Mighty Joe Young
Tags: romantic, murder, melodrama

Plot synopsis:
As a child, Jill Young witnesses the death of her mother, Ruth Young and the mother of Joe, an infant mountain gorilla, at the hands of poachers led by Andrei Strasser, who loses his right thumb and trigger finger to Joe, swearing revenge.
Twelve years later, Jill has raised Joe, now grown to a height of 15 feet (4.6 m) and weighing 2,000 pounds (910 kg). As a result, other gorillas will not accept him and they are both now living in relative peace until a wildlife refuge director, Gregg O'Hara, convinces Jill they would be safer from poachers if they relocated to the United States.
The trio goes to Los Angeles, and win the hearts of the refuge staff at the conservancy, who put Jill in charge of Joe. Jill is approached by Strasser, who is now running a fraudulent animal preserve in Botswana, while actually selling animal organs on the black market. After seeing a news report about Joe, he is eager for revenge. At first Jill does not recognize Strasser, since Strasser's right hand is concealed in his coat pocket. He attempts to convince Jill that Joe would be better off in his wildlife refuge back in Africa. During a gala, Strasser's henchman, Garth, uses a poacher's noisemaker to scare Joe into a frenzy. Joe trashes the gala, with the intention of attacking Strasser, but is captured, and imprisoned in a concrete bunker.
When Jill discovers that Joe may be euthanized, she accepts Strasser's offer. She and the refuge staff smuggle Joe out in a truck. Before their departure, Gregg has fallen in love with Jill and kisses her goodbye. On the way to the airport, Jill notices the half-glove covering Strasser's missing fingers and recognizes him. She fights Strasser and Garth, then jumps from the truck onto Hollywood Boulevard, leading to several automobile accidents. Joe sees her and tilts the truck over onto its side and flees.
Gregg discovers that Strasser is a poacher and goes after Jill and Joe. He finds Jill, who reveals to Gregg that Strasser killed her mother and now plans to kill Joe. They track Joe to a carnival where he is playfully wreaking havoc. Strasser arrives as well and attempts to shoot Jill, but Garth, appalled at Strasser's ruthlessness, turns against him and saves Jill, causing Strasser to misfire at a spotlight, starting a fire and causing the Ferris wheel to break down. After knocking Garth unconscious, Strasser attempts to kill Jill in person, but Joe sneaks up behind them and throws Strasser onto a power line over a transformer. Short two fingers on the hand holding the wire, Strasser loses his grip and falls onto the transformer, where he is electrocuted to death.
Later, at the Santa Monica Pier, Joe attempts to save a child from atop the burning wheel, but the fire burns it down and Joe and the child fall to the ground, where Joe jumps off of the burning wheel, protecting the boy and knocking himself unconscious. Joe survives the fall and awakens and Jill mentions that they need to raise money to open a preserve for him. The young boy named Jason donates some change to Jill after hearing this, prompting the rest of the crowd to contribute.
Joe is returned to Uganda where Jill and Gregg open the "Joe Young Preserve." Finally free, Joe runs off into the jungle.

Review: Mighty Joe Young is a big, big gorilla who gets time in L.A. escaping poachers who are after him in his home hill in Africa.
This is a remake of a remake of King Kong  (1933), which was made in 1949 as the original Mighty Joe Young.This latest version is a remarkable computer and animatronic invention, justly nominated for this year's Academy Awards.
He really is whiz bang and totally believable as a creature on the screen.His best friends are Jill played by the very attractive Charlize Theron and Gregg played by Bill Paxton in a pretty light weight film for him considering some of his previous films (One False Move, A Simple Plan).But take note too of Naveen Andrews who plays the screwball jungle tour guide.
She worked better with Paxton than the contrived relationship he had with Helen Hunt in "Twister".I watched this movie with my kids and they loved it too.
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.
But there is a good runner up: Joe. Once before filmed in 1956 also as `Mighty Joe Young', this story of a gorilla with a defect in his genes which causes him to grow out of proportions into a 2000 lbs primate, is a great one.The story begins with little Jill Young and her mother as they are in the jungle observing a group of gorilla's.
