Marginally Better, The 2015 Planet Of The Apes Dr. Zaius Ornament Remains A Tough Sell!

The Good: Good sculpt, General coloring, Affordable, Neat detailing on the doll
The Bad: Slight balance issue, Very basic coloring for most of the ornament, No feature
The Basics: The Planet Of The Apes ornament line is continued in 2015 with Dr. Zaius, which is another more or less average genre ornament.


Last year when Hallmark announced its new ornament line-up, one of the more interesting surprises for me was that Planet Of The Apes was getting immortalized in Hallmark ornament form. It was not a significant anniversary of the 1968 science fiction classic film and the Cornelius ornament (reviewed here!) seemed like a more obscure starting point than either Charlton Heston's protagonist or the antagonistic Dr. Zaius. This year, fans of Planet Of The Apes get their Dr. Zaius ornament and it is all right.

Hallmark sculptor Kristina Gaughran created an ornament that is evocative of the film persona of Maurice Evans as Dr. Zaius from Planet Of The Apes for the Dr. Zaius ornament. For those not familiar with Planet Of The Apes (reviewed here!), the villain was Dr. Zaius, an orangutan who mixes science and religious doctrine. Dr. Zaius helped keep order in the simian society by denying that humans possessed intelligence.

It is Dr. Zaius, holding the doll that is used to prove that humans once had intelligence, that is the subject of the 2015 Dr. Zaius Hallmark ornament.

Basics

The 2015 Dr. Zaius ornament faithfully recreates Dr. Zaius and the doll he holds in a fairly precise sculpt. The ornament, released in 2015, is fair for an ornament based upon the costume used in the original Planet Of The Apes film. Measuring four and three-eighths inches tall by one and five-eighths inches wide by an inch and three-quarters deep, the Dr. Zaius ornament is the only Planet Of The Apes ornament released by Hallmark in stores in 2015 and was released at Gold Crown Hallmark stores on Ornament Preview Weekend in July. The Dr. Zaius ornament came with an original retail price of $14.95 and given that its predecessor was not a sell-out, it is hard to believe this one will be flying off the shelves tomorrow when they go on sale.

The Hallmark Dr. Zaius ornament is made of durable plastic. Dr. Zaius’s costume is simple, but accurately detailed. Dr. Zaius is dressed in a simple tunic with what appears to be leather shoulder pads and accents on the sleeves. His hands are covered in gloves, which match his brown boots. Dr. Zaius stands, clutching a filthy, partially melted-looking doll in his hands, glaring out at the person who is buying the ornament. Dr. Zaius's feet have him standing like he is in the process of moving or standing on unlevel ground, which is a little awkward.

The Dr. Zaius ornament features a version of Dr. Zaius who looks more like an animated version of the character than the live-action one based on the make-up effects from Planet Of The Apes. The skin tones have a little less impressive depth and shading compared to the mask from the 1960s when the film was made. Similarly, the costume is clean and simplistic and it seems incongruent with the doll in the character's hands, which is impressively colored and sculpted.

Features

As a Hallmark Keepsake ornament, Dr. Zaius could have a sound chip or light-up function. Given how many good lines Dr. Zaius has in Planet Of The Apes, or the fact that the doll speaking is integral to the climax of the film, it is surprising that Hallmark opted against doing a sound clip for the ornament.

Balance

As with all ornaments, the intent of the Hallmark Keepsake Dr. Zaius ornament is to be hung on a Christmas Tree. For those creating the ultimate movie nostalgia Christmas Tree, the Dr. Zaius ornament is a hit or miss addition. Oddly, the ornament is frontheavy. The ornament has the standard brass hook loop embedded into the top, center of the back of Dr. Zaius’s head at a pretty obvious position. From there, the ornament, when affixed to a tree with a hook, swings very easily and is clearly weighted more to the front, so it looks like Dr. Zaius is lurching forward slightly.

Collectibility

Hallmark Keepsake began delving into the collectibles market in 1991 with Star Trek when it introduced the exceptionally limited edition U.S.S. Enterprise ornament (reviewed here!). Since then, they have made ornament replicas of almost all major franchises like DC comics, The Wizard Of Oz and Harry Potter. The Dr. Zaius ornament would be a real surprise if it sold out and/or appreciated significantly, especially because its predecessor was one of the ornaments easily available on clearance at the season's end. I suspect Dr. Zaius will be readily available through and after the holidays as well, making it a tougher ornament to want to rush out and pay full price for during Premiere Weekend.

Overview

Fans of Dr. Zaius, Maurice Evans, and Planet Of The Apes are likely to be somewhat underwhelmed by the Dr. Zaius ornament. It is not bad, but it is certainly not noteworthy, either.

For other film-themed Hallmark ornaments, please check out my reviews of:
2015 Star Wars Admiral Ackbar ornament
2015 Legends Of Star Trek Lieutenant Nyota Uhura ornament
2014 Jessica Rabbit Who Framed Roger Rabbit? ornament

5.5/10

For other ornament reviews, please visit my Ornament Review Index Page for an organized listing!

