“Mighty Joe Young,” released in 1998, is an energetic, strong adventure story: not too sarcastic, violent or disjointed for kids, not too tame for adults. Roger Ebert admitted, “After all the calculation behind "Godzilla" or "Armageddon," it has a kind of innocence.” It’s not about a monster but about a very big, well-meaning gorilla that just wants to be at peace, alone. Also, it’s about a woman who treasures her gorilla. Also, it’s about a zoologist who loves the woman. All of the usual we’ve seen.
Charlize Theron plays Jill Young, a woman whose mother (Linda Purl) is a famed gorilla expert of the “Gorillas in the Mist” variety. Jill (Mika Boorem as a child) is raised with Joe, who even as a baby is big for his size. They grow up together, and Joe just keeps on growing, until you can tell he’s getting there because the treetops shake.
Bill Paxton stars as Gregg O’Hara, a zoologist who wants samples of Joe’s blood. Unfortunately, the people that he hires as assistants are crooked and try to sell information about the gorilla to a slimy promoter named Strasser, played by Rade Sherbedgia. This same Strasser is a poacher with a history with Joe, who once bit off his thumb and forefinger.
The African scenes are remarkable in the sense they create a convincing giant gorilla and position him in the wild. The majority of the shots of Joe in this movie are special effects. We don’t really look at a real gorilla that often. You can’t tell that by anything on the screen – aside from Joe’s size, of course. Joe isn’t simply seen as he trudges past. The camera is free to roam and approach him. In a sequence where he’s being pursued by men in Land Rovers, the camera comparables him, then swings in front of him, then moves in for a close-up. It’s a remarkable demonstration of technical skill.
Close-ups of Joe’s face and upper body use amazing animatronics. The only thing uncertain about Joe is his attitude. When Jill embraces and comforts him, he’s more like a gentle little chimp than a fearsome animal. His eyes, lips and facial movements are expressive even in the close shots. Theron treats him like a pet, whistling to make him approach her, sure of her authority.
The romance between Theron and Paxton is inevitable, but not disturbing. It’s more of a required subplot than a big deal. More interesting is the tricky scheming of Strasser and his henchmen, after Joe is brought to California. There’s a scene where Joe gets scared at a charity benefit, and then the payoff as he levels Mann’s Chinese Theater, visits the Hollywood sign and ends up in that dependable shelter of all thrillers, a carnival midway, where a child is in danger on top of a Ferris Wheel.
Ebert mentioned, “The payoff of that scene owes more than a little to a certain scene in "E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial," and indeed the director, Ron Underwood, shows he's studied "E.T." carefully. An early scene, of poachers in the jungle, is framed much like the early hunt for E.T. The camera is at boot-level, there are loud jangles of keys and weapons on the soundtrack and powerful flashlight beams cut Spielbergian laser-tracks through the mist.”
One positive part is the film’s comparative courtesy. So many special-effects movies seem angry and aggressive. Smaller kids run out of the theater by the loud noise and special effects. “Mighty Joe Young” is not gentle and harmless. It’s a full-blooded action flick, all right, but with a certain warmth and humor instead of an Earth is on fire approach. You feel good at the end, instead of merely relieved.
I wouldn’t say which version of “Mighty Joe Young” is better, but I would probably prefer the original, even though I liked this version also. I would say check it out and sit down with the whole family to watch it since it is a Disney movie; the whole family can watch it. Kids won’t get scared by it, and this is one of those Halloween movies that kids will be able to watch as well.
Well, I hope all of you liked my ape movies, stay tuned tomorrow to see what I have in store next for “Halloween Month.”
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