But danger is not gone, even in California old enemies come to hunt him down, and Joe ultimately has to undertake a very brave action...This is the outline of a very well crafted piece of cinema, family entertainment at its best.
Mighty Joe Young is terrific family fare, and one of the better movies of 1998.
It is based on the immortal classic from 1947 of the same name about a young woman and her faithful 20-foot tall, 2,000-pound gorilla named Joe.Great special effects featuring Joe are the real highlight of the film, especially the animatronics and CGI which truly bring Joe to life.There are also good performances, especially from Charlize Theron as the young woman, Jill, and Bill Paxton, fresh from Titanic, as the scientist who loves her.But, the real star is the title character, the Mighty Joe, who brings a wonderfully gentle screen presence, and is the true hero of the film.Highly recommended for children of all ages..
The special effects which place the giant gorilla among people, or chasing trucks, is very realistic, as is the sound track.The story starts in the jungle where gorilla hunter "Strasser" shoots and kills the baby gorilla's mom, and Jill Young's (Carlize Theron) mom is also killed.
In a stroke of good casting for a very small part, Linda Purl, who plays the mother, looks a lot like Theron.Many years later, when Paxton's character shows up, hunting wild species for blood samples, the capture of a big cat enrages "Joe" and he jumps out of the trees.
In the sweet climax, he climbs a tall ferris wheel to rescue a small child, survives, and eventually is put in a proper place for his safety.Most of the charm of this film is during the first half, in the jungle, with Joe and Jill growing up, then the discovery of the adult Joe. In a small part as the hunting organizer Paxton hires, Nuveen Andrews is just terrific, his delivery, his body language.
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.
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.
I really like that movie, the way that they brought Mighty Joe Young into another place.
Heck, even Disney needs to give this a proper DVD and Blu Ray release with actual special features like a documentary with interviews for the cast and crew (Bill Paxton, Charlize Theron, Ron Underwood, Rick Baker, James Horner, etc.) as they take a look back on how the movie went as there were problems, working on the special effects, when it first came out to mixed reviews, and maybe why the movie will always be a great movie as it has fans that remembers it.
The movie does have its sad moments like both Joe and Jill loosing their mothers, and most of all the ending; the ending really did make me cry as Joe risks his life to save a boy as the Ferris wheel was coming down.
With that said, "Mighty Joe Young" is a very moving and powerful film by Disney, and I give this a 10 out of 10..
When I was a kid back in the late '50s or early '60s, sometime around the Christmas season, I shed a few tears at the end of my first viewing of the original Mighty Joe Young, and as a middle aged adult back in '98 I shed a few tears again.
The new Joe Young looks and feels and sounds real, and Charlize Theron is a great replacement for Terry Moore though Terry was endearingly naive.
If the new King Kong teaches anything, it shows that telling the same great story in the same time period, with greater detail and better effects will bring an audience in and pay homage to an old classic.
It was like Zorro in just being an entertaining, fun movie for everyone.They've done a great job of creating Joe-- he seems very real and interacts very well with the environments.
Kids will fall in LOVE with him-- and the charming notion, presented in the movie, of being best friends with a 15-foot Gorilla.The first trailers I saw for this made it look like an action movie, but the current trailers make it look like a heartwarming, Free Willy-Type of film.
MIGHTY JOE YOUNG, in my opinion, is a very touching movie about a special friendship for all ages.
Me and my cousin weren't that really excited about the idea of going to watch Mighty Joe Young, as there weren't any other good films to go watch.The film started quietly and then about 5 minutes into the film there was action.
The worst is when the  CGI ape arrives in California and the demographically balanced staff of the preserve come out to meet the truck (like a bunch of kids hearing the Good Humor chimes -- I guess they've never seen a truck before) and the monkey gets out.
12 years later, Jill (Charlize Theron) have to find safe haven for her ape friend Joe, whose day out attacking explorer/researcher Gregg O'Hara (Bill Paxton) brought unwanted attention to itself.Jill and Gregg form an uneasy alliance as they transport Joe to a man-made habitat in Los Angeles, and the habitat and Joe come under attack from the same poachers 12 years ago, this time wanting revenge.It's a simpler tale compared to King Kong, but somehow I find the storyline a poor cousin to that of Kong's.
