Planet Of The Apes

In search in of one of his trainee chimpanzee pilots, Captain Leo Davidson (Wahlberg) gets caught in a time space continuum and is propelled several thousand years into the future. Crash landing on a barren planet, he quickly discovers that humans are deemed subservient to apes. Unwilling to be treated like an animal, Davidson, along with a motley crew of apes and humans, attempts to escape the planet and the attentions of vicious military ruler, General Thade (Tim Roth).

The original Planet of the Apes remains one of the most shocking pieces of sci-fi and this new version is superior only in effects and make-up. In terms of performances, the best acting is reserved for the apes: Tim Roth oozes menace as Thade, and Helena Bonham Carter provides useful support. Burton's direction is predictably puzzling - his mixture of comedy, adventure and kitsch only gels on occasion with the result that Apes remains a little distant.