Defending Tim Burton's Planet of the Apes

[Brazoo]

What Burton's remake lacked was a script which had something to say. The original POTA was a very layered story line, one of the benefit's of having Twilight Zone's Rod Serling do a few drafts of the script.

Tim Burton doesn't seem to have any opinion on politics, class system, civil rights, or a social conscience. He's all about art and imagery. His films are self contained and don't seem to connect with real-world human problems. Ed Wood might be the only film of his that did.

I 100% totally agree with this. It's a great observation - and well said.

I like some of Burton's movies - but "Ed Wood" is the one that most successfully digs deeper. "Edward Scissorhands" might be a close second with a lot of the same themes about being an outsider - and is probably his most personal and emotionally affecting movie, even though it's a broad fable.

"Big Fish" is maybe his only other movie that even tries for deeper things to say, but everything was just on the surface and lacked the insight it felt like it was going for - and felt really awkward to me.

The original POTA is about as near perfect as genre writing gets. The messages are woven so perfectly into the story that they don't beat you on the head or stick out sloppily - but they still have a strong effect. The remake is just a dude on a monkey planet - there's nothing else.

[Chris]

I think the title Planet of the Apes ruined it.

Same thing happened to Wild Wild West

Agreed. The title killed it for me too. I like the flick. It's just not a POTA film. They should have used the working title: The Visitor but what do I know?

Still looking for a Marky Mark MEGO. It is so hard to find!

The POTA novel is a fun read.

[Hector]

I like some of Burton's movies - but "Ed Wood" is the one that most successfully digs deeper.

Ed Wood is my favorite Burton film.

[torgospizza]

Ed Wood is my favorite Burton film.

Bill Murray was great in that. "Do you reject Satan and all his evils?" "Sure."

[Brazoo]

Ed Wood is my favorite Burton film.

Mine too.

I legitimately find this quote inspirational when I feel like I've flubbed something:

Ed: "Really? Worst film you ever saw. Well, my next one will be better."

The irony of it is obviously lost on Ed, but that's what I think is so true and positive about it - sometimes ignorance is the only way to move on from failure.

[Werewolf]

A little, I guess, nit picky thing about the Ed Wood movie that always bugged me is they never pronounced Bela's name right. It's Bay-Lah. Not Bell-ah. It just really bugs me every time I hear it misspronounced in the movie.

[dr_cyclops]

FAN: Mr. Hanks, I know you are a very busy person, but I was wondering, may I have an autograph?
TOM HANKS: Certainly.
FAN: Thank you. Do you know which one of your movies was my favorite? "Mazes and Monsters". You were great as 'Pardeux'.
TOM HANKS: Pardeux?!!!..

[Brazoo]

A little, I guess, nit picky thing about the Ed Wood movie that always bugged me is they never pronounced Bela's name right. It's Bay-Lah. Not Bell-ah. It just really bugs me every time I hear it misspronounced in the movie.

Yeah, it's been a while since I saw it, but I think can remember them saying Bey-lah sometimes, but for all I know that's how Ed Wood pronounced it. I really don't know.

I have one nit-picky type thing with the movie too though. It's a pet peeve of mine when movies are set up with narration openings - like, a character brings you into the tale, but they don't bring the character back at the end to bookend things - if that makes sense?

Jeffrey Jones as Criswell opens the story as if he's presenting the tale of Ed Wood - just like the real Criswell does in the real "Plan 9 from Outer Space" - but he doesn't come back at the end. Instead the epilogue is just text on the screen - and I think it would have felt more complete if 'Criswell' was narrating at least.

Even Ed Wood had the good sense to book end his movies - so to me that's a weird (albeit minor) flaw that stands out.

The Disney movie "Aladdin" is another movie that always pops into my mind when I think of this error. (Though, amazingly they bring back the narrator for the end of Aladdin part 3 to cap things off - so I can't be the only one who noticed this.)

[Brazoo]

FAN: Mr. Hanks, I know you are a very busy person, but I was wondering, may I have an autograph?
TOM HANKS: Certainly.
FAN: Thank you. Do you know which one of your movies was my favorite? "Mazes and Monsters". You were great as 'Pardeux'.
TOM HANKS: Pardeux?!!!..

I don't get it. I WANT to get it - but it's over my head!

EDIT: Okay - "Mazes and Monsters" is a real movie, I thought this had something to do with the game Hanks was playing in "Big" or something. I should check this crazy movie out.

[ctc]

>and I think it would have felt more complete if 'Criswell' was narrating at least.

"Can you prove that these events NEVER happened?!?!?"

>"Mazes and Monsters" is a real movie,

Nobody who'd ever seen it would say that....

Don C.

[Nostalgiabuff]

I was also glad to see the humans retain the ability to speak. It just doesn't make sense that they would lose it, especially while the apes gained it. If the humans were all mute, how would the apes have learned to speak English?

the humand in the original movie were not really mute. that was proven by the fact that Nova learned to speak just before she died. they were just not allowed to talk by the apes so as a result they lost the ability.
for the record, i always liked Burtons movie as a stand alone film. not as good as the orginal but still entertaining

[shellshopexotics]

Well I loved the original movies and TV series. I like the new Planet of the Apes. I loved Rise of the Planet of the Apes!

[samurainoir]

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