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Review

Those "damn dirty apes" are back, a lot more dirtier and virulent than last seen in the five-film series from the 1960s and '70s. This slicker, effects-centric "reinterpretation" of the classic 1968 Charlton Heston sci-fi adventure moves at a swifter pace, but comes up a little short in the sheer thrills-and-fun department that defined the original. Maybe it has to do with the rather bland lead, stoically but humorlessly played by Wahlberg, an Air Force captain from the year 2029 who finds himself thrust onto a futuristic planet ruled by apes. Gone are such affable characters as Cornelius and Zira; they've been replaced by a ruthless general (a nimble Roth), a greedy orangutan merchant and various militaristic gorillas. Even the requisite "good ape" played by Bonham Carter is a mass of neurosis and angst. But some of the complications (some parallel the original, some don't) in which the writers place the characters can be thrilling, nicely captured by cinematographer Philippe Rousselot. The makeup is outstanding, a notch above the excellent design of the original series, and the choreographed fight scenes, a few in which apes take flight, are rousing and well executed. Director Burton has certainly stamped his own, unique vision on Pierre Boulle's novel, but while being a visual accomplishment, it is curiously absent of passion and humor.