Mighty Joe Young

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Mighty Joe Young

PG,

1998,

1h 54m,

Kids & Family/

Adventure

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55%

53 Reviews

Tomatometer

41%

100,000+ Ratings

Popcornmeter

55%

Tomatometer

53 Reviews

41%

Popcornmeter

100,000+ Ratings

As a child living in Africa, Jill Young (Charlize Theron) saw her mother killed while protecting wild gorillas from poachers led by Andrei Strasser (Rade Serbedzija). Now an adult, Jill cares for an orphaned gorilla named Joe -- who, due to a genetic anomaly, is 15 feet tall. When Gregg O'Hara (Bill Paxton) arrives from California and sees the animal, he convinces Jill that Joe would be safest at his wildlife refuge. But Strasser follows them to the U.S., intent on capturing Joe for himself.

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Critics Consensus

Beguiling effects transcend a predictable plot.

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Terry Lawson

Detroit Free Press

Jan 5, 2023

2/4

Though the film has been dutifully updated to reflect conservation consciousness, it's even sillier than the original, with dialogue that may make even small children groan and human characters that seem far more computerized than Joe.

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Joe Morgenstern

Wall Street Journal

Apr 2, 2019

In a holiday movie season like this one, you take your pleasures where you find them.

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Richard Schickel

TIME Magazine

Apr 1, 2019

This Christmas you could do worse than introduce the kids to the big Furby, one who carries a certain moral weight very lightly.

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Howard Cohen

Miami Herald

Jan 5, 2023

3/4

This modern Mighty Joe Young is mighty good fun.

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Sean P. Means

Salt Lake Tribune

Jan 4, 2023

1/4

The special effects, particularly the creature construction of famed makeup artist Rick Baker, are effective -- but who cares when the story is so idiotic?

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David Nusair

Reel Film Reviews

Dec 30, 2021

2.5/4

...a briskly-paced (yet undeniably overlong) adventure...

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Draco W

Jul 20, 2018

This movie will always be a childhood favorite. I re watched this movie last year and it was just as wonderful from when I was a child.

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Harry R

Apr 15, 2018

Not worth the watch.

Han M

Sep 19, 2017

Gorillas are my favorite animal when I saw this movie I liked the scenery as was the gorillas it looked so real and was cool, pretty good movie

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Draco W

Aug 17, 2017

Cute, but the nostalgia glasses were definitely thick on this film

Finn M

May 7, 2017

A heart warming family friendly tale of a young girl who makes a promise to protect an especially intelligent ape. This isn't King Kong, so don't expect it to be.

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Han G

Mar 14, 2017

The film has cringeworthy dialogue, an unnecessary villain, and a weird storyline that is more about conservation than the original. The 1949 original is a masterclass in stop motion effects and is more than just a King Kong ripoff many claim it to be and is the better film. Charlize Theron does what she can with the terrible script but even an Oscar winner can't work miracles. Bill Paxton is as charming as ever but again, can't polish a turd. I give this film a 3.5 star positive rating because of the spectacular special effects by Rick Baker and his team. I'm reviewing this in 2017 and the CGI, puppetry and animatronics still hold up better than other films from the era, nearly 20 years later. Good for kids and people who enjoy top notch effects work. Wouldn't recommend if you don't care for the genre.

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Ron Underwood

Director

Charlize Theron

Jill Young

Bill Paxton

Gregg O'Hara

Rade Serbedzija

Andrei Strasser

Peter Firth

Garth

David Paymer

Harry Ruben

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Synopsis

As a child living in Africa, Jill Young (Charlize Theron) saw her mother killed while protecting wild gorillas from poachers led by Andrei Strasser (Rade Serbedzija). Now an adult, Jill cares for an orphaned gorilla named Joe -- who, due to a genetic anomaly, is 15 feet tall. When Gregg O'Hara (Bill Paxton) arrives from California and sees the animal, he convinces Jill that Joe would be safest at his wildlife refuge. But Strasser follows them to the U.S., intent on capturing Joe for himself.

Director: Ron Underwood
Producer: Ted Hartley, Tom Jacobson
Screenwriter: Merian C. Cooper, Ruth Rose, Mark Rosenthal, Lawrence Konner
Distributor: Buena Vista Pictures
Production Co: RKO Pictures, Walt Disney Pictures
Rating: PG
Genre: Kids & Family, Adventure
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Dec 25, 1998, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Jul 12, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $50.6M
Runtime: 1h 54m
Sound Mix: SDDS, Dolby Digital, DTS, Surround

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