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Mighty Joe Young

  • 1998
  • PG
  • 1h 54m
IMDb RATING
5.7/10
32K
YOUR RATING
John Alexander in Mighty Joe Young (1998)
Official Trailer
Play trailer0:41
1 Video
99+ Photos
Animal AdventureConspiracy ThrillerJungle AdventureUrban AdventureActionAdventureFamilyThriller

A legendary fifteen-foot tall mountain gorilla named Joe is taken to an animal sanctuary in California by zoologist Gregg O'Hara (Bill Paxton) and Jill Young (Charlize Theron), with whom he ... Read allA legendary fifteen-foot tall mountain gorilla named Joe is taken to an animal sanctuary in California by zoologist Gregg O'Hara (Bill Paxton) and Jill Young (Charlize Theron), with whom he grew up. Poacher Strasser (Rade Serbedzija) returns from the past to seek vengeance on Joe... Read allA legendary fifteen-foot tall mountain gorilla named Joe is taken to an animal sanctuary in California by zoologist Gregg O'Hara (Bill Paxton) and Jill Young (Charlize Theron), with whom he grew up. Poacher Strasser (Rade Serbedzija) returns from the past to seek vengeance on Joe.

  • Director
    • Ron Underwood
  • Writers
    • Merian C. Cooper
    • Ruth Rose
    • Mark Rosenthal
  • Stars
    • Bill Paxton
    • Charlize Theron
    • Rade Serbedzija
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    5.7/10
    32K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Ron Underwood
    • Writers
      • Merian C. Cooper
      • Ruth Rose
      • Mark Rosenthal
    • Stars
      • Bill Paxton
      • Charlize Theron
      • Rade Serbedzija
    • 113User reviews
    • 45Critic reviews
    • 51Metascore
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Nominated for 1 Oscar
      • 1 win & 4 nominations total

    Videos1

    Mighty Joe Young: 20th Anniversary Edition Blu-ray
    Trailer 0:41
    Mighty Joe Young: 20th Anniversary Edition Blu-ray

    Photos211

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    Top cast78

    Edit
    Bill Paxton
    Bill Paxton
    • Gregg O'Hara
    Charlize Theron
    Charlize Theron
    • Jill Young
    Rade Serbedzija
    Rade Serbedzija
    • Strasser
    Peter Firth
    Peter Firth
    • Garth
    David Paymer
    David Paymer
    • Harry Ruben
    Regina King
    Regina King
    • Cecily Banks
    Robert Wisdom
    Robert Wisdom
    • Kweli
    Naveen Andrews
    Naveen Andrews
    • Pindi
    Lawrence Pressman
    Lawrence Pressman
    • Dr. Baker
    Linda Purl
    Linda Purl
    • Dr. Ruth Young
    Mika Boorem
    Mika Boorem
    • Young Jill Young
    Geoffrey Blake
    Geoffrey Blake
    • Vern
    Christian Clemenson
    Christian Clemenson
    • Jack
    Cory Buck
    Cory Buck
    • Jason
    Liz Georges
    • Jason's Mother
    Richard Riehle
    Richard Riehle
    • Commander Gorman
    Cynthia Allison
    • News Reporter
    Ken Taylor
    • News Reporter
    • Director
      • Ron Underwood
    • Writers
      • Merian C. Cooper
      • Ruth Rose
      • Mark Rosenthal
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews113

    5.732K
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    10

    Featured reviews

    GEM-20

    Fantasic effects that are very realistic

    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.
    TC-4

    Superb special effects

    I was anxious to see this movie as I had seen the original in 1949 and I was not disappointed. This is one of those rare instances that a remake was okay. This originally was an RKO Radio Picture and the new updated RKO Pictures logo at the beginning was a great tribute. Also it was very fitting to have Terry Moore, the original star, and Ray Harryhausen, the man who made the special effects in the first one, to have a cameo. A lot of critics did not like this movie but my 3 grandchildren did. Why not have movie critics the same age as the targeted audience, such as having kid critics and women critics and senior citizen critics to give a real reaction of what they like and don't like.
    7Hitchcoc

    A Good Remake of a Nice Little Movie

    This time I think the remake is fine. I thought the original was lightweight at best, being a kind of King Kong sequel. People were enamored with gorillas in those days, not because they were endangered but because they were simply interesting. In this one, the bad guys are poachers who kill a woman and a gorilla. Once the young woman begins to protect Joe, she and Joe become their target. As Joe gets bigger and bigger his stock rises. The positive about this film is that the special effects and Joe's being is so much more convincing that the stop action stuff of the forties. Of course, that doesn't mean the original is less worthy; it's just that things get cleaned up here. This is a good movie and doesn't beg comparisons.
    Steve-176

    Grouse Gorilla

    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.
    7TheLittleSongbird

    Joe and the effects steal the show!!!

