ChildCare Action Project (CAP): Christian Analysis of American Culture
http://www.capalert.com/

CAPCon ALERT


Click on CAPCon Alert
image for explanation
Entertainment Media Analysis Report
A service to parents and grandparents

MAR21049
Planet of the Apes (2001), (PG-13)
CAP Score: 64
CAP Influence Density: 0.67

NOT associated with Landover or Westboro Baptist in any way.




Visit this CBX member
Christian Banner eXchange



ALERT: To fully understand this report you should first visit the topics suggested by the CAP Table of Contents.

For FREE text-only versions of our media analysis reports as they are calculated, open this email then click "send." If your browser does not handle this URL format properly, send us a request to add you.


NOTE: If you do not want the plot, ending, or "secrets" of a movie spoiled for you, skip the Summary/Commentary. In any case, be sure to visit the Findings/Scoring section -- it is purely objective and is the heart of the CAP Entertainment Media Analysis Model applied to this movie.





SUMMARY / COMMENTARY:

If Scriptural references appear, the full text appears at the end of the Summary / Commentary likely using a mix of KJV and NIV.


PLANET OF THE APES (PG-13) -- a very violent movie.

Aside from being built entirely on evolution, Planet of the Apes is an attempt at allegory using racism to make its statement, a little more "politically correct" than the 1968 Planet of the Apes, but an attempt to make a statement about racism nonetheless. While the energy of the statement about racism in this newer version was not as charged as it was during the 1968 version amid the racial unrest of the time, perceived inequality still lingers so it is still a poignant statement. Think about Judgment Day. When we each stand before Jesus will He be black or white? Or will He just be Jesus? While men and women of all races are equally precious to Jesus, apes are not equal to us.

The movie also seems to try to speak to intolerance. It seems to use condemning racism to condemn intolerance. Tolerance/intolerance is probably the most abused concept of the times. Often we who speak out against sin are labeled as intolerant. Such rationale says one must be tolerant of sin to accept the sinner. While we MUST show love and compassion to the sinner by doing what we can to help him/her out of bondage to the sin, we do NOT have to accept the sin to help the sinner. Acceptance of sin is implied approval of it. God loves everyone. So should we, even if it is tough love. God is intolerant of sin. He hates it [Prov 6:16-19 and many others]. So should we. Even our own. Take for example a disobedient son. Does hatred of the disobedience mean hatred of your son? Of course not. Is punishment for the disobedience hatred? Of course not. Let us keep intolerance in perspective.
Comments?

Christian Media News

In the 1968 Planet of the Apes, Commander Taylor (Charleton Heston) and company (three total) traveled to the earth's future through a time warp cause by excessive speed. The theory is that the faster matter travels the more time slows down for the traveling matter: that traveling at the speed of light would make time stop for the traveler. This time dilation theory has evidently been proven at less than lightspeed, but by Einstein's equations the speed of light is not attainable since it would take an infinity amount of energy to get a mass to travel at the speed of light and the mass itself would in proportion become infinitely massive.

A Singles
Christian Network

However time dilation works, the faster a body travels the slower the time for the traveling body while ground reference time (that of everything other than the traveling mass) remains constant. So, while Taylor traveled near the speed of light his time slowed while earth's time remained constant. Thousands of years later, the earth and its occupants aged normally while Taylor remained the same age. Then Taylor landed back on the older earth to find man had destroyed himself and the apes "evolved" into a sentient dominant society enslaving the humans.
Your One Stop

For Everything Christian

In this 2001 Planet of the Apes, there was only one [human] traveler who is catapulted into a space/time warp and deposited not back on the earth as was Taylor but on another planet of the future a great distance away from the earth. Davidson's new planet is dominated by apes. How did the apes get there? Please bear with me.
Entirety Management Services, Inc.

Biblical based Management Consulting

In 2029, 28 years from today an earth space station is studying space phenomena but using monkeys instead of men to pilot space pods to gather data. Captain Leo Davidson (Mark Wahlberg) is a trainer for the monkey pilots and has become adamantly attached to his "students." One of the monkeys, a chimpanzee I believe named Percales, is dispatched in a space pod to take readings of a space anomaly for analysis. A disturbance of energy causes the space station to lose contact with the chimp's space pod. Captain Davidson is not happy about losing his prime student, disobeys direct orders and steals a space pod to rescue his monkey.

