but I've heard little good about the 2001 remake, and I'm in no hurry to see it.

Charlton Heston had a certain cockiness or arrogance that went with his intelligence and philosophical nature, and it worked perfectly in his role of Taylor in the original. But Wahlberg as Taylor? I just don't see it.

The original film dealt with themes of religion vs. science, and racism in an extremely creative manner.

I've heard that the remake is simply too dumb to provoke any such thoughts. It's just an action film with effects and costumes. Is it true that the human actors are so bad that you actually start cheering for the apes?