Mon ami Joe

I remember watching this film when I was a kid not just once but multiple times and being enthused and affected every time, I was so hooked by Joe and his dreamy eyes and Charlize made me love the jungle but what still fascinates me is how I still remember every detail and how I felt while watching it, and when someone asks me about Charlize this is the first film that jumps to my mind, I guess this is the kind of movie that sticks in your head with its simplicity and purity, such a joyful movie. I guarantee it'll make you laugh, cry, be angry and be very excited when the villain gets what he deserves. the most important message i got from it was to love nature and protect it with my own life because nature reserves our humanity

This update of "Mighty Joe Young" features incredible visual effects. They are so seemlessly blended into the picture that Joe seems more than real.

Bill Paxton is great as usual. In fact, most of the cast is pretty good. Charlize Theron is both tough and sexy. 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. Definately a thumbs-up as a family movie. I recommend it.

I can recall, though not very clearly, seeing the original 1949 version of "Mighty Joe Young" in the theater when I was a boy. The 1998 remake to me is better in every way. 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. Jill and the young gorilla become friends and they grow up in virtual anonymity. 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. That is a remarkable point in the film because, with a good sound system with subwoofer, the room literally shakes. And it continues as they case Joe in trucks.

Jill is persuaded that Joe will be safer when transported to Los Angeles with his own habitat, and she agrees. The evil Strasser shows up, enrages Joe, who breaks out and runs. 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. And, of course, Charlize Theron, who reminds me so much of my daughter, Karen, is just perfect as Joe's caretaker and friend.

I rate this version of "Mighty Joe Young" a solid "8" of 10.

My Take: Fine special effects and decent performances make for a passable remake.

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. There's a lot of enjoyable moments here to entice kids and adults alike. It's fun, without being too loud, too lumbering and too overproduced unlike other summer affair of the time. It could use more, but enough just seems to be enough. There's a good dosage of fine adventure movie elements. There's action, adventure, humor and even romance.

The romance is created between two of the lead characters. Bill Paxton as an explorer named Gregg O'Hara and a Charlize Theron as Jill Young, a daughter of a late famous Jane Goodall-inspired scientist. There's chemistry between those two, even if it's not entirely developed. It's also a simple boy-likes-the-girl chemistry, but it works well and I bought it. Ask for the adventure, there are numerous action scenes which takes place both in the jungle in even in the city, which shows a scenes directly derived but not entirely similarly to the scene from KING KONG. 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. There's a convincing use of blue screen and the typical man-in-a-suit technique that actually is less evident here.

Director Ron Underwood (TREMORS) brings a lot of excitement in this familiar territory. The film cannot escape the multitudes of clichés that marred this old genre to the ground. Some things about MIGHTY JOE YOUNG are familiar, as a toned-down kids flick. I've learned the lesson before, there's no one that harshly gets hurt in this film, except the bad guys who must get their just desserts in the end. But the film is lively and enjoyable enough for me to recommend. This is decent family entertainment.

Rating: *** out of 5.

I saw a sneak preview of this movie-- the only movie I've been looking forward to in a long time-- and I was not disappointed at all. This is a terrifically entertaining movie that is wholesome enough for the kids but has enough action and darker aspects to interest adults. 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. They have also succeeded in giving him a very vividly drawn personality-- you really root for him and it's almost hard to believe that he's just a special effect and not a living being. 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. It really does both, but without being too sweet. Many people in my audience cried and cheered at the end. I hope this film does well and I would love to see a sequel. I think Joe will become a very beloved character in kid's minds.

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