Plot
After Mighty Joe Young is brought to America for safety reasons, he escapes and rampages through Hollywood, spurred by tormentors out for revenge.
Release Year: 1998
Rating: 5.4/10 (12,112 voted)
Director:
Ron Underwood
Stars: Bill Paxton, Charlize Theron, Rade Serbedzija
Storyline The baby gorilla left in her care grows up to become a hugely tall and broad specimen by the name of Joe, living in the mountains as a mostly unseen legend among people who live there. Along comes an eco-minded emissary from a California sanctuary, who talks the jungle girl into providing safe haven for Joe at the L.A. facility. The transition is not without discomfort, but everything is aggravated via a conspiracy of poachers to get Joe into their own greedy hands!
Writers: Merian C. Cooper, Ruth Rose
Cast: Charlize Theron
-
Jill Young
Bill Paxton
-
Professor Gregory 'Gregg' O'Hara
Rade Serbedzija
-
Andrei Strasser
Peter Firth
-
Garth
David Paymer
-
Harry Ruben
Regina King
-
Cecily Banks
Robert Wisdom
-
Kweli
Naveen Andrews
-
Pindi
Lawrence Pressman
-
Dr. Elliot Baker
Linda Purl
-
Dr. Ruth Young
Mika Boorem
-
Young Jill Young
Geoffrey Blake
-
Vern
Christian Clemenson
-
Jack
Cory Buck
-
Jason
Liz Georges
-
Jason's Mother
Taglines:
Survival is an instinct.
Release Date: 25 December 1998
Filming Locations: Hawaii, USA
Box Office Details
Budget: $90,000,000
(estimated)
Opening Weekend: $10,602,042
(USA)
(27 December 1998)
(2502 Screens)
Gross: $50,632,037
(USA)
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Did You Know?
Trivia:
Cameo:
[Ray Harryhausen]
he did most of the stop-motion animated effects in the original movie in 1947.
Goofs:
Factual errors:
A fully grown male gorilla is not strong enough in relation to his weight to climb a tree, (or a girder) - yet at 2.5 times normal size, Joe's muscles are only 6.3 times stronger than a real gorilla's, while his body would be 15.6 times heavier.
Quotes: Jill Young:
[sees Greg coming out of the infirmary]
He's walking already? Joe should have dropped him harder.
User Review
Grouse Gorilla
Rating:
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. He was remarkable in The English Patient and Kama Sutra. Oh well. The
bills have to be paid.
Mighty Joe Young is a Disney film aimed squarely at the fairly young,
complete with the fairly gruesome bits that today's TV bred ankle biters
demand. So what's in it for the oldies.
Well there's Charlize Theron who's pretty gorgeous. And then there's a
truly spectacular scene when big Joe climbs up a burning (yes burning!)
Ferris Wheel at a L.A. amusement park at night and rescues a little
boy.
But my favourite bit was Joe violently wrecking a car bit by bit because
the car alarm is sounding. His self satisfied grin as he sat on the
quietened nuisance was one that made me wish that I could also rock Ms
Theron to sleep.
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