    I wasn't sure whether I would like Mighty Joe Young. I did see it once with my family beforehand and didn't think much of it. When I did decide to give it a chance again, I am glad I did. I wasn't expecting a perfect family movie, and while this movie is very dark, it also manages to be quite sweet too. I will admit that the beginning is very dark and intense even for a family movie. I will also admit that the plot is very formulaic and that the villains are rather cartoony.

    What made this movie though for me was Joe. He was designed superbly and acted very convincingly. Even for an ape, I found him quite adorable, after seeing films like Congo where they scared me so much. Other pluses are the superb special effects and the splendid scenery. Not to mention the lovely music score. The acting was a mixed bag; Charlize Theron was gorgeous as Jill, and Bill Paxton was very good as Gregg. The supporting actors ranged from good to so-so. The relationship between Joe and Jill was very very convincing and sweet, well to me it was. And I know the ending was more King Kong with a happy ending, but I will confess I cried. Maybe it was because I loved Joe so much, I have a habit of empathising with characters that I grow to love.

    Overall, it is a decent family movie. It mayn't appeal to you first time, but if given the chance as it did with me, it may grow on you. 7/10 Bethany Cox

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    Related interests

    Ben Whishaw in Paddington (2014)
    Animal Adventure
    Gene Hackman in The Conversation (1974)
    Conspiracy Thriller
    Jack Black, Kevin Hart, Dwayne Johnson, and Karen Gillan in Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (2017)
    Jungle Adventure
    Shameik Moore in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018)
    Urban Adventure
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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Since Gorillas in the Mist (1988), Rick Baker stated that he wouldn't do any more projects that involved creating animatronic apes. Baker had to break that statement when he did Baby's Day Out (1994), which featured a gorilla scene. After that, Baker restated he would not do any more ape projects, but when he got called to work on this movie, Baker's love for the original film changed his mind. He also saw it as a chance for redemption for King Kong (1976) since he designed the King Kong suit and portrayed Kong himself. This movie was the last for which Baker created an animatronic gorilla suit. He later added Planet of the Apes (2001), starring Mark Wahlberg, to his ape-centric résumé.
    • Goofs
      Part of the film is set in California. In Los Angeles and at the carnival near the beach, there are police cars with their colored lights on. All the police cars are missing a steady red light in the front. By the California vehicle code, all emergency and law enforcement vehicles are required to have a steady red light facing forward.
    • Quotes

      Cecily Banks: [has just gotten word that Joe had arrived at the zoo] Okay, people! Elvis is in the building!

    • Alternate versions
      German video and DVD versions are edited for violence (capturing of the gorilla, transport of the gorilla in the city, escape of the gorilla, explosion of the ferris wheel) to get a more family friendly "Not under 6" rating. The uncut version (rated "Not under 12") was shown several times on pay-TV channel Premiere World (now Sky Germany).
    • Connections
      Edited into Attack of the 50 Foot Monster Mania (1999)
    • Soundtracks
      Windsong
      Written by James Horner and Will Jennings

      Choir Direction/Arrangement by Lebo M.

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    FAQ20

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • December 25, 1998 (United States)
    • Countries of origin
      • United States
      • United Kingdom
    • Official site
      • Official site
    • Languages
      • English
      • Swahili
    • Also known as
      • Joe
    • Filming locations
      • Kaua'i, Hawaii, USA
    • Production companies
      • Walt Disney Pictures
      • RKO Pictures
      • The Jacobson Company
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $90,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $50,632,037
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $10,602,042
      • Dec 27, 1998
    • Gross worldwide
      • $50,632,037
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 1h 54m(114 min)
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • DTS
      • Dolby Digital
      • SDDS
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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