Film

Planet of the Apes

Name: Planet of the Apes
Genre: Thriller, Science Fiction, Action, Adventure
Released: 2001
Cast: Mark Wahlberg, Tim Roth, Helena Bonham Carter, Michael Clarke Duncan, Paul Giamatti

Other titles called Planet of the Apes: the 1968 film, the 1974 series (CBS).

Tim Burton's 2001 remake explodes with grotesque prosthetics, gonzo production design, and B-movie swagger. Mark Wahlberg sleepwalks through an astronaut role while the ape makeup steals every scene. It's chaotic and overstuffed, but committed to its own weirdness in ways that make it compelling trash cinema.

TMDb rating

2.9

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you want a big, muscular popcorn spectacle built on Rick Baker-style ape makeup, sweaty chase sequences and a cast clearly having fun with hammy villainy.

Skip it if you go to Tim Burton films for his delicate, melancholy whimsy, since this one is louder, more blockbuster-driven and far less interested in quiet oddity than in set pieces.

What it asks of you: Two hours of steady momentum, with little time to breathe between battles and escapes, and a willingness to accept a loose, sprawling plot told at full volume.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

The Fifth Element1997

Luc Besson's maximalist sci-fi with a similar visual philosophy: outlandish costumes, practical effects, and unapologetic bombast. Bruce Willis yells his way through a joyfully excessive universe that prioritizes spectacle over sense.

But The plot is nonsensical and the film runs 126 minutes without restraint. If you want coherence or subtlety, you will be frustrated.

Starship Troopers1997

Paul Verhoeven directs satirical sci-fi action where the premise—humans vs. alien bugs—is secondary to skewering militarism and propaganda. Visceral, funny, and visually inventive in ways that make it endlessly rewatchable.

But It's violent and silly by design. The satire only lands if you're attuned to what it's mocking; played straight, it just looks dumb.

Demolition Man1993

Stallone and Snipes in a dystopian action film that embraces its own absurdity. Beautifully shot, genuinely fun, with three-seashell-level world-building that makes the whole thing memorable.

But It's uneven and occasionally drags. The futuristic slang and sanitized society won't charm everyone.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Planet of the Apes

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Congo1995

Both are B-movie premises directed by auteurs (Burton/Marshall) who treat wild source material with gleeful seriousness rather than camp winking. Both have weird relationship dynamics with talking apes as the engine.

Frank Marshall directs this ridiculous adventure film with genuine confidence: talking gorilla, lost city, Tim Curry chewing scenery. It's utterly bonkers but commits so fully that it becomes hypnotic pulp.

But The gorilla subplot is genuinely unsettling. It's relentlessly silly and occasionally crosses into uncomfortable territory with animals.

Judge Dredd1995

Another Stallone deep cut with Herman's Head's Paul Herman and a pratfall-heavy villain. Judge Dredd is gloriously, defiantly silly—practical sets and stunt work you can feel.

But It's cheap-looking and the tone is all over the place. Many consider it a genuine misfire.

Dune1984

Lynch's towering art-film sci-fi with dense world-building, creature design by H.R. Giger, and a genuine sense of cosmic stakes. Visionary filmmaking that never apologizes for its ambition.

But It's 166 minutes, deliberately slow, and notoriously confusing. The narrative can feel impenetrable.

Escape from the Planet of the Apes1971

The third film in the original series is unexpectedly touching. Time-traveling apes (including Roddy McDowall) navigate 1973 Earth with real pathos beneath the B-movie setup.

But The earlier films in the series are essential context. Watching this standalone feels like entering mid-conversation.

Escape from the Planet of the Apes poster

John Carter2012

Andrew Stanton's Mars adventure is a gorgeous, earnest attempt to adapt Edgar Rice Burroughs with practical sensibility and genuine wonder. Wildly expensive and visually confident in a way most blockbusters aren't.

But It flopped spectacularly and the story can feel dated. The tone veers between kitsch and sincere without always landing either.

Battlefield Earth2000

If you're interested in spectacularly failed ambitious sci-fi, this John Travolta vehicle is hypnotic in its wrongness. Odd angles, weird choices, and complete conviction in a ridiculous premise.

But It's widely considered one of the worst films ever made. Watching it requires a taste for unintentional comedy.

Flash Gordon1980

Mike Hodges and Queen create a campy, colour-saturated space opera that knows exactly how silly it is. A cult classic where enthusiasm completely overwhelms budget or logic.

But It's aggressively campy and the acting is pantomime. If you prefer grounded sci-fi, this will feel unbearable.

Soylent Green1973

Both films ask what humanity becomes when the social order inverts. Where Burton goes technicolor chaos, Fleischer goes quiet apocalypse—same moral panic, opposite tones.

Richard Fleischer's dystopian thriller, featuring Charlton Heston, asks the same question Planet of the Apes does: who rules when human society collapses? Bleak, prophetic, and genuinely eerie instead of bombastic.

But It's slow, methodical 1970s science fiction. No action setpieces or quips. The ending is famous enough that surprise is gone.