# "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" trailer - HOLY CRAP! **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 14, 2011, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rise-of-the-planet-of-the-apes-trailer-holy-crap/578383 "2011-04-14T17:02:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/son_of_a_rich/32/5439_2.png) [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2011, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rise-of-the-planet-of-the-apes-trailer-holy-crap/578383/21 "2011-04-15T17:35:49Z")
How many damn dirty apes does it take to screw in a lightbulb? ---
**Author:** ![Cumberdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8c91f0/32.png) [@Cumberdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cumberdale)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2011, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rise-of-the-planet-of-the-apes-trailer-holy-crap/578383/22 "2011-04-15T17:38:07Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > Okay – I have to ask. _Why all the fascination with Planet of the Apes_? > The original movie was moderately clever. Ground-breaking music, interesting visuals, a LOT of expensive makeup. Plus a touch of nudity, which was new and interesting in 1968. Heavy-handed satire, which was fun. But the story didn’t make a lick of sense, even back then. If you only had the one ape city and bands of humans were threatening their food supply, then those apes were practically at subsistence level, and they wouldn’t have had lots of ape scientists and primate research and a _museum_, fer cryin’ out loud. I’d love to read Rod Serling’s original screenplay sometime – he apparently had an Ape world that was a mirror of our own, which would’ve made more sense (there had to be a factory cranking out those rifles, somewhere). and the apes speak English, but it takes Heston/Taylor the whole movie to figure out he’s on Earth (which makes no sense, either)? > > The only way to enjoy it is to take it as satire (As Pierre Boule’s novel was intended to be) and not probe too deeply, lest the facade crack open. Certainly you don’t want to balance an entire franchise on so unsteady a base. > > Only then did, of course, first coming out with the puerile _Beneath the Planet of the Apes_, with James Franciscus as bargain-basement Heston through most of it. Heston reportedly didn’t want to do it unless he wasn;t in most of it, and the ended the series. So they did, blowing up the world at the end. But it didn’t end the series. Turns out the apes had space travel, even with humans threatening their food supply, and they figured out how to go back in time. Then we had a series of films about the rise of the Ape rebellion and its pre-Terminator time-travel paradoxes. Mad magazine parodied the whole cycle. > > But Planet of the Apes also became a Marvel magazine-comic that ran for too many issues. And then it became a TV series. Then, mercifully, it died. > Until Tim Burton resurrected its stinking corpse, as if it was Frankenweenie. His version had much better makeup effects, but still didn’t make a helluva lot of sense. Even Heston came back, despite destroying the world so he wouldn’t have to be in another sequel. We learned that a chimp can land a spaceship better than Mark Wahlburg. > And now, for no good reason that I can see (except maybe to show off the effects technology), we’ve got another sequel. Why? > > There’s jokes in the above rant, but my basic point is serious. aside from some _very_ heavy-handed satire, I’ve never seen the point in the entire Planet of the Apes idea. Apparently it’s immensely popular, or producers at least think it is. But why? what’s the draw? > > I think it was one of Harlan Ellison’s rants about TV producers back circa 1970 where he complained that one of them wanted him to put more apes into something he was trying to get on the air, because Planet of the Apes stuff was hot back then, and he cried out in frustration. That’s what I want to do. Dammit, there are lots of science fiction and fantasy works out there with brilliant and filmable ideas, many of them opening up now due to the flexibility and power of CGI. Why in the name of Cornelius to you have to keep re-visiting this one-note franchise? I hope you feel better after dropping that big shit. Now why do you go and find a thread about something you are interested in? ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2011, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rise-of-the-planet-of-the-apes-trailer-holy-crap/578383/23 "2011-04-15T17:52:14Z")
> [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](#): > > How many damn dirty apes does it take to screw in a lightbulb? I really shouldn’t do this… Ah, I dunno Son, how many? ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2011, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rise-of-the-planet-of-the-apes-trailer-holy-crap/578383/24 "2011-04-15T18:01:46Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > Dammit, there are lots of science fiction and fantasy works out there with brilliant and filmable ideas, many of them opening up now due to the flexibility and power of CGI. Why in the name of Cornelius to you have to keep re-visiting this one-note franchise? Well, it doesn’t look like this new movie owes very much to the original franchise. Besides, intelligent apes are cool, and this movie at least seems to have a plausible explanation for them. ---
**Author:** ![UncleRojelio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unclerojelio/32/3160_2.png) [@UncleRojelio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleRojelio)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2011, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rise-of-the-planet-of-the-apes-trailer-holy-crap/578383/25 "2011-04-15T18:02:45Z")
I watched that original PoTA and all the sequels during their original runs. Like **Cal** , I’m wondering why do we need more? But then, I ask the same thing about many, many of the trailers that I’ve seen of the past few years. Seems like everything is so obviously derivative. In fact, the only thing that motivates me to go to the theater these days is if there seems to be a kernel of novelty in a movie. A rare event indeed. Have filmmakers simply run out of new ideas? ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2011, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rise-of-the-planet-of-the-apes-trailer-holy-crap/578383/26 "2011-04-15T18:11:39Z")
