--- title: "Planet of the Apes: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/planet-of-the-apes-2001/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/planet-of-the-apes-2001" critics_score: 34 critics_reviews: 15 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Planet of the Apes (2001): what the critics said Critics' score 34 from 15 reviews: 1 positive, 1 mixed, 13 negative. Most critics dislike Tim Burton’s 2001 remake, and they dislike it for the same reasons. Thirteen of fifteen reviews are negative. What praise there is goes to the ape make-up, which nearly everyone judges first-rate, and to the actors working underneath it, Tim Roth above all, with Helena Bonham Carter a frequent second. Several also admire the opening sequence and Burton’s eye, and concede the film is handsome enough to look at. The reservations cluster on the story. Critics call the script thin, muddled and short on ideas next to the 1968 original, and most find Mark Wahlberg a bland lead. Many note how little of Burton’s usual strangeness survives. The spread is narrow: almost every review sits around the same low mark, and only The New York Times comes out in favour, finding wit and energy the others miss. The Evening Standard goes further than most, objecting to what it reads as a racist allegory. ## The New York Times — Elvis Mitchell Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 27 July 2001. The critic finds glimmers of wit and energy in Burton's remake, praising the graceful opening and the film's visual style with a hint of schlock. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2001/07/27/movies/film-review-get-your-hands-off-ya-big-gorilla.html) ## Radio Times — Andrew Collins Rating 3/5. It is a mixed re-imagining with upgraded ape make-up allowing strong performances from Roth and Bonham Carter, but the story is slight and convenient with no emotional depth for Wahlberg; the twist ending works but quoting the original feels wrong. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-e5jtmr/planet-of-the-apes/) ## Time Out — TCh Fi1m's normalised score 40/100 (inferred from the text). 10 September 2012. The review describes Burton's re-imagining as facetious and forgettable, owing as much to pop ephemera as to its themes; it notes visual élan and strong ape performances (especially Roth) but criticizes the slapdash narrative and climax. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/planet-of-the-apes) ## Empire — Angie Errigo Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 17 August 2001. The critic finds the film visually striking with strong make-up and effects work but criticizes it as dramatically thin and unengaging, with weak lead performances and little socio-political depth. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/planet-apes-review/) ## Los Angeles Times — Kenneth Turan Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 27 July 2001. Burton's visual gift is on display but the film is disappointingly not very fun, lacking surprise despite strong performances like Tim Roth's evil ape. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2001-jul-27-ca-27032-story.html) ## Screen Daily Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 27 July 2001. The critic calls it a truly mediocre picture that lacks Burton's singular vision, suffering from a pallid Wahlberg performance, confused storytelling, lack of dramatic momentum, a disappointing twist, and a mish-mash of visual styles. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/planet-of-the-apes/406412.article) ## The AV Club — Ignatiy Vishnevetsky Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 16 January 2015. The critic highlights how the film's promising opening credits sequence, scored by Danny Elfman, sets up expectations for a superior movie that the rest of Tim Burton's misguided 2001 remake fails to deliver, devolving into poor execution after the credits. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/the-opening-credits-promise-a-better-apes-movie-than-ti-1798275641) ## The Guardian — Philip French Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 19 August 2001. The critic finds Tim Burton's remake bland and idea-light compared to the 1968 original, relying mostly on special effects and prosthetic make-up rather than satire or surprise. He singles out the faultless make-up and a brief, amusing moment featuring Charlton Heston for minor praise amid an otherwise disappointing re-imagining. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2001/aug/19/philipfrench) ## The New Yorker — David Denby Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 30 July 2001. The film is spectacular but empty, with Tim Roth as the standout ape; Burton's dynamic style fails to match the original's intelligence and emotional pull. [Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2001/08/06/misanthropes) ## Variety — Todd McCarthy Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 26 July 2001. The pairing of Burton and the material is a mismatch; the reworking is listless, witless, conventional and lacking Burton's trademark weirdness. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2001/film/reviews/planet-of-the-apes-3-1200469014/) ## Evening Standard Fi1m's normalised score 10/100 (inferred from the text). 10 April 2012. The critic dismisses the film as expensive but dramatically inert summer schlock that fails as witty satire or suspense and carries an unwelcome racist allegory by equating apes with Black characters and post-colonial themes. [Read the review](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/planet-of-the-apes-7433892.html) ## Vulture Fi1m's normalised score 10/100 (inferred from the text). 10 May 2024. The piece ranks the 2001 film last among Apes movies, describing it as a complete disaster with lazy storytelling, inattention to detail, and a lack of Tim Burton's characteristic curiosity, despite an intriguing ending. [Read the review](https://www.vulture.com/article/the-best-planet-of-the-apes-movies-ranked.html) ## Eye for Film — Stephen Carty Fi1m's normalised score 40/100 (inferred from the text). 9 September 2011. The re-imagining falls way short of expectations despite strong ape makeup effects and standout performances from Tim Roth and Helena Bonham Carter. It plays like a compromised popcorn adventure with little of Burton's usual quirkiness, bland human leads, and a muddled story that hints at behind-the-scenes problems. [Read the review](http://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/the-planet-of-the-apes-film-review-by-stephen-carty) ## Collider — Matt Goldberg Rating D. 8 July 2014. The critic finds Burton's reimagining devoid of personality or fun, resulting in a humorless and forgettable film whose action climax is obscured and ineffective. [Read the review](https://collider.com/planet-of-the-apes-remake-review/) ## Den of Geek — Carley Tauchert Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 29 October 2009. The critic finds the 2001 Tim Burton remake underwhelming overall, with an undercooked script that lacks the stakes and depth of the 1968 original and a miscast lead in Mark Wahlberg. The standout element is the impressive prosthetic ape makeup and performances, achieved through practical effects and ape school training for the actors. [Read the review](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/revisiting-tim-burtons-planet-of-the-apes/) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/planet-of-the-apes-2001.md