Along the lines of Kong, only a beauty can tame the primal beast.Mighty Joe Young is a remake of its 1949 debut, which featured a stop-motion animated Joe. And oh, did I mentioned I watched this also because of Charlize Theron?
I think that perhaps this movie would have been a lot better had Disney not produced it...because I think the movie needed some sort of edge to it to compare it favorably with the original 1949 classic with Terry Moore.That said, the movie still is fairly enjoyable...the ape effects are something to watch for, as they are executed fairly flawlessly.
The new version of Mighty Joe Young is a special effects fan's dream.
Got a little intense at times for my seven year old, but all in all, a great movie to take the family to see..
My all time favourite film is the original King Kong, so I'm afraid I was sold on this from the beginning, Bill Paxton and Charlize Theron played their parts well enough, but Joe gets my vote for actor of the film.
Watch out for cameos by Ray Harryhausen, whose work in stop motion animation is legendary, he did the animation in the original Joe Young, and by Terry Moore, she played Jill in the original as well, they play the old couple in the tent at the reception for Joe. Effects aside the film was good fun, maybe a bit of an old storyline, poachers after a valuable creature, but well worth a watch.The music was good also, not usually my style some of the music in this, but the song that Charlize Theron, sings to Joe to get him to sleep is just beautiful.
Mighty Joe Young is a special effects wonder!.
I just recently took my little cousin to Mighty Joe Young and I was enchanted by this movie.
They loved every minute of it - particularly when Joe played hide-and-seek - and want me to take them again.On a more adult note, I thought the effects were stunning, and although I've never seen Charlize Theron before she turned in an excellent performance.So "two thumbs up" from my family!.
And like Lost World, the best thing about Joe Young is the Special Effects, I couldn't imagine that 2000 pound gorilla is a man in a suit.
The Ray Harryhausen effects are stunning (watch Joe's rampage in a jungle-themed nightclub, where lions are tossed to their deaths--PETA'd have a BIRD with that one today!) The 1998 repeat is dull, stupid, manipulative, loud, and even has a feel-good ending tacked on that made me want to put my fist through the screen.I realize this movie wasn't made for me--a 36 year old male with an affinity toward classic Hollywood.
Disney has remade the 1949 "Mighty Joe Young", capitalizing on the elaborate digital effects available to make the fantastic giant ape seem real.
What the film is missing is a spectacular central action sequence such as in the original where Joe escapes in the Rainforest-like nightclub releasing real wild animals into the audience.
I don't know if it's me, but it seems that since "Jurassic Park" came out in 1993, everyone is tring to make a spactaculur special effects movie; Godzilla, Jumunji, Independence day, Might Joe young....
They weren't interested in Life is Beautiful, it wasn't even in English.Mighty Joe Young is a TERRIBLE movie.
Now, before I begin this review, I would like to say that I never saw the original Mighty Joe Young this remake was based on because I guess there weren't any 1940s movies for me to watch, but looking back at this as a child when it was first released at the late 90s, I simply loved it as much as anyone else.
Sure, it's not a masterpiece due to it's formulaic storyline and cartoony characters, but I think it's an underrated childhood favorite of mine and I still love it ever since.The story, although formulaic, is actually faithful to the original storyline of the original Mighty Joe Young, but made some changes to the present time while being helped by the extraordinary special effects.
Charlize Theron did great as Jill Young and Bill Paxton did a good job as Professor Gregg O' Hara (I also liked the relationship between them), but the rest of the actors ranged from decent to so-so.
It also has a lovely music score from James Horner and it's his best solid music score as a composer.The film did become a box office bomb when it first came out in 1998, but that doesn't mean it could not be recommended to others because this is an underrated tear-jerking movie that I loved as a kid and I still love it as a young adult now.
I haven't seen the original, but this one is certainly a lovely and heartwarming story of friendship and unconditional love.I thought Mighty Joe Young was very well executed.
