Far from Perfect, Far from Terrible

There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

One of the best movies of the year! Incredible from the beginning to the end.

There's a more than satisfactory amount of boom-boom in the movie's trim running time.

Mighty Joe Young starts in Africa where conservationist Professor Gregory O'Hara (Bill Paxton) discovers the existence of Joe Young, a huge 2000 pound giant Ape that has been looked after & cared for by Jill Young (Charlize Theron) ever since their mother's were killed on the same night by poachers twelve years ago. O'Hara is amazed by both Joe & Jill & when poachers return to try & kill Joe he arranges for him to be taken to California where he can be properly protected from poachers in a zoo. At first Joe seems happy enough but once again he comes under threat from poachers & when he runs amok at a dinner party he is considered a threat to the public, it's up to Jill & O'Hara to save Joe before he is either killed by poachers or the authorities...Directed by Ron Underwood this big budget Disney production was a remake of the same titled Mighty Joe Young (1949), while not terrible I suppose this remake is nowhere near as good as the original & at times I found it a bit of an overly sentimental bore with far too many annoying Disney-esquire touches. The script here sticks to the general storyline of the original but changes a lot of the set-pieces to lacklustre effects like the capturing of Joe is changed from Cowboys lassoing him to blokes in jeeps & the fantastic climax set in a nightclub where Joe fights Lions & then saves children in a burning orphanage is replaced with a walk around Hollywood & saving a kid on a burning ferris wheel. While the CGI effects are excellent there's a certain coldness to the action & adventure scenes while the character's are terrible with some annoying comic relief & a really sickening romance between the two leads & lots of moralising about the evils of poaching & the perils of locking animals up in cages rather than letting run free & the parallels that has with our own lives as we too are locked up in cages & it's just that we call them houses. At almost two hours Mighty Joe Young is a bit too long, there's too much mushy Hollywood sentiment including a cringe worthy ending in which random members of the public all decide to give money to rehouse Joe & this remake doesn't have the magical fantastical quality of the original & if I am honest feels lie a poor man's King Kong (1933) with it's slightly weird central relationship between a giant Ape & a pretty blonde woman. Having said that it's watchable I suppose & the effects are good.As already mentioned the CGI effects are very good as are the practical effects created by Rick Baker who was along with his team nominated for an Oscar but lost out to What Dreams May Come (1998). This being a squeaky clean Disney family film there's no violence & even the main villain doesn't get much of a send-off. Charlize Theron's attempt to portray a character who has never been to civilisation & spent her entire life in the jungles of Africa is hopeless & she comes across as some ball American blonde anyway.With a supposed budget of about $90,000,000 this had a lot of money spent on it & it show's with great effects & ambitious set-pieces although the finished product doesn't come across as exciting on screen due to the awful music & lack of imagination that isn't the fault of the effects work which is impressive. The acting is bland & I usually quite like Bill Paxton but not in a family film such as this.Mighty Joe Young is a remake that isn't as good as the original & comes across as a second rate King Kong, hell even the ridiculous King Kong Lives (1986) is better than this. Basically a King Kong wannabe that doesn't cut the mustard & isn't as good as the original Mighty Joe Young either but is still watchable on a corny level.

I watched this movie the year it came out in a cinema. It really stuck with me, for reasons the producers/writers and actors could never have guessed.I was only 10 years old, and went to watch the movie with a bunch of friends. It was the first time I had watched a movie in a cinema without my parents. It was fun, it was exciting, finding the cinema, asking directions taking the bus. All good fun.Too bad the movie was a real stinker. I remember we had two choices of movies to watch. Life is Beautiful (Currently ranked #82 best movie of all time) or this (ranked #45895890345829038 best movie of all time).Well my friends and I had a vote, Mighty Joe Young won 5 to 1, I was outvoted. They weren't interested in Life is Beautiful, it wasn't even in English.Mighty Joe Young is a TERRIBLE movie. It was sickeningly painful, I really hated it EVEN WHEN I WAS 10. I saw the middle parts of the movie recently and instantly recognised it and felt nostalgic, but was more overwhelmed in disgust for the movie and could not continue watching, no matter how much I wanted to remember my first movie outing.So thanks a lot Ron Underwood, for ruining my first movie outing. I'll never forget you.

Thanks to this movie, I am now angry with my friend, she was just raving about this movie and insisted that I borrow it. I asked her if there were any depressing animal moments, she said that I would quickly get over them, well, I have a question... why am I still crying? This movie was just too dark in my opinion and not for kids, it just was too scary and disturbing for my tastes. Which is weird coming from the girl who loves Casino.Joe is an giant 2,000 pound gorilla who lost his mom when he was a baby, including his lovely human owner, Jill. When Professor Greg comes to see how smart these gorillas are, he convinces Jill to take Joe to the city to show others how smart he is. But of course, you can imagine, Joe gets to the city and meets the man who murdered his and Jill's mother and goes crazy and on a rampage in the city causing his reputation to no more than a vicious animal.This movie was just too depressing, that's why I don't watch too many animal movies, they usually break my heart. It's just so crazy how animals are treated and I can't stand to watch it, I'm not sure if this movie could be used for entertainment purposes. So, just I guess judge for yourself, but I'm warning you to grab the tissues.3/10

I've seen this film several times and have to say I thoroughly enjoyed it each time. The performances from from Charlize Theron and Bill Paxton are excellent and the Special Effects are tremendous. The film has a relatively straightforward plot, but also has some powerful emotional scenes as well. The film is well written and directed with it ensuring it appeals to children who will not be frightened by Joe. Moreover, this is not a horror film but rather a story of a misunderstood creature that wants to be at peace. Mighty Joe You is one of the better films out there suitable for both children and adults to enjoy and I highly recommended it.10/10