8 Monkey Movies That Will Surprise You
Miscellaneous / / January 16, 2022
These primates are ready to communicate, make friends and even compete with humans for a place on the planet.
1. Congo
Congo
- USA, 1995
- Fantasy, thriller, detective, adventure.
- Duration: 109 minutes.
- IMDb: 5.2.
Dr. Karen Ross agrees to go to the Congo to find out about the fate of her missing lover. Together with her, primate expert Peter Elliott and his assistant Richard fly to the same places. Their goal is to release the gorilla Amy, who has mastered sign language, into the jungle. As a result, the animal leads the heroes to a lost city full of treasures.
If you miss the good old militants from the 90s, but for some reason they missed the “Congo”, this gap should definitely be filled. The movie is based on the book of the same name by Michael Crichton, who invented Jurassic Park and Westworld. Although the adaptation in the plot has changed a lot, including the characters.
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2. planet of the apes
Planet of the Apes
- USA, 2001.
- Fantasy, Action, Thriller, Adventure.
- Duration: 119 minutes.
- IMDb: 5.7.
US Air Force Captain Leo Davidson teaches monkeys how to fly aircraft. One day, communication with the space module, where the hero's favorite chimpanzee is located, is interrupted. The astronaut rushes to the rescue of a pet, but falls into a time loop and finds himself on a planet where people behave like wild animals, and anthropomorphic monkeys run everything.
The novel of the same name by the French writer Pierre Boulle was transferred to the screen several times. The first and most outstanding was the adaptation of 1968, in which the authors proposed a new ending, radically different from the original.
Restart franchise entrusted to director Tim Burton. True, in his version there were even more differences from the original source, and the ending generally confused the audience. The film was a box office success, but received a lot of bad reviews from critics. So no sequels followed him, and Burton himself was not eager to return to this topic.
Nowadays, Planet of the Apes looks strange and a little naive. But it’s worth seeing the picture at least for the sake of the chic makeup, which was worked on by the legendary Rick Baker, the most authoritative creator of the monkey appearance in Hollywood. He also created primates in the films Gorillas in the Mist and Mighty Joe Young, which will be discussed below.
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3. Mighty Joe Young
Mighty Joe Young
- USA, 1998.
- Fantasy, Action, Thriller, Adventure, Family.
- Duration: 114 minutes.
- IMDb: 5.7.
Jill lives in Africa from a young age with a giant gorilla named Joe. The director of the American reserve convinces the heroine that it is better for her to move to the United States with her pet. But there, Jill and Joe are waiting for a meeting with a familiar poacher.
The film once again plays with the theme of the collision of the inhabitant jungle with modern urban civilization. The plot is a bit reminiscent of Kong, and for good reason. After all, we have before us a remake of the 1949 film of the same name, which was conceived as a kind of paraphrase of the popular story about a giant monster.
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4. Link
Link
- UK, 1986
- Horror, thriller.
- Duration: 103 minutes.
- IMDb: 5.9.
Professor Stephen Philip is looking for the missing link in the evolution between apes and humans. He hires his student Jane to do chores at a house where he experiments on three chimpanzees. At some point, the girl is left alone with the monkeys and realizes that something is wrong with them, and especially with an orangutan named Link.
The abilities of primates, on the one hand, delight, and on the other hand, they frighten, because no one knows what is on their minds. Therefore, monkeys often become heroes thrillers, and Richard Franklin's "Link" is perhaps the most striking example.
5. Rampage
Rampage
- USA, UK, 2021.
- Fantasy, thriller, adventure.
- Duration: 152 minutes.
- IMDb: 6.1.
Former commando Davis, disillusioned with people, finds his best friend - the primate George. But a genetic experiment that has gone out of control leads to the fact that the pet grows in size, becomes aggressive and begins to destroy everything around. Now the hero has to save the city and at the same time - his pet.
The plot of "Rampage" is partly based on an old computer arcade with the same name. The film is definitely worth a watch if you like movies with a lot of action, explosions and mind-blowing special effects. And you also adore Dwayne Johnson, whose charisma saves almost any picture.
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6. Gorillas in the fog
Gorillas in the Mist: The Story of Dian Fossey
- USA, 1988.
- Drama, biography.
- Duration: 129 minutes.
- IMDb: 7.0.
The film tells a true story zoologist Dian Fossey, who devoted herself to the study of wild gorillas. She has made a huge contribution to the conservation of these animals. But the activity of a woman did not suit everyone, and above all, the Rwandan poachers.
The main character was played by the beautiful Sigourney Weaver, familiar to the audience from the Alien franchise. Thanks to her trademark energy and charisma, the actress managed to embody a strong and at the same time very emotional image. For her work in this film, Weaver even received a Golden Globe.
7. King Kong
King Kong
- New Zealand, USA, Germany, 2005.
- Action, drama, melodrama, adventure, fantasy.
- Duration: 187 minutes.
- IMDb: 7.2.
Adventurer-director Carl Denham, accompanied by playwright Jack Driscoll and aspiring actress Ann Darrow, set sail to complete a film rejected by the producers. The team landed at the mysterious Skull Island, home to an incredible gorilla called Kong by the natives. After the natives kidnap Ann in order to sacrifice her to the monster, the entire crew rushes to the rescue of the girl. And along the way they have to face terrible monsters.
Director Peter Jackson was in love with the legendary film about King Kong in 1933 with all his heart, so he approached the production of the remake with the utmost care. He left the action in the same 1933 and flooded the picture with a huge number of film quotes and Easter eggs. In addition, Kong himself turned from a monster into a full-fledged hero, able to feel and love.
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8. Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Rise of the Planet of the Apes
- USA, 2011.
- Fantasy, Action, Thriller, Drama.
- Duration: 105 minutes.
- IMDb: 7.5.
Young scientist Will Rodman is looking for a cure for Alzheimer's disease in order to save his dying father. But during the presentation, the experimental female chimpanzee begins to behave aggressively, and the project is curtailed. However, Will manages to save her cub from being put to sleep.
He names the primate Caesar and shelters him at home. Soon the hero finds out that the effect of the drug was inherited and made the animal the most intelligent representative of its species on the planet.
After the failure of Planet of the Apes in 2001, Tim Burton did not want to continue working on the series, and it was decided to restart the franchise. As a result, the new film became a prequel to the main story, and instead of costumes, computer effects came to the aid in depicting monkeys. Moreover, Caesar was given his facial expressions by the famous Andy Serkis, who had previously played Gollum and King Kong.
After Rise of the Planet of the Apes, two more sequels appeared: Planet of the Apes: Revolution and Planet of the Apes: War. And they have a lot more action and spectacular battle scenes than in the first picture.
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