Mighty Joe Young

Audience Reviews

View All (1000+) audience reviews

Blu B This isn't broken or anything like that and on it's own it's a forgettable run of the mill family adventure. However, it does NOTHING better or adds anything worth the extra 30+ minute runtime from the 1949 classic. First off the acting is just ok. None of the characters are really that interesting and don't get much backstory besides Jill & Gregg. Paxton is probably the best thing in this being solid but he's not in it that much save the first half. The villian is as stock as they come with poaching and is almost cartoonish. Cinematography wise it's the same mediocre package. While the effects are half decent and the animtronic which is used omst of the time is well made it has several problems. First, the majoriy of the time I can't tell what Joe's emotions are compared to the 49' one where I always knew what Joe was thinking. Second, he's much slower in this and isn't as big (or the perception of his size) compared to the original. The CGI isn't bad though, and the Africa scenes are shot well. But after that it becomes very forgettable when they get to L.A. The action scenes feel very derivitive and aren't anything special either. also How you lose a 20 foot gorilla multiple times is beyond me. The music isn't bad a and a mix of African/Generic cinematic sounds which have there moments. but once we leave Africa it becomes much more forgettable. The editing also is just ok. It's actually pretty interesting at the start. But once it starts focusing more on the human characters like Jill, her relationship with Gregg, the poacher, the preserve workers, it becomes very boring because of how uninteresting they are. This also feels like it becomes more of a action movie at times than an Adventure as it starts out which doesn't fit that well. And this all leads to subpar pacing especially compared to the original. The extra 30 minutes really starts to kill things midway. What's weird also is this follows VERY closely the main plot structure of The Lost World which came out a year before especially the end rampage which feels very simliar to San Diego. Honestly, Skip This and watch the 1949 one. Rated 2.5/5 Stars •  Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 02/03/24 Full Review azura r Absolutely love this movie. Beginning makes me tear up, I like the villian, and the ending makes me tear up. Special effects are great, I really miss practical effects. Great movie and the best era for children's entertainment in my opinion Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/19/24 Full Review Kyle F This movie has some nostalgia for me, but the plot is pretty lackluster, however the affects are vary good for it's time. Rated 2.5/5 Stars •  Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 02/26/23 Full Review Michael M A Good Family Movie, Very Underrated. This Movie deserves more then a 50% on Rotten Tomatoes. Rated 4.5/5 Stars •  Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 01/05/23 Full Review Audience Member A much better movie than I expected it to be, Mighty Joe Young has the cheesier moments that might be expected from what's basically a Disneyfied version of King Kong but the really good animatronic used to bring the titular gorilla to life (it's a bit obvious when they switch to CGI but it's understandable given some of the technological limitations at the time and it's not the worst example of spot-the-difference), incredibly committed performances, a great score from James Horner, a compelling story with decent writing and good direction, fun action sequences, pretty good cinematography even when we get to L.A. and even a few surprisingly dark moments for a late '90s live-action Disney film show there's more on this Kong knockoff's mind than "haha giant monke go ook ook". Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/23/23 Full Review Audience Member This is the King Kong story with a more manageable gorilla, height wise, and the gorilla has a working relationship with the woman. The woman, played by Charlize Theron, protects Joe from poachers, while a man, played by Bill Paxton, tries to get Joe to a nature preserve to study him. Of course there is a villain, but that plot line is dumb and could have been removed from the movie without hurting the film. Joe is accomplished through puppetry, gorilla suit, perspective shots and early and not that impressive computer graphics. The puppetry is well done and you do get a sense that Joe is a character. The writing tries to be funny in spots and the jokes do not land and the plot is predictable with a Disney ending. If it sounds like something up your alley, then check this movie out. Rated 2/5 Stars •  Rated 2 out of 5 stars 02/15/23 Full Review Read all reviews

Mighty Joe Young

My Rating

Read More Read Less POST RATING WRITE A REVIEW EDIT REVIEW

Most Popular at Home Now