2001 summer blockbuster directed by Tim Burton. It is important to note that this is not a remake of Planet of the Apes, but rather a revisiting. There will be spoilers in this writeup, so read at your own risk. In this version of the telling, Leo, USAF, is the main character. The movie starts with a ape-pilot capsule-testing station in Earth's orbit. There are electrical storms within the solar system that are causing anomalies the scientists wish to study. So they pop a monkey in a cap, and fire it at the electrical storm. The capsule vanishes. Humans decide to shut down the project, but Leo (played by Mark Wahlberg) decides to hijack a capsule to bravely go save his monkey.

Something goes horribly wrong.

The capsule ends up "on a strange planet..." (right, we all know which planet he's really on... don't we?) Leo is, of course, captured with other humans, and learns very quickly to play the part of a subjugated species. He's apparently sold to a "Pet Shop", then later bought by Doctor Ari (Helena Bonham Carter) who is an extreme human civil rights activist, and risks everything to try to help Leo. However, the General (played by Tim Roth) hates humans and wants to exterminate every last one. A memorable line is when Leo touches the foot of an ape and is yelled at with "Get your hands off me, you damn dirty human!" which is, of course a hat's-off to the original planet of the apes. Anyways, Leo leads a pretty lady and Doctor Ari plus her warm-hearted protector, away towards Ca-Li-ma (the forbidden land). And they all praise an ape-god that breathed life into them.

With me so far? Good. Sounds like the first one, right? Hah! Well this is where it all changes...

See, they're going to Ca-Li-ma because Leo has a thingy that detects "The Mothership" is there to rescue him. Then he discovers it's something that looks suspiciously like the decayed and apocolyptic crown on the Statue of Liberty. Only it isn't the Statue of Liberty, it's the space station mentioned earlier! As it turns out the other scientists came looking for him after his capsule disappeared. They crash landed on the unpopulated planet, and let out the apes to help them find food.

"The apes have been very helpful, but now they seem to be turning against us... they're lead by an ape named Semos. We have weapons but we don't know how long we can hold them off!" a sole surviving ship's log decries. (again, a hat's off to Conquest of the Planet of the Apes, where Ceaser was the ape that teaches them to kill humans, then enslave them.

Meanwhile, Thade (the General) has been given Martial Law, and is now leading an army to attack the escaped humans because Charlton Heston, who plays the part of Thade's father warns him about the true past of the apes, crying out "Damn them... Damn them all to Hell!". Another hat's off to the first version.

A big battle ensues between the apes and the humans, and is only halted by the deux ex machina appearance of none other than that pesky little monkey that vanished from the space station in the first scene. He flies his capsule down, leaving us wondering why Leo ruined his, then exits. The apes, of course, are convinced it's Semos, and bow down and worship him. The monkey, meanwhile, hugs Leo, just wanting a treat. Nice ending point, eh? Nope.

Another battle ensues, and General Thade goes a bit insane trying to kill Leo. Leo traps Thade, rescues monkey and women, hops in the capsule, and waves goodbye. Good way to end a movie... BUT!!!!

...he flies into the electrical storm again (you think he'd have learned by now, but no), and ultimately gets transported in time again, then is on a crash landing course for Washington, DC. The film never actually explains how a half-trained monkey can fly the capsule perfectly, and not damage a single componant on it, but Leo crash lands all of them...

Anyway... he crashes in front of the Lincoln Memorial to find the face of an Ape on it... then turns around as the cops and firetrucks pull up, and out walk apes in uniform...

Now that is an ending! It begs for a sequal. As an avid fan of the originals, and a lover of the new version as well, I too beg for a sequal... kudos to Danny Elfman as well for making such a powerful and appropriate soundtrack to accompany the film. All in all, Tim Burton's vision pays homage and respect to the previous movies, but stands alone insofar as quality and storyline.