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I really like Tim Burton- Edward Scissorhands, Big Fish, Ed Wood, Batman, Beetle Juice and Sleepy Hollow are all great movies. The thing is this remake(or re-imagining if you like) is not, in fact this could very well be Burton's worst movie, even worse than Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and that could have been much better. Tim Burton, what has happened to you? Before I get to the many negatives of this film, I will say the apes are very well done. Their mannerisms and the way they move are perfectly convincing. Plus Danny Elfman's score was pretty good, it's no Edward Scissorhands or Big Fish but it's good enough. And the scenery and special effects are fantastic.
However, that is all the praise I can give it. I am briefly going to say it is vastly inferior to the 1968 classic, which was much more exciting and much better written as well. The script is awful, not quite Pearl Harbor kind-of-awful, but some of it is lame and unintentionally cheesy. The story takes a while to get going and meanders all over the place, not helped by pedestrian pacing and drawn out scenes and very rarely gets interesting. Plus is it me, or does the film get unnecessarily loud at times? Tim Burton's direction was also a disappointment, usually his films are full of heart, that's what made Edward Scissorhands especially such a gem, but here he seems lost, bogged down might I say. On top of that, the character development is non-existent, as is the chemistry between the actors and the characters are extremely clichéd, especially Kris Kristofferson's character. And the acting didn't fare that much better, Mark Wahlberg is a bland lead, while Estella Warren acts like a zombie throughout. Then we have Tim Roth trying hard and giving the only credible performance as Thade, and Helena Bonham Carter wasted as sympathetic Ari, while Paul Giamatti is useless. Not even the talented David Warner can save this film. And don't get me started on the ending, what a bummer, so predictable and obvious.
Overall, a case of all style no substance. Definitely not Burton's finest hour. 3/10 Bethany Cox
3/10
