Planet of the Apes
Dir: Tim Burton
2001
**
Remaking an iconic film of modern cinema such as Planet of the Apes was a bold move and in 2001 it was felt that director Tim Burton could do no wrong. Although the film was a financial success, it received a deluge of criticism and for good reason. The change of story wasn't really that bad but I don't feel it matched the originality or intelligence of the original or even its sequels. Even though its very much a science-fiction film, the science element felt a little too far fetched and a bit contrived. The make-up and effects are fantastic though as is the eclectic cast and the Charlton Heston cameo was excellent. The big problem in my opinion was that the more it tried to change the original, the more it highlighted why the original was better. It was a poor imitation with a much bigger budget. The ending made little sense and angered original fans of the original and now iconic ending of the first film, to be honest I would hazard a guess that all would have been explained in the sequel but the presumption that there would even be one makes me dislike it even more.