Common Sense Media Review
Remake has intense peril, violence, battles, and deaths.
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Planet of the Apes
Parent and Kid Reviews
Based on 6 parent reviews
Based on 15 kid reviews
Kids say the film offers an exciting and action-packed experience with stunning special effects and makeup, but it features intense violence, confusing plot elements, and an unsatisfactory ending that may leave viewers disappointed. While some appreciate the remake for its entertainment value, others criticize it for its portrayal of relationships and lack of coherent storytelling compared to the original.
- action-packed
- intense violence
- confusing plot
- unsatisfactory ending
- mixed reviews
Summarized with AI
Summarized with AI
What's the Story?
Tim Burton's PLANET OF THE APES—an update of the 1968 sci-fi classic—stars Mark Wahlberg as Leo, an officer in the U.S. Air Force who's working on a space station in 2029. When an exploratory aircraft piloted by a monkey disappears into a mysterious electrical field, Leo goes against the orders of his commanding officer and follows it to find out what happened. The storm hurtles him through time and space until he crashes on a planet where apes rule and humans are enslaved. Ari (Helena Bonham Carter) helps Leo and some of the other humans escape to a forbidden city that will reveal some of the planet's history. But General Thade (Tim Roth) and his army are in pursuit with orders to destroy them.
Is It Any Good?
This is less a remake than a creative reimagining of the 1968 classic. Burton's take on Planet of the Apes has no loincloths, no Statue of Liberty, and no Roddy McDowell, but Charlton Heston (who starred in the original) does show up for a surprisingly effective cameo. As in all of Burton's movies, the art direction is intricate, meticulous, and beautiful. Every detail is a work of art, from the texture of the ape armor to the outline of the spaceship.
Wahlberg makes an appealing, all-American hero, though he isn't up to the task of delivering a brief pep talk to the assembled humans. He's fine in the action scenes and handles the challenge of kissing females of two different species with reasonable finesse. Overall, the simian performers are better and more believable than the humans. Bonham Carter's performance shines through the heavy ape makeup and prosthetics. Roth is a seething presence as the villain, Michael Clarke Duncan gives physical and emotional weight to the role of the loyal officer, and Paul Giamatti is hilarious as a human trafficker held hostage.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the intended message of Planet of the Apes. What does the movie say about how humans treat animals? What do you think the moral of the story is?
Not only was this movie a remake of a classic sci-fi movie, but it's also based on a 1963 novel. What would be the challenges in adapting not only a classic movie, but also the novel on which it was based?
What do you notice about identity groups within the different species? How are characters from different genders and races portrayed within the human and ape groups? Who gets to lead? Who has the most lines?
What did you think of the movie's ending? Have you seen or heard of the ending to the 1968 movie? How do the two endings compare?
Movie Details
- In theaters : July 27, 2001
- On DVD or streaming : November 20, 2001
- Cast : Helena Bonham Carter , Mark Wahlberg , Michael Clarke Duncan , Paul Giamatti
- Director : Tim Burton
- Inclusion Information : Female Movie Actor(s) , Black Movie Actor(s)
- Studio : Twentieth Century Fox
- Genre : Science Fiction
- Topics : Book Characters
- Run time : 119 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- MPAA explanation : some sequences of action/violence
- Last updated : October 9, 2025
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