A young woman (Charlize Theron) who has raised a giant gorilla named Joe from infancy brings him to an animal sanctuary in Southern California with the aid of a zoologist (Bill Paxton).
Meanwhile, a poacher from the past seeks vengeance on the creature (Rade Serbedzija), which breaks free to cause havoc."Mighty Joe Young" (1998) was loosely based on the 1949 movie of the same name.
I can watch it and enjoy it for what it is, a more kid-friendly version of King Kong with essentially Kong Jr. But, despite a good cast, great F/X and lots of action & adventure, the movie's somehow shallow with cardboard thin characters.
I watched the original MIGHTY JOE YOUNG recently and really enjoyed as a lesser variant of KING KONG.
"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.
I liked the music, Joe looks so real in the movie.
I recommend this to anyone who likes a good family movie.
I was surprised at myself for not liking "Mighty Joe Young."  I really thought I was going to enjoy it.
Sweet, and faithful to the 1949 original Mighty Joe Young, this is one of the better remakes I have seen.
The two movies complement each other almost perfectly!A fairly faithful, straightforward update of the original plot (which itself is something of an upbeat remake of King Kong), someone definitely did their homework in re-creating Mighty Joe. The computer effects and animatronics are believable, but the facial expressions and primate mannerisms are what make him so absolutely convincing.(spoilers):While the "giant-gorilla-on-the-loose-in-the-big-city" scenes don't compare to their truly outrageous counterparts in the original MJY (real, live African lions being catapulted about the Coconut Grove!), they're entertaining enough for audiences of all ages.The remake also felt some politically-correct need to add bad guys that weren't necessary in the original, but by introducing poachers that leave the girl and Joe orphaned, they also seem to offer an ironic apology for what almost certainly happened in acquiring the baby gorilla for the original movie..
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.
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 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..
Later, Jill's mother has to try to protect the gorillas from poachers.12 years later, Joe is (very) full-grown, and this time he is threatened by Gregg O'Hara and his men, who want to take animals into captivity.
Good stuff by the CGI guys, guys in suits and puppets.Bill Paxton-plays Bill Paxton.Charlize Theron-pretty young and nothing great here, but okay.
Hard to see the poaching run in the opening scenes on my DVD.Rather formulaic, right to the Zoo-guys helping Mighty Joe escape.(Paymer, King) we have seen this 1000 times.Overall nothing great but a worthy family type movie, the orig.
And watched it and this is what I think and remember.*SPOILERS BELOW*Mighty Joe young is made by Disney and I think they did a wonderful job with the story and the meaning of the story.
This remake of Mighty Joe Young updates the story to present day but keeps the same plot beats, and dresses it in state of the art special effects.The story - misunderstood ape in the city, hunted, but redeems himself by heroic action during calamity - works as well as it did in the original, and is augmented by wicked hunters.Charlize Theron and Bill Paxton are attractive leads, but the film belongs to Joe. He is achieved by a mix of animatronics and CGI (and, I suspect, the occasional bloke in an ape suit), but he succeeds as a character who displays emotion and engages audience sympathetic.This bright, colourful film is a charming and exciting family movie..
Twelve years later, eco-minded Professor Gregory 'Gregg' O'Hara (Bill Paxton) is in the same jungle, and stumbles upon the grown up Jill Young (Charlize Theron) and genetically abnormally large Joe the gorilla living relatively peacefully.
(plot spoilers)I have long been a fan of the original 1949 version of Mighty Joe Young.
It had great for it's time special effects, a charming story, lots of humor, action, and adventure.
Practically everything the original was, this movie isn't.Given the subject matter of Mighty Joe Young, one would expect something a little more lighthearted in tone.
There is an exciting chase sequence at the end, with some good special effects, and a daring rescue by Joe.
Mighty Joe Young (1998): Dir: Ron Underwood / Cast: Charlize Theron, Bill Paxton, Rade Serbedzija, Peter Firth, Regina King: Ray Harryhausen created the giant gorilla in the 1949 classic.
And there's the predictable arc of Mighty Joe Young's sympathetic actions throughout the course of the film.