Space Chimps

Plot

Ham III, grandson of the first chimpanzee in space, is a cannonball at his circus, which his grandfather's friend Houston criticizes. Meanwhile, an unmanned NASA space probe called the Infinity is dragged into an intergalactic wormhole and crash-lands on an Earth-like planet on the other side of the galaxy. Zartog, an evil-minded inhabitant, accidentally discovers how to take manual control of the on-board machinery and uses it to enslave the population.

Faced with the loss of the probe and probable loss of their budget, the scientists have to find a way to regain contact with the probe, to help retrieve the wayward craft. Technical genius chimp Comet gets the scientists to pick them as astronauts to explore the planet and get the probe back, with the help of the fearless Lt. Luna, and their bombastic commander, Titan. The Senator likes the idea, but wants something extra special to grab the attention of the media, and picks Ham. Ham is uninterested in the mission, but he is launched into space despite his best efforts to escape the scientist's training facility.

The three chimps enter the wormhole, where Titan and Luna pass out from the pressure, leaving Ham with the task of getting the ship out and landing it. This is done, and Ham and Luna explore the planet, during which their ship, along with Titan, is taken by a group of aliens sent by Zartog. Ham and Luna begin their journey to Zartog's palace, and on the way they meet one of the inhabitants, known to them as Kilowatt. Kilowatt offers to lead them to the palace, but soon after they encounter a flesh-eating monster in a cave. The monster blocks the exit, but Kilowatt distracts it, sacrificing herself so Ham and Luna can escape.

The two chimps finally reach the palace, where they discover that Titan has been teaching Zartog some of the probe's features. They rescue him and are able to board their ship, but just as they are about to leave, Ham glances outside and sees Zartog torturing some of the other aliens. He then tells Titan and Luna that they indirectly sent the probe there, and that they owe it to Kilowatt to help save the planet. The three of them exit the ship, which blasts off set to autopilot, but as they are trying to think of a plan, Zartog attacks them with the probe. Just as they are about to get destroyed, Titan tricks Zartog into triggering an ejection mechanism in the probe, which in turn leads to his defeat.

The chimps then discover that Kilowatt has survived, and they are able to make contact with Comet and Houston back on Earth through a walkie-talkie. Houston reminds them that if they can redesign the probe, then they can use it to get back to Earth. They manage to do this with help from the planet's inhabitants and they use an erupting volcano to get the thrust they need to escape the planet's gravity. They go into space, and just as they are about to re-enter the wormhole, Titan hands the controls over to Ham, since Ham is the only one who can withstand the pressure, and thus, the only one who can pilot the ship home. Titan and Luna once again pass out. Ham is unsure if he is up to the task until he has a mental conversation with his grandfather, who tells him to believe in himself and to just do things his (Ham's) way.

Ham manages to manoeuver the ship back to Earth and land it with Luna's help, and the Senator, under pressure from the press, decides to dramatically increase the space program's funding. The film ends with a celebration being held for the chimps' return.

Cast

Release

Space Chimps was originally going to be released on May 2, 2008, but on December 19, 2007 the movie's release date was changed to July 18, 2008. This was mainly because of the 2007–08 Writers Guild of America strike. The premiere was held on July 13, 2008 in Los Angeles, California.

Critical response

Rotten Tomatoes reported that 34% of professional critics gave positive reviews based on 92 reviews, giving it a "rotten" rating overall. The consensus states: "Space Chimps' cheap animation and overabundance of monkey puns feels especially dated in a post–WALL-E world."

Roger Ebert gave a positive review of 3 stars and saying in his review that "Space Chimps is delightful from beginning to end." The New York Times said that Space Chimps was "hilarious". Lael Loewenstein of Variety called it "fairly fatuous but enjoyably slim family entertainment".

Box office

The film opened with $7.1 million in 2,511 theatres, with an $2,860 average. The film has grossed $30.1 million in the United States, and $34.7 million in other countries, totalling $64.8 million worldwide. The film was released in the United Kingdom on August 1, 2008, and opened on #7, grossing £563,543.

Home media

20th Century Fox Home Entertainment released Space Chimps on DVD and Blu-ray on November 25, 2008.

Soundtrack list

Video game

A video game based on the film was released in 2008, published by Brash Entertainment and developed by Redtribe, Wicked Witch Software and WayForward Technologies.

Sequel

The sequel was released in May 2010 to cinemas in the United Kingdom, and premiered direct-to-video in October 2010 in the United States. It was universally panned by critics, and grossed just over $4 million during its theatrical run.