Edition Details:
•
Region 1 encoding (US and Canada only)
• Color, Closed-captioned, DTS Surround Sound, Widescreen, Dolby
• Commentary by director Tim Burton • Commentary by composer Danny Elfman with isolated score/sound effects • Theatrical trailer(s) • Disc 1: • Enhanced viewing mode offers picture-in-picture vignettes on various filmmaking topics, plus access to additional materials such as visual effects analysis • Disc 2: • Exclusive Programs • 6 documentaries: Simian Academy, Face Like a Monkey, Ape Couture, Chimp Symphony Op. 37, On Location: Lake Powell, Swinging from the Trees, Screen Tests (4 quadrangle / 4-way audio split: makeup, group, costume, stunt, movement) • 5 extended scenes: Launch the Monkey, Dinner, Kill Them All, Ari in the Trees, She's a Chimpanzee • Interactive multi-angle sequences: Limbo's Quadrangle, Sandar's Hours, Escape from Ape City, In the Forest • HBO making-of special • Paul Oakenfold: "Rule the Planet Remix" • Trailers & TV spots • Posters & press kit • Still gallery of scenes and props • DVD-ROM features • Widescreen anamorphic format
• Number of discs: 2
The DVD release of Tim Burton's Planet of the Apes is so loaded that the second disc needs six screens to list all of the features--or maybe it's just an excuse to show off the great-looking animated menus. The most interesting features are six substantial documentaries about aspects of the filming, including examinations of how the apes run and a spotlight on Lake Powell, where both this film and the 1968 original were shot. The "enhanced viewing mode" on disc 1 is fun: picture-in-picture video segments offer actor comments or shots of sets and miniatures, and Easter eggs provide access to even more background on the visual effects. There's also a commentary track by Burton (he had to be convinced to remake Apes) and another one with isolated score by composer Danny Elfman, discussing how he works with frequent collaborator Burton and the current state of film composing. But don't expect Burton to give an explanation of the film's much-discussed conclusion, and no alternate ending appears among the DVD's five rather routine extended scenes.
Billed as a "reimagining" of the original 1968 film, Tim Burton's extraordinary Planet of the Apes constantly borders on greatness, adhering to the spirit of Pierre Boulle's original novel while exploring fresh and inventive ideas and paying honorable tribute to the '68 sci-fi classic. Burton's gifts for eccentric inspiration and visual ingenuity make this a movie that's as entertaining as it is provocative, beginning with Rick Baker's best-ever ape makeup (hand that man an Oscar®!), and continuing through the surprisingly nuanced performances and breathtaking production design. Add to all this an intelligent screenplay that turns Boulle's speculative reversal--the dominance of apes over humans--into a provocative study of civil rights and civil war. The film finally goes too far with a woefully misguided ending that pays weak homage to the original, but everything preceding that misfire is astonishingly right.
While attempting the space-pod retrieval of a chimpanzee test pilot, Major Leo Davidson (Mark Wahlberg) enters a magnetic storm that propels him into the distant future, where he crash-lands on the ape-ruled planet. Among the primitively civilized apes, treatment of enslaved humans is a divisive issue: senator's daughter Ari (Helena Bonham Carter) advocates equality while the ruthless General Thade (Tim Roth) promotes extermination. While Davidson ignites a human rebellion, this conflict is explored with admirable depth and emotion, and sharp dialogue allows Burton's exceptional cast to bring remarkable expressiveness to their embattled ape characters, most notably in the comic relief of orangutan slave trader Limbo (played to perfection by Paul Giamatti). Classic lines from the original film are cleverly reversed (including an unbilled cameo for Charlton Heston, in ape regalia as Thade's dying father), and while this tale of interspecies warfare leads to an ironic conclusion that's not altogether satisfying, it still bears the ripe fruit of a timeless what-if idea.
