July 16, 2001. Copyright, 2001, Graphic News. All rights reserved

Planet of the apes revisited
By Mark Samms

LONDON, July 16, Graphic News:  WHEN movie-makers run out of fresh ideas, they have no qualms about plundering the television archives or re-working established favourites. As far as Planet of the Apes is concerned, they did both.

Originally a classic 1968 movie starring Charlton Heston, it went on to become a successful TV series. Now the megalomaniacal primates are back, in what has been officially described as a Òre-imaginingÓ of the original. Except that the apes are a bit more vicious and certainly more intolerant of the feeble humans under their control.

Mark Wahlberg (Perfect Storm, Three Kings) takes the Heston role as an astronaut whose spacecraft goes out of control and deposits him on a strange planet where intelligent apes use humans as unpaid labour. He sets about leading a rebellion to deliver them from their enslavement, and the impressive action scenes are all you would expect from director Tim Burton (Batman, Mars Attacks!, Sleepy Hollow).

Among those struggling to make their presence felt through all the make-up are Helena Bonham-Carter (Howards End, Wings of the Dove) as a sympathetic chimpanzee activist, and Tim Roth (Pulp Fiction, Rob Roy) having the time of his life as General Thade, leader of the gorilla army.

And, in a link back to the earlier movie, Charlton Heston has a cameo role in the new version Ð playing an Alpha Ape. He says of his part: ÒI always play kings, cardinals, presidents or geniuses, and nothing has changed in this movie.Ó
/ENDS
Sources: www.imdb.com; www.timburtoncollection.com; www.upcomingmovies.com


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