Andrew-199

Well, what can one really say about the Planet of the Apes except that it's relatively well-made. I must admit though, special effects are becoming the norm - however, I must give credit to the directors in that the apes look rather realistic, and significantly ugly. Generally the plot was sound, the character of General Thade being sufficiently menacing - I mean, snarling at the camera every five seconds was enough to send a shiver down my spine. Well, maybe a exaggerate just a touch but his characterisation was definitely superb. The other characters are less certain, in fact did the girl really say anything? Of course, she was there for aesthetic purposes .. . . . need I say more?

Delightful, groundbreaking and refreshing - and not adapted from a book?! I even think there may have been a moral tucked away in there somewhere. Perhaps not for the older generations [those over seventy at any rate] and not a film to watch comfortably around the parents. It's crude and distasteful - perhaps that's why I like it so much?

I look forward to American Pie 2 most certainly

I admit it. I bought this movie not out of a burning desire to see an adaptation of Jane Austen on screen, but to aid me in my quest to understand 'Emma' which I had the 'pleasure' of studying as an exam text for my A-Levels.

With the book, at first I despised it. I could not see an ounce of comedy in it. The film, on the other hand, I considered fair to begin with. Unfortunately though, the more I watched the film the better it became and the better the novel became. By the end of it I actually *gulp* 'enjoyed' reading Austen. After the fourth viewing [and, incidentally, second reading of the novel] - on the eve of the examination itself - I was close to tears [metaphorically] towards the end.

Ultimately the novel is very good, but the film is equally good if not better. After all reading four-hundred pages of Austen can be a little bit tedious, and takes a considerable amount of time longer to do, than watching a ninety minute film like 'Emma'.