Planet of the Apes

Back in the '70s, ape movies were all the rage. Sadly, after the truly awful Battle for the Planet of the Apes, the apes series ended, and we, the American public, were faced with over 20 ape-free years. Well, that dry spell has ended with the release of Tim Burton's daringly titled Planet of the Apes. Is it as good as the original ape movies? I'd say it's better than at least three-fifths of them, and it certainly looks better than any of them. In fact, it looks so good that you probably won't mind the plot holes and continuity errors and horribly obvious "message" ending. Plus, it features a cameo by Charlton Heston, the original human astronaut from the original Planet of the Apes, only now he's playing an ape. Deep, yes? Err, no, but still, it's a primatacular thrill ride with enough (unintentional) laughs and beautiful images to make it more than worthwhile, if you're just looking for some mindless fun. Plus there's this really funny bit where Heston delivers an anti-gun speech, I kid you not. I'm guessing he had so much chimp makeup on that he had no idea what he was saying. Probably worth the price of admission just to watch the head of the NRA talk about the evils of handguns.