Rating- * * * (3/5)
One of the biggest trends in Hollywood today is remaking old classics. I use that word “trend” loosely because the reason all these remakes are coming out is not because they are good ideas for scripts, or because there are new, fresh interpretations of old classics. They are being remade because the studios are out of good ideas. There is an absence of good, usable scripts out there so studios try to polish up an old favorite and remarket it for a new generation. Along with several others, this year’s offerings of remakes included this interpretation by offbeat director Tim Burton (Beatlejuice, Edward Scissorhands) of Franklin J. Schaffner’s science-fiction classic. It was billed as a “re-imagining” rather than a remake, which basically means that Burton didn’t want to be held to the original. In case you are unfamiliar, Planet of the Apes is a classic film from the 1960’s starring Charlton Heston as a disillusioned astronaut who launches hundreds of years into the future and lands on a planet where apes have become the dominant species and men have been reduced to animal-like creatures. The film was a brilliant commentary on Cold-War America and the backwards logic of the religious right. Its successor cannot say as much in terms of meaning or social relevance but it is certainly entertaining. The new version stars Mark Wahlberg as the hero and Helena Bonham Carter as the ape heroine. The acting is mediocre, but you can’t expect much from a late summer sci-fi action flick. The real goods come from the special effects and the make-up on the apes, which is much more realistic than the original film. There is also a lot more detail regarding the culture of the apes and the history that led to there rise. The only reason you would want to see the original before this one, other than the fact that it’s a great movie, is to get the select few inside jokes. For instance, in a terrific cameo by Heston himself as a dying ape statesman, he utters the same final words as his human counterpart in the original film, although with much less intensity and resonance (that, by the way, is one of the greatest closing lines in film history). The ending also parallels the original film’s surprise ending, but with an interesting little twist this time. This is a good Friday night renter if you’re up for some good action and a decent surprise ending. It’s not as good as the original, but it’s certainly better than some other remakes you’ll see.