When Jimmy discovers the "Bavarian Room"—where chimps are exposed to lethal doses of radiation to simulate pilot performance in a nuclear war—he realizes the military's plan is to kill the animals. He enlists Teri's help to rescue Virgil and the other chimps from the facility.
: Shortly after release, the film was hit by allegations of animal abuse during filming, championed by TV host and activist Bob Barker . While Barker claimed trainers used "blackjacks" to beat the chimps, the filmmakers and the American Humane Association (AHA) denied these charges; the AHA eventually won a defamation settlement against Barker. Project X(1987)
The story follows (Matthew Broderick), a young Air Force pilot assigned to a secret project as punishment for a minor infraction. He is tasked with overseeing a group of chimpanzees being trained on flight simulators. Jimmy bonds with a chimp named Virgil , who was previously taught sign language by graduate student Teri MacDonald (Helen Hunt). When Jimmy discovers the "Bavarian Room"—where chimps are