Matthew Broderick, Helen Hunt. An Air Force pilot rescues smart chimps from lab experiments at a strategic-weapons research center, but then has to figure out what to do with them.

This film will break your heart, if you have a love for animals. You are introduced to the chimps (they're given CHARACTER development, if you can dig it), then you are shown what happens TO the chimps in this research center, and then you are shown what happens because of this treatment. Once you are emotionally invested in the premise, the tension of the surrounding atmosphere begins to build until the climactic crescendo.

This is actually not as bad as I remembered, but not as good as I hoped, watching from a more mature perspective. The performances are typical of the time, perhaps a tad better, but this work is horribly dated, as is practically everything from that era. I wouldn't say it rates a remaking, as it's fine as it is, but someone will in order to carry a "fresh" message that what goes on in these laboratories is wrong. Eventually, we'll see posters and ad blurbs for Project NeXt or something like that.

All in all, it's good for a rainy Sunday, but don't set your hopes real high, and ... in spite of the levity , heartwarming moments, and the kid-friendly ratings, this is NOT for younger (or tender) children, who could be traumatized for years by the treatment these chimps receive.

It rates a 6.8/10 from...

the Fiend :.