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Planet of the ApesToo much monkey businessPLANET OF THE APES A friend who is more of a science-fiction buff than I am told me about the original film of Planet of the Apes. With the usual evolutionary framework in mind, the scenario was that experimentation on monkeys produces a species which brings human beings into subjection. He said its message was a kind of warning about where the hubris of unfettered science, devoid of ethics, might lead. With so much concern at the present time about the activities of cowboy scientists in the fields of cloning and bio-engineering generally, that is a cautionary message which needs to be broadcast again. However, you will be hard pressed to find such a clear warning in the remake of Planet of the Apes. It is a film which cannot make up its mind what it wants to be. Is it an action sci-fi movie? Is it meant to be humorous? The makers have mucked around too much, trying to include too many themes from the 'God was a spaceman' idea, to the need for world peace, to animal rights, to the brutality often involved in technological advance. Of the humans one ancient ape says, 'their ingenuity is only matched by their cruelty.' So basically it is a mess. The script is often banal, even though ape princess Helena Bonham-Carter dressed as if from a bad day in an charity shop does her best. It is a pity that what could have been an opportunity to mix sci-fi fun with serious comment on scientific ethics has been completely missed. JEBJohn Benton© Evangelicals Now - October 2001 |