> [@](#): > > I hope you feel better after dropping that big shit. Now why do you go and find a thread about something you are interested in? Actually, it’s exactly in line with this thread, and an answer to the question the OP asks. And it looks like some posters agree with me. ---
**Author:** ![mlees](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@mlees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mlees)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2011, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rise-of-the-planet-of-the-apes-trailer-holy-crap/578383/27 "2011-04-15T18:38:47Z")
Well, I think it’s because apes are the closest animals to us in the animal kingdom. We share a lot of similar physical features, we can see rudiments of a social hierarchy in their behavior, they can communicate through facial expression, and so on. We know they are real world critters, and we see a lot of ourselves in them. We naturally wonder what is it that makes us (defines us) human. With an “alien” like E.T., we can explore similar issues, but the “connection” isn’t there, because E.T. is no more “real” to us than a hobbit in Lord of the Rings, or the hunter race in Predator. So the emotional “impact” is lessened. ---
**Author:** ![drastic\_quench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e36b37/32.png) [@drastic\_quench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drastic_quench)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2011, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rise-of-the-planet-of-the-apes-trailer-holy-crap/578383/28 "2011-04-15T18:48:40Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > Actually, it’s exactly in line with this thread, and an answer to the question the OP asks. And it looks like some posters agree with me. Yes, and even if they didn’t, I can’t think of a more appropriate thread for one to toss around their own shit. ---
**Author:** ![Gagundathar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a183cd/32.png) [@Gagundathar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gagundathar)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2011, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rise-of-the-planet-of-the-apes-trailer-holy-crap/578383/29 "2011-04-15T18:58:34Z")
> [@mlees](#): > > Well, I think it’s because apes are the closest animals to us in the animal kingdom. We share a lot of similar physical features, we can see rudiments of a social hierarchy in their behavior, they can communicate through facial expression, and so on. > > We know they are real world critters, and we see a lot of ourselves in them. We naturally wonder what is it that makes us (defines us) human. > > With an “alien” like E.T., we can explore similar issues, but the “connection” isn’t there, because E.T. is no more “real” to us than a hobbit in Lord of the Rings, or the hunter race in Predator. So the emotional “impact” is lessened. I agree except to point out that biologically speaking, we are all great apes. Therefore, the kinship shouldn’t be that remarkable. Yet it is. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2011, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rise-of-the-planet-of-the-apes-trailer-holy-crap/578383/30 "2011-04-15T19:04:46Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > Why in the name of Cornelius to you have to keep re-visiting this one-note franchise? The idea of intelligent apes seems to press a psychic button for a lot of people. I don’t get it myself, but you can see the theme at work in, for example, the DC Universe, which has villains like Gorilla Grodd, Monsieur Mallah, the Ultra-Humanite, and an entire city full of hyper-advanced apes. (TVTropes, naturally, has [a page on it.](http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ManiacMonkeys)) There’s clearly some currency to the idea, and for all its flaws, _Planet of the Apes_ is the only movie I can think of that takes the idea and runs with it as far as it can. It may be a bad movie, but if this general concept appeals to you, there’s not a lot of alternatives that cover the same territory. ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2011, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rise-of-the-planet-of-the-apes-trailer-holy-crap/578383/31 "2011-04-15T19:16:04Z")
> [@Cumberdale](#): > > I hope you feel better after dropping that big shit. Now why do you go and find a thread about something you are interested in? wtf? His post was well thought-out and interesting, and this isn’t even your thread. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2011, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rise-of-the-planet-of-the-apes-trailer-holy-crap/578383/32 "2011-04-15T20:44:24Z")
> [@Capitaine\_Zombie](#): > > Someone will ahve to explain to me why the masks in the original series of movies work so much better than either the masks of the Burton remake or those CGIed apes. > > BTW, never a good sign when the biggest name you can throw around on your trailer is the name of your SFX company… Totally disagree. I loved the _Planet of the Apes_ franchise in the '70s, but they certainly don’t hold up well. This is in part due to less-than-stellar acting and writing, but largely down to practical make-up and costume which seem absurdly hokey in retrospect. I was very excited about the Tim Burton remake, but left the theatre underwhelmed. This was certainly not because I had any problem with the make-up effects, though - the make-up was vastly superior to the make-up in the originals. After being disappointed by Tim Burton’s _Planet of the Apes_, I was not interested in this reboot at all - not in the slightest! The trailer turned it around, though. First, it’s great that they’re not just retreading something that’s already familiar - this is much more likely to hold my attention. This is helped enormously by the appearance of the apes, which is properly in accord with what intelligent apes would actually look like. Looks spectacular! And putting Weta up front makes good sense, as lots of houses are doing motion capture work, but Weta iis the acknowledged vanguard. If you hear “Weta,” you expect that the models will be perfectly realistic, the performance capture will be as-good-as-live, and the integration will be seamless. This movie looks like it’ll be 100% of awesome. Zero to Stoked in 1:55. ---
