Story flaws keep 'Ape' from being summer's top banana

By Christopher Harrop

From The Kansas City Star, 07.27.2001

Grade: B-

"Planet of the Apes" does not disappoint when it comes to the astounding visual effects and designs that create an extraordinary setting where humans and apes battle for supremacy.

But, despite all of the glorious attempts at creating a believable world built and ruled by apes, the film builds off a story that sometimes seems like it was written by apes.

The story takes place in the near future, when we have developed elaborate space exploration devices and stations that float through the cosmos, yet we are still training and sending chimpanzees into space because of the great risks involved.

One such mission involves an exceptional chimp who is sent out to explore a strange cosmic occurrence, even though the chimp's trainer and fellow space traveler Leo Davidson (Mark Wahlberg) protests that one should "never send a monkey to do a man's job."

During the mission, the ape's space pod apparently gets lost. So Leo decides to go out on his own to rescue his primate companion and explore the strange anomaly the crew has encountered.

What ensues is a violent trip that lands Leo on an unfamiliar planet where he immediately falls in with humans being hunted by apes. Leo eventually reaches the feet of the militant General Thade (Tim Roth), leader of the ape soldiers. Trapped alongside his fellow homo sapiens, Leo is transported to a city inhabited and run by the advanced apes to be sold by a human-dealer.

The only hope of escape from almost-certain death is the compassionate ape Ari (Helena Bonham Carter), the sympathetic daughter of a senator. Still, the humans decide to break out.

As the escapees attempt to reach the ape's religious center and the supposed location of Leo's crew, they cross staggering terrain and encounter armies of apes waiting to stop them.

Director Tim Burton's tongue-in-cheek style, along with numerous references to the earlier "Ape" films, often will leave the audience chuckling. Many of the famous "Ape"-film lines are rearranged or repeated in this version. And the short appearance of original monkey man, Charlton Heston, as Thade's father makes for a few quick gags.

The film succeeds in providing a visual smorgasbord, with Oscar-winner Rick Baker's remarkable makeup work on the legions of apes and the magic that Burton always seems to provide to his films.

Unfortunately, a story that leaves the audience with more questions than answers may push some viewers to want to escape "Planet of the Apes."