50
Metascore
34 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 70New Times (L.A.)Robert WilonskyNew Times (L.A.)Robert WilonskyPerfectly acceptable, deliriously charming...a goofy Bmovie dolled up like a square-jawed A-list blockbuster.
- 63Chicago Sun-TimesRoger EbertChicago Sun-TimesRoger EbertBurton's made a film that's respectful to the original, and respectable in itself, but that's not enough. Ten years from now, it will be the 1968 version that people are still renting.
- 63New York Daily NewsJack MathewsNew York Daily NewsJack MathewsAs a story, Burton's Planet of the Apes is more of a comic-book creation than either of his "Batman" movies.
- 50Rolling StonePeter TraversRolling StonePeter TraversWith the exception of a battle scene with apes on all fours charging the humans, the film is monumentally silly.
- 50TV Guide MagazineMaitland McDonaghTV Guide MagazineMaitland McDonaghThis film is pure, empty (if gorgeous) spectacle, and the decision to loose the tongues of the ape planet's humans (they were mute in the original) undermines the contrast that lies at the heart of the story's power.
- 50Boston GlobeJay CarrBoston GlobeJay CarrIt's too psychically flat and dramatically inert. Instead of reinvigorating a Hollywood classic, Burton only takes it to camp.
- 50Christian Science MonitorDavid SterrittChristian Science MonitorDavid SterrittBurton is an imaginative director with a distinctive artistic vision, but his originality is nowhere to be seen in this by-the-numbers retread.
- 40The New York TimesA.O. ScottThe New York TimesA.O. ScottWhen Mr. Burton's "Planet" fixes on being entertaining...it succeeds. But the picture states its social points so bluntly that it becomes slow-witted and condescending; it treats the audience as pets.
- 40Washington PostDesson ThomsonWashington PostDesson ThomsonThe longer I take to review this movie, the more the absurdities loom. So let me finish before I think about the story's stupidly plotted structure or recall how tiring it was to watch apes perpetually pushing humans to the ground or sending them pirouetting into the air.
- 40Los Angeles TimesKenneth TuranLos Angeles TimesKenneth TuranOutside of a hyper-energetic, irresistibly evil portrayal by Tim Roth as General Thade, the baddest ape in town, the sad truth about Planet of the Apes is that, disappointingly, it's just not very much fun to watch.