Ok, Okay, I thought this was a great B-movie, a worthy successor to the original. I find it refreshing that a director would choose to actually re-form a story, rather than succumb to remake-it is, as is usually the case in these instances. How many remakes have actually been successful? Tim Burton always delivers big-time entertainment in his consistently imaginative and exciting films and this latest offering will surely garner at least one Oscar nomination, most likely for Makeup. Planet of the Apes also has a chance to be nominated in the categories of Costume and Art Direction.
The next thing to consider is "entertainment value". For my money, P of A delivered on most fronts. It was loaded with action sequences, all the more interesting for the distinctive physicality of the apes. These were monkeys on steroids who loped, leapt and bounded about and could tear a man in half and without breaking a sweat. There were many references to the previous film, along with doses of quiet intrigue and comic relief in all the right places. Just seeing Charleton Heston alone sparked me to a jaded laugh and made this film worth the price of admission. The acting was fine, especially Tim Roth's performance as the fascistic and frighteningly powerful Thade. Helena Bonham Carter is no slouch either, having already won an Oscar, and the shades she brought to her performance shined easily through her makeup.
I'll be interested to see the DVD of this film (rlease date Nov 20, 2 disks!) because it should have a lot to offer in the way of the technical matters of the film and since Tim Burton has added commentary, I'll be doubly pleased.
One may quibble with some of the stories details or the twist ending, but as they say, it's only a movie, and I for one, enjoy a little monkey-madness once in awhile.