliverance of Israel's people by Moses. Leo Davidson, played by Wahlberg crashes onto a planet overrun by apes. On this planet, apes are the aggressors and humans are the servants and slaves. Humans are treated as animals with little or no respect by the apes with the exception of Ari played by Helena Bonham Carter. After a daring escape Davidson must escape with some of the humans and apes that either come along voluntarily or are brought along. Through this Moses style escape Davidson must cross water which resembles in some ways the crossing of the Red Sea by Moses (Exodus 14:21,22) plus much more. Davidson later on has hundreds of humans that come to him to assist them in obtaining their freedom from the aggressor apes and eventually goes into battle only to be delivered by one that the apes can understand. While this scene does not exactly mirror the coming of Christ to earth, it is a parallel of how he came to earth as one of us, humans. While this may not have been intended by the makers of the film, the comparison is unmistakable.
Many will argue that this film is a support for evolution but I didn't see it that way. While there may be some aspects of evolution portrayed in the film I believe the greater story is the story of the need to get to know each other despite differences. Many of the apes wear armor that resembles the dress of the priest in the early Jewish culture yet just as we are told in Scripture, even though they pray before others, pretend to be just, they are just as noisy clanging bells on the robes of some priests (Exodus 28:33-35), (What if I could speak all languages of humans and of angels? If I did not love others, I would be nothing more than a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 1 Corinthians 13:1,2 Contemporary English Version). The apes in POTA resemble in many regards humans today and their lack of love not just for each other but for anything or anyone different. In their search for religion they have forgotten the importance of love and a relationship and many have missed the obvious deliverer. Just as General Thade, Tim Roth, a great leader and religious man does not accept who his men, oops, apes, see as their Messiah because of bitterness and hatred, many today still refuse to see Jesus as their Messiah. This ultimately leads to death and prevents the power of example that we can have as humans from loving and accepting others who may be different.
While there is much more that could be said about the film it is important to know that Davidson, the human Messiah figure in the film is a partial representation of what Jesus did for us. Just as the humans resemble the Israelites and their need of deliverance from a powerful enemy, it could also be said that this is the same journey that all of humans are still facing today. We are looking for a deliverer from the evils and hardships that not only we endure, but that we bring on ourselves,. when, in reality, the answer was there all along. (Christ died for us at a time when we were helpless and sinful. No one is really willing to die for an honest person, though someone might be willing to die for a truly good person. But God showed how much he loved us by having Christ die for us, even though we were sinful. Romans 5:6-8 CEV)
On a scale of 1-10, I'd give this a 7.5.
Copyright 2001, Mike Furches. All Rights Reserved. Used by permission.
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About Mike Furches: Mike is the senior pastor of United at the Cross Community Church in Wichita, Kansas. The church, located in the inner city of Wichita has a unique ministry to former gang members, drug addicts, prostitutes and others often neglected by the church. Mike also is involved in freelance writing and speaks nationally. Check out his web page for more information: http://www.furches.org/ E-mail Mike |
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