Mighty Joe Young Review
by Edward Johnson-ott (PBBP24A AT prodigy DOT com)December 21st, 1998
Mighty Joe Young (1998)
Charlize Theron, Bill Paxton, Rade Sherbedgia, Peter Firth, David Paymer, Regina King, Robert Wisdom, Naveen Andrews, Lawrence Pressman, Linda Purl, Mika Boorem, John Alexander. Produced by Ted Hartley, Tom Jacobson. Screenplay by Mark Rosenthal, Lawrence Konner, based on a screenplay by Ruth Rose and a story by Merian C. Cooper. Music by James Horner. Directed by Ron Underwood. 114 minutes
Rated PG, 2.5 stars (out of five stars)
Review by Ed Johnson-Ott, NUVO Newsweekly
www.nuvo-online.com
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In 1949, RKO Pictures released ''Mighty Joe Young,'' an unassuming adventure story about a young woman and her best friend, a 15-foot tall gorilla with the strength of 20 men and the heart of a child. The good- natured film was notable for a wonderfully peculiar nightclub scene featuring a tug-of-war between Joe and a group of professional wrestlers, a stirring climax, and exceptional stop-motion animation. 49 years later, Disney's remake of the venerable fable hits the screen, with computer graphics and animatronics replacing the stop-motion animation. While too much of the 1998 ''Mighty Joe Young'' is merely sturdy rather than stirring, the film still manages to capture a measure of the original's charm.
The story begins in Tanzania, as Dr. Ruth Young (Linda Purl) and her daughter Jill (Mika Boorem) study a family of gorillas. Of special interest is young Joe, who is growing rapidly due to a genetic mutation. Unfortunately, a group of poachers, led by the evil Strasser (Rade Sherbedgia), is also interested in Joe, leading to an encounter that results in the deaths of Jill and Joe's mothers.
Twelve years later, Jill (Charlize Theron) and Joe live a secluded, idyllic life deep in the green forests of a distant mountain, until another group of outsiders disturb the peace. Scientist Gregg O'Hara (Bill Paxton) has only good intentions, but his discovery of Joe's enclave piques the interest of many, including Strasser. Convinced that Joe is no longer safe in their mountain hideaway, Jill reluctantly agrees to move the gorilla to Gregg's base of operations, a California wildlife preserve, where she will continue to care for Joe. Things go wrong, of course, because it's against cinematic law to make a giant gorilla movie without an extended sequence of the ape rampaging through crowded city streets.
''Mighty Joe Young'' works well during the jungle Shangri-La and running- amok-in-L.A. scenes, but other parts of the film are far too subdued. The filmmakers reasoned that modern-day animal activists would never allow a giant gorilla to be carted off to do tricks in a nightclub, but their decision to move Joe to a New Age wildlife sanctuary was a big mistake, delivering about as much fun as a folk singer doing an opening set at a ska-punk concert. It would have been such a hoot watching Joe in a big, garish Las Vegas-style setting, getting down and dirty with a gaggle of painted-faced WWF goons experiencing 'roid rage.
While the film's middle is soft and repetitious (Joe gets riled, Jill calms him down, Joe gets riled, Jill calms him down. Enough, already!), ''Mighty Joe Young'' offers a number of rousing moments. The poachers' attack early in the story is unusually brutal and genuinely frightening, and the climax, which moves from the streets of Hollywood to the colorful amusement rides at Palisades Park, is well-staged and quite gripping.
As far as the acting, no one in the cast is especially taxed by their roles. Sherbedgia is an effective villain, Paxton does his usual and Theron is appealing enough. The best actor in the cast is Joe himself, an emotionally expressive marvel of technical wizardry, designed and produced by the distinguished Rick Baker. So flawless is the blend of animatronics, costumes and computer graphics that after a few minutes, you stop thinking about the mechanical aspects and simply accept Joe as another actor, albeit a exceptionally large and hairy one.
Despite its lethargic scenes and formulaic storyline, ''Mighty Joe Young'' has enough magic to warrant a viewing. The relationship between Jill and the mighty ape is endearing and the film has an innocent, affable core that nicely counterbalances its grisly moments. If you enjoy the film, do yourself a favor and track down the original. It may lack state-of-the-art special effects, but Joe's tug-of-war with the wrestlers sure has pizzazz.
© 1998 Ed Johnson-Ott
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