lisafordeay
Mighty Joe Young tells the tale of a young woman who's an owner of a giant gorilla named Joe and his environment is in danger. So Charlize Theron's charcther and Bill Paxton's charcther decides to go to Los Angelus so Joe can have a normal life as a bunch of poachers are out to get him as they killed Theron's charcthers mother when she was just a baby. Overall the story to this is very good,the music is very good and the cast is also very good. I saw it a few times before on TV and it was on Film 4 today. I may never know why this got a low rating cause I seen nothing wrong with it. Overall I really enjoyed this movie and I also was shocked that the gorilla wasn't a real gorilla AT ALL,he was a animatronic created by Rick Baker.Awesome effects.My verdict watch it.9/10
wes-connors
In scenic Africa, pretty little Mika Boorem (as little Jill Young) promises her mother she will look after a little gorilla, after its mother is murdered by poachers. It is important to note that, during a struggle, the gorilla child bites off the thumb and index finger (in this case, well-described as the "trigger finger") of dastardly Rade Serbedzija (as Andrei Strasser). The villain vows revenge. Twelve years later, the little girl grows up to be arousing blonde Charlize Theron (as big Jill Young). Due to a rare genetic condition, the gorilla grows into gigantic "Mighty Joe Young"...The incredibly beautiful Ms. Theron is persuaded to take her ward "Joe" to America where he'll, hopefully, be safe from hunters...Animal-friendly professor Bill Paxton (as Gregory "Gregg" O'Hara) becomes Theron's confidante. They are mutually attracted. Alas, the vengeful Mr. Serbedzija discovers "Joe" is in town and plots revenge. This re-make of the 1949 RKO classic cleverly includes a neat new logo for the defunct film studio. Too bad this Disney production failed to find an audience. It's a bit too violent for very small children and a little too hokey for the teen set. "Mighty Joe Young" is updated with personality and the film builds to an exciting climax as the big guy goes ape in Hollywood.****** Mighty Joe Young (12/25/98) Ron Underwood ~ Charlize Theron, Bill Paxton, Rade Serbedzija, John Alexander
TheLittleSongbird
I wasn't sure whether I would like Mighty Joe Young. I did see it once with my family beforehand and didn't think much of it. When I did decide to give it a chance again, I am glad I did. I wasn't expecting a perfect family movie, and while this movie is very dark, it also manages to be quite sweet too. I will admit that the beginning is very dark and intense even for a family movie. I will also admit that the plot is very formulaic and that the villains are rather cartoony.What made this movie though for me was Joe. He was designed superbly and acted very convincingly. Even for an ape, I found him quite adorable, after seeing films like Congo where they scared me so much. Other pluses are the superb special effects and the splendid scenery. Not to mention the lovely music score. The acting was a mixed bag; Charlize Theron was gorgeous as Jill, and Bill Paxton was very good as Gregg. The supporting actors ranged from good to so-so. The relationship between Joe and Jill was very very convincing and sweet, well to me it was. And I know the ending was more King Kong with a happy ending, but I will confess I cried. Maybe it was because I loved Joe so much, I have a habit of empathising with characters that I grow to love.Overall, it is a decent family movie. It mayn't appeal to you first time, but if given the chance as it did with me, it may grow on you. 7/10 Bethany Cox
vip_ebriega
My Take: Fine special effects and decent performances make for a passable remake. A toned-down remake of the 1949 monster movie (not that the original was violent or so) by Disney, MIGHTY JOE YOUNG is enjoyably pleasant nonetheless. There's a lot of enjoyable moments here to entice kids and adults alike. It's fun, without being too loud, too lumbering and too overproduced unlike other summer affair of the time. It could use more, but enough just seems to be enough. There's a good dosage of fine adventure movie elements. There's action, adventure, humor and even romance.The romance is created between two of the lead characters. Bill Paxton as an explorer named Gregg O'Hara and a Charlize Theron as Jill Young, a daughter of a late famous Jane Goodall-inspired scientist. There's chemistry between those two, even if it's not entirely developed. It's also a simple boy-likes-the-girl chemistry, but it works well and I bought it. Ask for the adventure, there are numerous action scenes which takes place both in the jungle in even in the city, which shows a scenes directly derived but not entirely similarly to the scene from KING KONG. The special effects by Rick Baker, who actually started doing apes in a somewhat cheesy outcome during the 70's remake of KING KONG, are fine here in the film. There's a convincing use of blue screen and the typical man-in-a-suit technique that actually is less evident here.Director Ron Underwood (TREMORS) brings a lot of excitement in this familiar territory. The film cannot escape the multitudes of clichés that marred this old genre to the ground. Some things about MIGHTY JOE YOUNG are familiar, as a toned-down kids flick. I've learned the lesson before, there's no one that harshly gets hurt in this film, except the bad guys who must get their just desserts in the end. But the film is lively and enjoyable enough for me to recommend. This is decent family entertainment.Rating: *** out of 5.
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