Planet of the Apes (2001)
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An astronaut crash-lands on a planet where intelligent apes have enslaved humanity.
The story
In 2029, astronaut Leo Davidson works on the space station Oberon. When a deadly electromagnetic storm approaches, he ventures into the storm to find a missing chimpanzee, only to crash-land on the planet Ashlar in 5021 A.D. He discovers a world ruled by intelligent apes who treat humans as slaves. Leo meets a chimpanzee named Ari who opposes the mistreatment of humans. With her help, Leo begins a rebellion against the ape regime as he seeks a way to return home, navigating a landscape where the line between human and ape civilization is defined by power and survival.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
In 2029, astronaut Leo Davidson enters a temporal rift during a storm and crashes on the planet Ashlar in 5021 A.D. He finds a society where intelligent apes rule and humans are kept in slavery. He meets Ari, a chimpanzee who helps him escape his cage and free other humans. They discover the 'Calima', the ruins of the Oberon station, which reveals that the apes took over the station millennia ago. A battle ensues between the humans and the ape military, led by the brutal General Thade. The conflict is interrupted when the chimpanzee Pericles arrives in a pod, and the apes interpret him as the deity 'Semos', causing a ceasefire. Leo eventually escapes through the storm and finds himself in what he believes is a wasteland, only to realize he has returned to an Earth now ruled by apes. The film ends on an ambiguous note regarding his location and the fate of the rebellion.
- First release year
- 2001
- Runtime (minutes)
- 120
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Tim Burton
- Writers
- William Broyles Jr. · screenplay; Lawrence Konner · screenplay; Mark Rosenthal · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Mark Wahlberg · Captain Leo Davidson; Tim Roth · General Thade; Helena Bonham Carter · Ari; Michael Clarke Duncan · Colonel Attar; Kris Kristofferson · Karubi; Estella Warren · Daena; Paul Giamatti · Limbo; Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa · General Krull
- Genres
- science fiction; action; adventure
- Themes
- slavery; rebellion; time travel
- Tone and mood
- serious; tense
- Premise and plot tags
- post-apocalyptic; reimagining; sci-fi
- Source material / true-story basis
- 1963 novel by Pierre Boulle
- Franchise connections
- Planet of the Apes
- Reception
- The film received mixed reviews from critics, who criticized the screenplay and twist ending, but praised Rick Baker's prosthetic makeup designs, visual aspects, and musical score.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 42% · scale: percentage · review count: 201; Metacritic · score: 50 · scale: 100 · review count: 34
- Awards and nominations
- Worst Remake · Golden Raspberry Awards · win; Worst Supporting Actor · Golden Raspberry Awards · win; Worst Supporting Actress · Golden Raspberry Awards · win
- Production trivia
- The film was the ninth-highest-grossing film of 2001.; The film was a remake of the 1968 film version.; The film was the first collaboration of Tim Burton with producer Richard D. Zanuck.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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