
In the original 1968 Planet of the Apes, the apes treat time-traveling human astronaut Colonel George Taylor (Charlton Heston) as a pet, even giving him a cutesy nickname: Bright Eyes. Whether this inspired the name of the indie rock band is unclear, but it packs an emotional oomph. Within the first few minutes of 2011’s Rise of the Planet of the Apes, the film weaponizes the name Bright Eyes, but inverts its emotional impact. In this reboot, Bright Eyes is an ape, and the mother of the future.