Project X
A young military recruit risks his place in a secret research program after forming a profound bond with its sign-language-speaking chimpanzees.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Mild
- warm
- earnest
- suspenseful
- family movie night
- 1980s nostalgia
What critics said
Critics generally found the film sweet-natured and entertaining, praising its humane animal-centered story while noting its sentimental and occasionally corny execution.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Jimmy is assigned to a classified military chimpanzee program and gradually suspects that officials are concealing the project's real purpose.
Jimmy's bond with the chimpanzees turns laboratory research and their treatment into the film's central moral concern.
The chimpanzees' use of sign language enables Jimmy to understand them as communicative individuals rather than laboratory subjects.
The secret military research environment frames the warmer observational scenes between Jimmy and the chimpanzees.
Films like Project X, and why
The Last Mimzy
shared animal-centered science fiction premise, warm adventure tone, and ethical concern about human treatment of intelligent creatures
WarGames
shared military science fiction setting, youthful protagonists, and accessible blend of suspense with humane anti-authoritarian themes
Rise of the Planet of the Apes
shared animal liberation themes, secretive institutional experimentation, and a suspenseful but emotionally accessible tone
Movie Details
- Director
- Jonathan Kaplan
- Release Date
- 1987-04-17
- Runtime
- 108 min
- Rating
- 6.2 / 10 (291)
Cast
- Matthew Broderick
- Helen Hunt
- William Sadler
- Johnny Ray McGhee
- Jonathan Stark
- Robin Gammell
- Stephen Lang
- Jean Smart
- Chuck Bennett
- Daniel Roebuck
Common questions
- What is Project X about?
- A young military recruit risks his place in a secret research program after forming a profound bond with its sign-language-speaking chimpanzees.
- What is Project X like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Project X as brisk, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is Project X violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in Project X as mild.
- What did critics think of Project X?
- Critics generally found the film sweet-natured and entertaining, praising its humane animal-centered story while noting its sentimental and occasionally corny execution.
- Which films are like Project X?
- Films with a similar feel include The Last Mimzy, WarGames, and Rise of the Planet of the Apes.
- How long is Project X?
- Project X runs 108 minutes.