**Author:** ![mckall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eada6e/32.png) [@mckall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mckall)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2011, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rise-of-the-planet-of-the-apes-trailer-holy-crap/578383/33 "2011-04-15T20:57:29Z")
I’m with you **Larry Mudd** , the original run doesn’t hold up well (which I find surprising that ANYONE finds this surprising); but I love them. They don’t make too much sense beyond 1 & 2, but I love post-apocolyptic fiction and this is exactly the kind of stuff I like. I wasn’t a fan of Burton’s, but this one looks like the movie I _wish_ had been filmed in the original run. A start to finish story, rather than disjointed “Shit, we need another sequel” style. As to the franchise itself, I don’t think it’s a one note series; it’s simply been managed that way. I’ve always wanted to see more of the world and all that backstory which I think is interesting as hell. The sequels in the original run were not well thought out, they were cashing in. This new one isn’t a sequel to Burton’s confusion mess; it’s what I hope is the start of a decent series of movies. Where things might be more open world; instead of just Ape City. ---
**Author:** ![Gangster\_Octopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a8b319/32.png) [@Gangster\_Octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gangster_Octopus)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2011, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rise-of-the-planet-of-the-apes-trailer-holy-crap/578383/34 "2011-04-15T21:03:58Z")
> [@mlees](#): > > Well, I think it’s because apes are the closest animals to us in the animal kingdom. We share a lot of similar physical features, we can see rudiments of a social hierarchy in their behavior, they can communicate through facial expression, and so on. > > We know they are real world critters, and we see a lot of ourselves in them. We naturally wonder what is it that makes us (defines us) human. > > With an “alien” like E.T., we can explore similar issues, but the “connection” isn’t there, because E.T. is no more “real” to us than a hobbit in Lord of the Rings, or the hunter race in Predator. So the emotional “impact” is lessened. Actually i blieve CHimpanzees are the closest to us in the animal kingdom. However, _Planet of the Chimps_ isn’t quite as visceral. ---
**Author:** ![mckall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eada6e/32.png) [@mckall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mckall)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2011, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rise-of-the-planet-of-the-apes-trailer-holy-crap/578383/35 "2011-04-15T21:05:53Z")
Well, Chimps _are_ apes, so the name works. ---
**Author:** ![mlees](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@mlees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mlees)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2011, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rise-of-the-planet-of-the-apes-trailer-holy-crap/578383/36 "2011-04-15T21:10:00Z")
> [@Gangster\_Octopus](#): > > Actually i blieve CHimpanzees are the closest to us in the animal kingdom. However, _Planet of the Chimps_ isn’t quite as visceral. They had chimps in Planet of the Apes. They were the scientists (and teachers?); Orangutans were politicians, theologians, lawyers; and the “Gorillas” were the police, army, bodyguard types. ---
**Author:** ![Gangster\_Octopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a8b319/32.png) [@Gangster\_Octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gangster_Octopus)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2011, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rise-of-the-planet-of-the-apes-trailer-holy-crap/578383/37 "2011-04-15T21:10:51Z")
> [@mckall](#): > > Well, Chimps _are_ apes, so the name works. I stand corrected. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2011, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rise-of-the-planet-of-the-apes-trailer-holy-crap/578383/38 "2011-04-15T21:31:29Z")
[QUOTE=a35362] I(but servants that had to be monitored constantly and beaten regularly). [/QUOTE] That’s any servant, really. ---
**Author:** ![marshmallow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df705f/32.png) [@marshmallow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/marshmallow)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2011, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rise-of-the-planet-of-the-apes-trailer-holy-crap/578383/39 "2011-04-15T21:54:47Z")
That trailer was :dubious:. The dialogue wasn’t bombastic enough to be so bad it’s good. And armies of apes aren’t scary or threatening, they’re hilarious. ---
**Author:** ![Lemur866](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lemur866/32/434_2.png) [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2011, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rise-of-the-planet-of-the-apes-trailer-holy-crap/578383/40 "2011-04-15T22:40:38Z")
Somebody contact the Coalition to Liberate Itinerant Treedwellers. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rise-of-the-planet-of-the-apes-trailer-holy-crap/578383.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rise-of-the-planet-of-the-apes-trailer-holy-crap/578383.md?page=3)