© 2015 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Neat Concept, Light On Detailing: The 2014 Cornelius Planet Of The Apes Hallmark Ornament Is Only Average!

The Good: Good sculpt, General coloring, Affordable
The Bad: Weird balance issue, Simplistic coloring, No feature
The Basics: The 2014 Hallmark Planet Of The Apes ornament of Cornelius is objectively average, with an odd balance issue offsetting the very precise sculpt.


As Christmas approaches at what seems to be an accelerated rate, I’m working on Christmas ornament reviews, while shoppers still have a chance to get them before the holiday (or, conversely, for discounts right after Christmas for the ones worth investing in!). One of the last genre ornaments that I had yet to review was the Cornelius Planet Of The Apes ornament that hit stores as part of Hallmark’s October release. The Cornelius ornament is, unfortunately, a study in average. It has a decent sculpt, but one of the weirdest balance issues I’ve seen on an ornament ever. It has surprisingly good coloring for some of its aspects, poor detailing on others. The result is an average ornament, at best.

Hallmark sculptor Kristina Gaughran created an ornament that is evocative of the film persona of Roddy McDowell as Cornelius from Planet Of The Apes for the Cornelius ornament. For those not familiar with Planet Of The Apes (reviewed here!), the villain was Cornelius, an ape who worked to keep apes in power over the human slaves. He and Dr. Zaius disagreed on the intelligence of humans who insisted they were intelligent.

It is Cornelius on a patch of ground, standing, looking slightly angrily, not in any iconic pose or moment, that is the subject of the 2014 Cornelius Hallmark ornament.

Basics

The 2014 Cornelius ornament faithfully recreates Cornelius in sculpt, if not in coloring, in his simple ape garments, standing on a small patch of rocky dirt. The ornament, released in 2014, is fair for an ornament based upon the costume used in the original Planet Of The Apes film. Measuring four and one-quarter inches tall by one and three-quarters inches wide by an inch and a quarter deep, the Cornelius ornament is the only Planet Of The Apes ornament released by Hallmark in stores in 2014 and was part of October’s push for classic genre film ornaments by Hallmark. The Cornelius ornament came with an original retail price of $14.95 and given that it has not been a sell-out at any of the Hallmark Gold Crown stores I have been to, I suspect it will be easily available after the holidays on discount.

The Hallmark Cornelius ornament is made of durable plastic. Cornelius’s costume is simple, but remarkably well-detailed. Cornelius is dressed in a simple tunic with a leather-looking bib. His hands are bare and hairy. His shoes are well-rendered and a cool conceit from the film; they are like gloves for the feet, with an individual compartment for each toe! Cornelius the ape stands, looking askew, with an angry look in his brown eyes.

The Cornelius ornament features a version of Cornelius who looks more like an animated version of the character than the live-action one based on Roddy McDowell. The skin tones have a reasonable amount of depth and shading based on the mask from the 1960s when the film was made. But the costume is clean and simplistic and it seems incongruent with the character in the outfit.

Features

As a Hallmark Keepsake ornament, Cornelius could have a sound chip or light-up function. Given how many good lines Cornelius has in Planet Of The Apes, it is surprising that Hallmark opted against doing a sound clip for the ornament.

Balance

As with all ornaments, the intent of the Hallmark Keepsake Cornelius ornament is to be hung on a Christmas Tree. And for those creating the ultimate movie nostalgia Christmas Tree, the Cornelius ornament is very much an unnecessary one. Oddly, the ornament is bottom, back heavy, with the front bottom of the ground leaning forward and up at a noticeable angle. The ornament has the standard steel hook loop embedded into the top, center of the back of Cornelius’s head at a pretty obvious position. From there, the ornament, when affixed to a tree with a hook, swings very easily and is clearly weighted more to the back (an effect accented by the base).

Collectibility

Hallmark Keepsake began delving into the collectibles market in 1991 with Star Trek when it introduced the exceptionally limited edition U.S.S. Enterprise ornament (reviewed here!). Since then, they have made ornament replicas of almost all major franchises like DC comics, The Wizard Of Oz and Harry Potter. The Cornelius ornament just began selling at the October Preview Weekend and seems to be pretty easy to find still. Given the problems with the balance and inconsistent coloring for this ornament, along with the general lack of relevance for Planet Of The Apes, it is doubtful it will be a sell-out and appreciate in value any time soon.

Overview

Fans of Cornelius, Roddy McDowell, and Planet Of The Apes are likely to be utterly unimpressed by the Cornelius ornament. It is fair and the price is inexpensive, but it is one of those ornaments that is hard to get excited about going out of one’s way for.

For other film-themed Hallmark ornaments, please check out my reviews of:
2014 Alien 35th Anniversary ornament
2014 Bane The Dark Knight Rises ornament
2014 Scarlett’s White Dress Gone With The Wind ornament

5/10

For other ornament reviews, please visit my Ornament Review Index Page for an organized listing!

