"Don't shoot!  Don't shoot!"      

MIGHTY JOE YOUNG (PG) 

Reviewed December 27, 1998 - Check out the Mighty Joe Young Website.

This has to be the cutest two thousand pound gorilla ever put on celluloid, and his name is "Joe."  Raised in the jungles of Africa, Joe has been lifelong friends with Jill Young (Charlize Theron), whose mother was killed by poachers on the same night that Joe's mother was shot.  Hidden away in the mountains of Africa, Joe and Jill live a peaceful life until American zoologist Gregg O'Hara (Bill Paxton), who works for a nature conservatory, happens upon the scene.  Soon, word of Joe's existence begins to spread, and poachers start to threaten Joe's safety.  Wanting to protect Joe but uncertain of what to do, Jill then takes Gregg's advice and agrees to move Joe to a safer place: Los Angeles (ha!). 

Okay, so the premise is a bit weak, but that's basically the setup for Mighty Joe Young.  This is King Kong revisited, this time in L.A., and with predictable results.  Giant gorilla in the big city...massive news coverage...rich, scheming poacher wants Joe for himself...Joe goes berzerk...escapes into the city...panic, panic, everywhere...and so on and so on. 

Don't get me wrong, Mighty Joe Young is actually not all that bad.  As mentioned before, this is one surprisingly cute gorilla, and the excellent animation and special effects work for Joe make this an interesting film in some respects.  Charlize Theron is, as expected, also fairly effective as Joe's trusted friend and companion, making the pair a very watchable duo on screen.  As generic family entertainment, you could definitely do a lot worse than Mighty Joe Young.

Still, unless you or your kids have a thing for cute giant gorillas (or Charlize Theron), it's hard to think of any real compelling reasons to run right out and see Mighty Joe Young.  With its fairly predictable plot and one-dimensional characters, this film is classic video or cable TV material, and it's your call on whether you want to catch it now or later.  Gorillas in L.A....what a concept... :-)

Responses from cyberspace--thanks for writing!

tutuka_coiske@hotmail.com gives this movie  stars: "I realy enjoyed my visit to Africa and I like alot of African movies(those that take place in africa) I was hoping that you could tell me what African Language they used in Mighty Joe Young.Please e-mail me soon and please tell me what african language they used in that movie. please don't post this." (9/5/00)

David Rogers gives this movie  stars: "Boring. I do like monkeys and apes but Mighty Joe Young and King Kong never did much for me. Do yourself a favor and rent Planet of the Apes." (5/9/00)

madr64@hotmail.com gives this movie  stars: "Wonderful family movie. Very refreshing. So what if it was a little predictable. Joe was much more believable than any Kong I've ever seen. My children, ages 7 and 5 also loved it. They laughed, cried and asked alot of great questions. It was a nice family experience." (4/23/99)

pooh.bear.abc.68e@hotmail.com says: "I saw this movie last night and it was cool and my friend are waching it right now well i'm typing." (4/17/99)

Lisa gives this movie  stars: "It is so nice to be able to sit through a movie with my children (ages 13 & 9) again. After seeing Rugrats, The Movie with them, I had almost swore it off......Mighty Joe Young offers adventure as well as being educational to children and adults. It is such a relief to know that every PG movie does not have to be animated or involve asteroids, aliens, or some type of mutant animal! MJY is an example of how family movies should be made." (4/4/99)

bohicket@mailcity.com gives this movie  star: "And if I could give it none I would. This movie was a waste of the 3.25 I spent to rent it. I can't even tell you how terrible it was. It was a waste of money, time and the energy it took to get up, drive the car to the movie store." (3/27/99)

jhagey@earthlink.net gives this movie  stars: "Admittedly, I worked on the films special fx. Still, I have two young daughters, 3 and 7, and they just loved this flick! I was very sceptical going in for the "free" screening, having read the script and being a big fan of the original. Surprise, surprise, surprise! Stupid and predictable as it is, looking at my kids' emotional reations from smiles to tear, and looking at the results of a completely belivable 15ft. gorilla made me wonder why Hollywood dosen't make more family feel good films like this. Oh yeah, the box office." (3/8/99)

anonymous entry gives this movie  stars: "This film has excellent special fx. The story line was easy to follow and it was a joy to watch a movie without excessive violence or sex. I would reccomend this film to any one from five years old to ninty five years old. I plan to purchase this film when it comes out on video. (12/27/98)