On the plus side, Tim Burton's remake of PLANET OF THE APES is a technological achievement.  Rick Baker's amazing makeup transforms actors into apes without losing their faces (and, thus, their own performances).  With the exception of David Warner (as the elderly ape senator), none of the apes feel like actors walking around with masks on.  These apes have articulated feet; they can leap and climb with dizzying speed.
This opens up a lot of vocabulary in the action scenes - chases through the woods are surprising and scary; the apes are everywhere and they are very strong.  (A little too strong for us to believe Mark Wahlberg can take the beatings he does.)  The fights have a brutal quality, but the emphasis is all on impact and speed - there is very little gore.
There is no excuse for the lousy character development.  The film is constantly bringing our attention to parallels between the ape planet and our own society.  (At one point, an ape even quotes Barry Goldwater.)  Yet there is very little emotional impact or change in the characters.  Histories and relationships are suggested but never developed.  The sacrifices seem inconsequential rather than heroic.  A sexy blonde jiggles along with the hero, but no romantic situation develops, or any real storyline at all.  Is she just eye candy for the dads?  It seems like a pointless, almost demeaning bit of baggage.  Give her something to do in the story!
Mark Wahlberg is hunky and personable, but not distinctive or divided in any way.  When he rouses the humans to fight the apes, the speech is far from "St. Crispin's day" - lacking in rouse or commitment, it is yet another dramatic event that doesn't really take place.  If the human interactions are less realistic than the special effects, something is very wrong!
Without any real drama, the movie feels preachy.  The handgun is introduced as the single corrupting influence of human culture.  The ending is also very heavy on commentary, but fails as storytelling and will leave many moviegoers baffled.
Fans of composer Danny Elfman will not be disappointed - this is one of his most dynamic and versatile scores ever, utilizing a full symphony, african and electronic drums, musically conveying the heat and pulse of the jungle, the jackboots and terror of war, and the majesty of space.  (Classical music fans should listen for a distinct quote from Holst's THE PLANETS!)
On the plus side, Tim Burton's remake of PLANET OF THE APES is a technological achievement. Rick Baker's amazing makeup transforms actors into apes without losing their faces (and, thus, their own performances). With the exception of David Warner (as the elderly ape senator), none of the apes feel like actors walking around with masks on. These apes have articulated feet; they can leap and climb with dizzying speed. This opens up a lot of vocabulary in the action scenes - chases through the woods are surprising and scary; the apes are everywhere and they are very strong. (A little too strong for us to believe Mark Wahlberg can take the beatings he does. )  The fights have a brutal quality, but the emphasis is all on impact and speed - there is very little gore. There is no excuse for the lousy character development. The film is constantly bringing our attention to parallels between the ape planet and our own society. (At one point, an ape even quotes Barry Goldwater. )  Yet there is very little emotional impact or change in the characters. Histories and relationships are suggested but never developed. The sacrifices seem inconsequential rather than heroic. A sexy blonde jiggles along with the hero, but no romantic situation develops, or any real storyline at all. Is she just eye candy for the dads? It seems like a pointless, almost demeaning bit of baggage. Give her something to do in the story! Mark Wahlberg is hunky and personable, but not distinctive or divided in any way. When he rouses the humans to fight the apes, the speech is far from "St. Crispin's day" - lacking in rouse or commitment, it is yet another dramatic event that doesn't really take place. If the human interactions are less realistic than the special effects, something is very wrong! Without any real drama, the movie feels preachy. The handgun is introduced as the single corrupting influence of human culture. The ending is also very heavy on commentary, but fails as storytelling and will leave many moviegoers baffled. Fans of composer Danny Elfman will not be disappointed - this is one of his most dynamic and versatile scores ever, utilizing a full symphony, african and electronic drums, musically conveying the heat and pulse of the jungle, the jackboots and terror of war, and the majesty of space. (Classical music fans should listen for a distinct quote from Holst's THE PLANETS! )