chimpanzee piloting a spacecraft freaks out when the flight path suddenly changes. But it’s merely a simulation, conducted aboard the USAF Oberon Space Research Station, supervised by Captain Leo Davidson (Mark Wahlberg) – involving a gene-spliced, chromosome-enhanced animal. The year is 2029 and this sort of experimentation is routine. So when an electromagnetic storm consternates the bridge crew of the station, a monkey is sent out to investigate; after all, it’s the canary for this proverbial outer space coal mine. Sure enough, the communication signal is soon lost, seemingly stranding the creature as he drifts toward the storm. “Never send a monkey to do a man’s job.”

Leo, hotheaded and quick to disobey orders, steals a pod to launch a rescue attempt, hoping to navigate his way toward the lost asset. But he suffers a similar fate to the chimp, getting knocked about by radiation surges, which inexplicably propel him centuries into the future, where he manages to crash-land on a jungle planet. Narrowly exiting the sinking, flaming wreck, he finds himself in a forbidding land, lush and verdant but overrun by hyper-intelligent apes, who have clearly replaced humans at the top of the food chain.

Indeed, in this ungodly planet of apes, the conquering simians hunt humans for slave labor. When they herd Karubi (Kris Kristofferson) and Daena (Estella Warren), along with dozens of other people, into a rolling cage to be transported to an ape settlement, Leo can do little but watch in wide-eyed disbelief – and get carted away with them. As he discovers with stupefaction, the apes can speak, wear clothes and armor, wield weapons, and essentially do everything humans used to do, while the humans are now primitive workers – enslaved, branded, and traded like cattle. Fortunately for Leo, this upended society also contains a faction of apes who work to treat humans better, pushing for greater civil rights, led by Ari (Helena Bonham Carter), who aims to help the displaced newcomer.

Diverse perspectives on treating humans arise, complicated by politics, the government, the army, religion, ancient history, and speciesism. Here, the world created by Tim Burton is a satirical look at role reversals, but also a surprisingly detailed, intricate civilization full of familial structures, hierarchies of influence, science/technology versus superstitions/prophecies, and sexuality – turning considerable scrutiny toward recognizable human conduct. All of these minor elements contribute to rich visuals; the makeup effects by Rick Baker are sensational, pairing nicely with the actors who employ clever mannerisms, twitches, sounds, guttural utterances, specific gaits, and minor movements (most of their stronger athleticism is exhibited by wireworks, propelling figures to and fro in unbelievable fashions) to generate moderately believable appearances.

Of course, at its heart, this remake is an action/adventure film, with heroes and villains waging war against one another. Supporting roles (in heavy makeup and prosthetics) add some nuance (including exceptional turns by Michael Clarke Duncan, Paul Giamatti, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, and an uncredited Charlton Heston), but it boils down to the power-hungry, intolerant General Thade (Tim Roth), who wishes to eradicate the humans once and for all, tracking down Davidson as he flees across various terrain toward a holy place that may hold all the answers about the apes’ origins. It’s a bit of a mystery, though only in the exact way in which Burton may alter the iconic, final revelation. Interestingly, that epiphany occurs halfway through, providing plenty of time for an epic showdown, unencumbered by narrative shock value.

Unfortunately, this is where the movie slows down a touch. The momentum should build, with tensions escalating (aided by Danny Elfman’s music), but instead of ratcheting up to an indelible conclusion (which doesn’t provide solutions, like in the 1968 original or in “Soylent Green”), the focus shifts to large-scale battles with nonsensical duels – made more unconvincing by the ludicrously-exaggerated physics of leaping and throwing. And then it opts for the impossible – a resolution for both the ape world and Leo’s estrangement from contemporary humankind (despite this last part resulting in a fresh twist that feels awfully similar). “Farewell spaceman!”

– Mike Massie