As all this is happening, vertices in the space/time continuum appear and swallow both the pod with Percales and the pod with Captain Davidson and transport them to a very distant world and at different times, Percales many years before Davidson. When Percales landed, the apes there saw him as the Semos, or as a future Jesus if I captured the movie's meaning correctly.

In the middle of all this, the space station apparently became captured by one of the vortices and transported to the same planet as the monkey and Davidson. The space station crashed on the planet but long before Percales which happened long before Davidson arrived apparently due to all the eddies and varying densities in the vortices. There is how the apes got on to the planet -- they are the untold generations of the apes that were being trained for space flight.

Upon arrival, Davidson finds the world he is on is dominated by apes (the descendants of the apes under his training). As was Taylor of the 1968 version, Davidson is captured but this time by evil General Thade (Tim Roth) and his second in command, Attar (Michael Clarke Duncan). Davidson was captured along with a number of other humans, including a human woman Daena (Estella Warren), the counterpart of Nova in the 1968 version, and her father Karubi (Kris Kristofferson). All are taken for slavery to the master race - the apes. But Ari (Helena Bonham-Carter), a "human-lover" and daughter of a powerful Senator, has other plans. Slave trader Limbo (Paul Giamatti) sells Davidson, Daena and Karubi to Ari who befriends Davidson. Indeed, Ari develops an attachment to Davidson as does Daena and a jealously develops. Even the kiss between Taylor and Zira of the 1968 version is repeated between Davidson and Ari. But in this 2001 version, the choreographers took full advantage of Carter's deep beautiful eyes.

Ari, with the aid of a wise ousted general named Krull (Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa) helps Davidson, Daena and Karubi and other humans to escape. Krull leads the entourage to the forbidden land called Calima which holds secrets the ape leaders kept from the ape population as did the ape leaders in the 1968 version. In the 1968 version, the forbidden area held still operational nuclear weaponry and evidence of apes being zoo captives a long time ago plus city ruins. In this 2001 version, Calima held the partially operational crashed space station. In both versions, effigies guarded the entrance to the forbidden area. The largest difference between the 1968 version and this one is this one presented no guns except for the one Davidson brought with him in the pod and the one in the pod piloted by the chimpanzee, Semos. While there is battle and warfare between the humans and the apes in this 2001 version there are no guns used in the warfare, just blades and beatings and just about any other manner of killing imaginable.

It was a very violent movie [Prov. 3:31; Ps. 11:5]. So violent it lost all if its starting 100 points in Wanton Violence/Crime, making it clearly equivalent in magnitude to that seen in R-rated movies. Note that, though I am not an expert in the subject, I have observed that when violence is implanted by such an influential entity as entertainment, the implanted violence can manifest in the subject in many forms such as expressing feelings and reacting to friction with violent behavior. Just because the violence of Planet of the Apes is of species warfare does not mean the implanting of that violence cannot surface as other forms [1 Cor. 15:33]. There were a few matters of impudence such as defiance of rightful authority [Heb. 13:17] and use of the three/four letter word vocabulary [Prov. 17:20]. Warren wore progressively less clothing through the show but no nudity was found, only a case of excessive cleavage. She was the "Rachel Welch" (One Million Years BC) who was always dressed much less than any other female in the show [Col. 3:5]. And Offense to God revealed some matters contrary to God's teachings such as "Created all apes in his image" and attempts to make apes and humans equal [Gen. 1:26, 28]. But the main thrust of programming with the potential to shape your child's perception and coping skills was the extreme violence. The listing in the Findings/Scoring section provides an itemization of the findings.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo


If needed to focus or fortify, applicable text is underlined or bracketed [ ].
  • Prov. 6:16 These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.
  • Prov. 3:31 Do not envy a violent man or choose any of his ways,
  • Ps. 11:5 The LORD examines the righteous, but the wicked and those who love violence his soul hates.
  • Heb. 13:17 Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you.
  • Prov. 17:20 He that hath a froward heart findeth no good: and he that hath a perverse [obstinate in opposing the norm or the accepted] tongue [lashown {law-shone'}: language] falleth into mischief.
  • Col. 3:5 Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry.
  • Gen. 1:26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
  • Gen. 1:28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.

    *******Food for Thought*******
  • 1 Cor. 15:33 (KJV) Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners. (NIV) Do not be misled: Bad company corrupts good character.
  • Jude 4 For certain men* whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you. They are godless men, who change the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord. [*men: anthropos {anth'-ro-pos}, generic, a human being, whether male or female]
    ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo


    As always, it is best to refer to the Findings/Scoring section -- the heart of the CAP analysis model -- for the most complete assessment possible of this movie.




