'Project X' (1987), a Sad and Powerful Film About Animal Testing

Teri MacDonald (Helen Hunt) is hired to teach a chimpanzee named Virgil to use sign language. After being successful, funding is abruptly cut and Virgil is supposed to be sent to a zoo but, instead, is sent to a U.S. Air Force base for top secret Project X in which primates are taught to fly virtual jets with flight simulators under nuclear war conditions.

Jimmy Garrett (Matthew Broderick) is an Air Force private who is arrested for an infraction and reprimanded by taking away his right to fly and forcing him to be a primate trainer in Project X. Unbeknownst to a naïve Jimmy, once a primate is fully trained to fly a virtual jet, he or she is sent into a room under real radioactive conditions to test how long they can live and continue to fly the jet.

Jimmy knew from the beginning Virgil was too well-trained to be meant for the project and, against Air Force rules, does some snooping and discovers that Virgil was mistakenly shipped to the Air Force and that he was trained by Teri. The two meet and Jimmy decides to help Teri rescue Virgil and the other primates from the Air Force facility.

I remember watching "Project X" when I was a kid and it made me very sad then and still does today. It deals with animal testing by the government and I am an animal lover, so this movie is especially powerful and moving for me.

The story is not very complicated and far from accurate if you look at the small details involving military rank in regards to fly jets and other things. I have seen some people get overly enraged because of the differences portrayed in movies but this is a fictional account only loosely based on real events. The important part is that government testing on animals really did and does still occur -- this is the important part of the movie, not about military ranking and such, which are only vehicles for the overall premise and message of the story.

Most sites seem to categorize "Project X" as a comedy, drama, and sci-fi but I really don't see how it can be deemed a comedy. Sure, there are some rather funny moments but they are few compared to the building drama created by the chimps and their interaction with Jimmy. I also wouldn't categorize it as sci-fi except for the fact that virtual flight simulators are used. I just consider it solely a moving drama that can bring some viewers to tears.

The movie is 108 minutes long and moves along slowly as it is a character and drama-driven film that needs to take its time in building the story and trying to get viewers to grow feelings towards the chimps. I really loved every minute of the movie time spent on the chimpanzees and could have watched it even longer. I just find it fascinating to watch animals or primates and see their nuances and intelligence, which are both especially evident in a movie such as this.

Although not the human stars of the movie, I believe that Virgil (Willie) and the other primates are the true stars of the movie. Virgil is a truly amazing chimpanzee, not only because he knows sign language but because he almost seems to know how to convey a full spectrum of emotions better than many actors or actresses in this movie or any other. Let's also hear it for the other chimpanzees and primates in this movie: Goofy (Okko), Goliath (Karanja), Bluebeard (Luke), Ginger (Harry), Winston (Arthur), Spike (Clafu), Razzberry (Lucy), Ethel (Lulu), and the new recruit (Mousie).

Matthew Broderick portrays Jimmy Garrett in a role very different from his obviously comedic role in "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" the year before. Unbeknownst to me, my re-watching of "Project X" coincided with my viewing of "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" previous to this so I got to watch them in the order of their release. Broderick can be a versatile actor at times and this is one of them. He puts in a fairly good performance here but, again, I think the real stars are the chimps. His character is very pleasant, caring, and a bit naïve to be believable but I think it coincides with the chimps not knowing the outcomes of their lives in the project.

Helen Hunt puts it another good performance as Teri MacDonald, the trainer of Virgil's sign language. Her character is seen in the beginning and near the end of the movie.

William Sadler plays Dr. Carroll, a character with very little conscious for the chimps and generally a cold person. But his character is only fulfilling his orders and trying to continue military funding for the project in which he is in charge.

Johnny Ray McGhee plays Isaac Robertson, a caring character in charge of the chimps' care giving and cleaning. He is fully aware of what happens to the chimps once they graduate to the radiation room which he has no control over regardless of his compassion. He is the character who explains everything to Jimmy about what happens to the chimps.

Stephen Lang plays Watts, a strange character of the outset with a hard and callous personality which we later find out is because of his growing attached to the chimps only to have them almost sentenced to death after the completion of their training. He is in charge of taking the graduating chimps to the radiation chamber, a job later given to Jimmy after he is removed from the project.

"Project X" is rated PG and is suitable for most ages as long as the children can understand the concept of dying or they might be somewhat traumatized by some of the scenes in the movie. There are really no graphic death scenes but there is a scene of a dead chimp on a gurney with another mourning his death. For me, the most moving scene was with Goliath but I will not give details. I don't remember much bad language. There is quite a bit of cigarettes smoking which is surprising but I'm not sure if that should correlate to movie ratings because it's not hard-core drugs.

I don't really remember too much of the music but there is a calm and pleasant little tune that is used throughout the movie. It really makes you feel even more for the chimps.

There are some special effects mostly relegated to the flight simulators, the radiation chamber, and the holding chamber for the chimps. As I said before, the chimps are the real stars of the movie and their performance is better than any CGI or other type of special effects ever could be.

I liked near the end of the movie when Virgil led the chimps in an escape attempt. Jimmy and Teri help their escape be successful. It sounds similar to Caesar the chimpanzee in "Planet of the Apes."

"Project X" has received a mediocre reception and is not very well-known to many people. I only happened across it when I was a kid or else I would not have encountered it today. This is sad because, even though this movie is not perfect, it has a lot to offer as a family movie suitable for most ages and more importantly because it is a political commentary on the ethics of animal research. Some people do not care much about animals or primates but this film, especially the chimps, can go a long way into enlightening those that might not know animal testing like this existed in the past and still exists today.

It is a fictional movie but it can be a start to opening the eyes of the uninformed about actual government and military testing. I dare anyone to look at Virgil and the intelligence behind his eyes as he does sign language and conveys so much emotion with his body language and tell me that he is unaware of events around him.

For further reading about chimps being considered for current research, you can read this article from the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) called "Department of Energy Blocks NASA's Planned Monkey Radiation Experiments."

http://www.pcrm.org/news/dept_energy_blocks_nasa_monkey_radiation_experiments_1011215.html

I recommend this movie to everyone, especially those with a heart for animals and animal-rights activists. Children can stand to learn something from "Project X."

Rating: 4/5

Trivia

Producers of the movie were accused of animal cruelty by game show host, Bob Barker, and the United Activists for Animal Rights. The American Humane Association, which was consulted during the movie, said that the cruelty claims were based on rumors and a $10 million defamation lawsuit was filed against both accusing parties and Barker's insurance company settled the lawsuit for $300,000.

Willie and Harry were born at Southwest Foundation for Biomedical Research and were supposed to return after the film was finished. Due to some controversy they retired to Primarily Primates, a chimp sanctuary.

A chimpanzee named Quigley, who was on-set but was never used on camera, was diagnosed with a rare disease while filming and died during production.

Quotes

Teri: You're free. Go on. Go on.

Jimmy: A human pilot would react differently because a human pilot would know that he's going to die.

Jimmy: So I'm the new Lord Of the Apes.

Source: Wikipedia