War for the Planet of the Apes opens this week at theaters around the city.
The re-rebooting of the Planet of the Apes series is the best thing to happen to originalist sci-fi dorks since Christopher Nolan rescued Batman or J.J. Abrams got into the Star Trek and Star Wars salvage business. However edifying those films were, they were essentially there to restore first principles, and reclaim the titles in question from irresponsible minders (and/or creators).
The same could be said of the Apes franchise, obviously. And not just because of Tim Burton’s baffling 2001 Planet of the Apes reboot (the bemused semi-enjoyment of which remains one of the loneliest experiences of my moviegoing life). Long before that, Planet of the Apes v. 1 was defiled by four increasingly schlocky sequels.