© 2014 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Classics Of Science Fiction That Hold Up: Planet Of The Apes Is Philosophical And Smart!

The Good: Good concept, Clever, Decent acting, Engaging philosophy
The Bad: Some of the special effects, Pacing,
The Basics: An engaging story, Planet Of The Apes holds up as a story of religious oppression, more than just a novelty science fiction film with an oft-quoted reversal ending!


Last night, I decided to watch the original 1968 film Planet Of The Apes and it was the first time since I was a young teenager that I had actually endeavored to watch the movie. Ironically, in the intervening years, I enjoyed Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes (reviewed here!) and avoided the Tim Burton remake of the classic film. For all the times I have seen works that allude to the final moments of Planet Of The Apes, I was actually surprised that I had never before noted that Planet Of The Apes was co-written by Rod Serling. With its classic reversal at the end of the film, I suppose it should not have surprised me.

With Serling involved, it is almost no surprise that Planet Of The Apes is far less a make-up oriented novelty action-adventure film and far more a philosophical film with a strong moral. A play on classic evolution theory, Planet Of The Apes evolves from a classic science fiction premise into a rousing treatise on the conflict between science and faith before reverting into a novelty science fiction ending that is entirely familiar to fans of Serling’s The Twilight Zone!

In 2673, a NASA ship commanded by George Taylor, completes its mission and heads for Earth. Its four-person crew in suspended animation, the ship crashes in the water of a planet in Earth year 3978. The lone female on the ship, Stewart, is dead, her suspended animation chamber having cracked and the body desiccated. Taylor, Landon, and Dodge, flee their sinking craft and begin to explore the arid world they find themselves on. In search of food and water, before their three days worth of food is exhausted, the trio of astronauts finds small plants, then trees, then a waterfall. While swimming, the astronaut’s clothes are stolen and the men follow the thieves to a small agrarian settlement. There, they are captured by horse-riding apes. Taylor is shot in the neck and is rendered temporarily mute.

While being looked over by the doctor apes and with the sociologist Zira speaking near him, Taylor struggles to communicate. When his throat heals and he is able to talk, Taylor confounds Zira and he sparks a religious schism in simian society. Under the orthodox religious views of Dr. Zaius, who runs the Ministry Of Science, Zira and her fiancé, Cornelius, are put on trial for heresy for promoting the belief that Taylor is sentient and the equal of the simians. As the war between the religious views and hard science progresses, Taylor and his simian allies flee to an archaeological dig that may contain the proof they need to illustrate that the humans on the planet are not simply mute animals!

Planet Of The Apes is a classic science fiction movie in many ways, by which I mean that it is slow as dirt for a good portion of the movie. For a film called Planet Of The Apes, the actors in ape costumes take their sweet ass time to appear (32 minutes into the film is when the first clearly-visible ape makes their appearance). But on the positive side, after establishing a clear sense of place and mood, Planet Of The Apes evolves into something smart and appropriately cerebral. Like most of the best science fiction, and certainly like the science fiction from the era this was produced – most notably Star Trek (reviewed here!), Planet Of The Apes is not at all about gun battles, special effects or even a surreal setting. The fantastic setting of the world with the talking apes is only a backdrop for a expose on the way religion hijacks science.

Dr. Zaius is a compelling villain because he is the voice for orthodoxy and conformity. With a realistic motivation like that, he seems a lot less manic and desperate than George Taylor. Planet Of The Apes is a dressed up argument for evolution, progress, and the importance of promoting freedom as opposed to supporting the elements of power and control.

But, it is dressed up and the dressing and mood is dated. Opening with Taylor’s musings on what Earth might be like, given that 700 years have passed while he and his crew have been in space, Planet Of The Apes is dated in its fears and cultural ideologies. Released in 1968, Planet Of The Apes reflects a strong fear of nuclear war (much like Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes explored a fear of biological and genetic warfare/manipulation) and a contempt for the older generation (Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes had an anti-corporate thread in it). The ideas are interesting, though the vehemence that Taylor uses when expressing the themes is a bit dated.

Also dated are the ape and chimpanzee costumes that populate most of Planet Of The Apes. The apes look good, but when they speak, it is painfully obvious that the viewer is watching humans in latex masks. The sets look good, though, and the costumes are also noteworthy for how well they help create the time and place the film is set. The other special effect, the music, is painfully obvious and very much a product of the times.

Charlton Heston and Maurice Evans dominate the performances in Planet Of The Apes as Taylor and Dr. Zaius. Heston is manic and Evans plays Zaius very cool, making the pair classic foils and they play off one another exceptionally well.

For other classic science fiction films/film franchises, please check out my reviews of:
The Star Wars Saga
The Alien Quadrilogy
The Terminator

7/10

Check out how this film stacks up against others I have reviewed by visiting my Movie Review Index Page for a listing of films from best to worst!

© 2013 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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