    FINDINGS / SCORING: Planet of the Apes (2001) CAP Thermometers

    NOTE: Multiple occurrences of each item described below may be likely, definitely when plural.

    Wanton Violence/Crime (W):
  • graphic meanness imagery
  • assaults
  • animal attacks and threats
  • beatings by animals
  • extensive and severe brutality
  • brandings of humans
  • explosive startles
  • weaponfire to intimidate
  • battle sequences, one exceptionally graphic
  • multiple deaths by incineration
  • many deaths by impalement, neck breaking, beating and other means of causing death
  • long beating sequence

    Impudence/Hate (I)(1):
  • defiance of authority
  • nine uses of the three/four letter word vocabulary

    Sex/Homosexuality (S):
  • sexual innuendo
  • excessive cleavage

    Drugs/Alcohol (D):
  • smoking what appears to be narcotics (by apes)

    Offense to God (O)(2):
  • entire show built on evolution
  • nude demon art
  • muffled and broken use of God's name in vain with the four letter expletive
  • "Created all apes in his image"
  • praying to false god(s)
  • apes and humans as equals and humans as inferior

    Murder/Suicide (M)(3):
  • murder of ape by ape (unseen but heard)
  • double murder of apes by ape, graphic



    NOTE: The CAP Analysis Model makes no scoring allowances for trumped-up "messages" to excuse or for manufacturing of justification for aberrant behavior or imagery, or for camouflaging such ignominy with "redeeming" programming. Disguising sinful behavior in a theme plot does not excuse the sinful behavior of either the one who is drawing pleasure from the sinful display or the practitioners demonstrating the sinful behavior. This is NOT a movie review service. It is a movie analysis service to parents and grandparents to tell them the truth about movies using the Truth.


    "There are some in the entertainment industry who maintain that 1) violent programming is harmless because no studies exist that prove a connection between violent entertainment and aggressive behavior in children, and 2) young people know that television, movies, and video games are simply fantasy. Unfortunately, they are wrong on both accounts." And "Viewing violence may lead to real life violence." I applaud these associations for fortifying 1 Cor. 15:33. Read the rest of the story. From our five-year study, I contend that other aberrant behaviors, attitudes, and expressions can be inserted in place of "violence" in that statement. Our Director - Child Psychology Support, a licensed psychologist and certified school psychologist concurs. For example, "Viewing arrogance against fair authority may lead to your kids defying you in real life." Or "Viewing sex may lead to sex in real life." Likewise and especially with impudence, hate and foul language. I further contend that any positive behavior can be inserted in place of "violence" with the same chance or likelihood of being a behavior template for the observer; of being incorporated into the behavior mechanics and/or coping skills of the observer. In choosing your entertainment, please consider carefully the "rest of the story" and our findings.





    Join Christian Banner Exchange Network Today!







    (1) As noted in CAP Special Report-001, "Investigation Area and Scoring Trend," of the six CAP Investigation Areas, Impudence/Hate was the strongest presence in all four movie classifications. It has a strong revelation about the entertainment media.

    (2) The use of the three/four letter word vocabulary without God's name in vain is incorporated into the Impudence/Hate Investigation Area. The use of God's name with or without the four letter expletive is incorporated into the Offense to God Investigation Area. There is no duplication.

    (3) Only portrayal of successful murder or suicide are incorporated into Murder/Suicide. Portrayal of attempts to commit murder or suicide and deaths by police action or war are incorporated into Wanton Violence/Crime.




    The ChildCare Action Project (CAP) is a nonprofit Christian ministry. We rely on public support. If you wish to contribute to the CAP, please send your donations to

    ChildCare Action Project
    Post Office Box 177
    Granbury, TX 76048-0177

    Your gifts are tax deductible in accordance with Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Service Tax Codes.

    Please feel free to write to us.




    You are welcome to
    Go back to the CAP Reports Page
    or
    Top of the CAP Home Page
    or
    CAP Table of Contents

    or leave me an email message or comment at

    cap@capalert.com




    Thank you for visiting us and may God bless you. Prayerfully, we will provide you with some of the most revealing commentary and investigative reporting you have ever read.

    In the name of Jesus:
    Lord, Master, Teacher, Savior, God.

    ChildCare Action Project (CAP): Christian Analysis of American Culture

    Copyright ChildCare Action Project (CAP)