4 Responses to “Rise of the Planet of the Apes, New Trailer”

1. Carl Rosenberg

   Jul 10th, 2011 at 7:10 pm

   Not having seen the movie yet, this is a tentative comment, but judging from the trailer, the forthcoming movie doesn’t seem to have many of the science fiction elements of the original series from the 60s and 70s, or even the Tim Burton film in 2001–social commentary, satire, cosmic elements such as time travel, etc. It looks more a “techno-thriller” a la Michael Crichton.
2. John W. Morehead

   Jul 10th, 2011 at 7:19 pm

   You may be right, Carl. If so then it will be better than Tim Burton’s effort, but in my view, fall short of what was accomplished with the initial series of films in the franchise. I’ll be writing a review of this for Cinefantastique Online in August after the premier.
3. Carl Rosenberg

   Jul 10th, 2011 at 7:31 pm

   We’ll have to wait and see, I guess. I think one of the best variations on the whole POTA idea, apart from the original series of films (especially the first one), was the original novel by Pierre Boulle, which the Atlantic Monthly described as being descended from Jonathan Swift on one hand and Jules Verne on the other.

   Speaking of books—I thought the best novelization of the original films (the sequels) was Jerry Pournelle’s adaption of Escape from the Planet of the Apes (one of the best of the sequels in any case).
4. John W. Morehead

   Jul 10th, 2011 at 7:35 pm

   I’ve been a fan since the 1970s watching them on the small screen. For my money the first film was the best, followed by Conquest of the Planet of the Apes, which provided sharp social commentary on race as perhaps none of the others in the series did. I haven’t read any of the novelizations or the new comic series.

   Carl, are you on Facebook? If so, you can be a part of the TheoFantastique group there where I post almost daily links to key items on science fiction, horror and fantasy.