I had always suspected that Sigourney Weaver was a lousy actress - And - Yep - I was right about her. She didn't prove me wrong with this one.Here in "Gorillas In The Mist" - I found that the more obsessed the Fossey character got with her "Save-the-Gorillas" mission the more irritating Weaver's performance became until it inevitably escalated into a laughable parody that was impossible to take seriously.What also lost this potentially promising "One-Woman-Crusade" story some really major points was the truly dumbass "Me-Tarzan-You-Jane" romance that transpired between the brittle Fossey character and the smug, National Geographic photographer, Bob Campbell.Yep - IMO - That whole kissy-kissy nonsense between Fossey and Campbell was the straw that broke the gorilla's back. Indeed.

This movie could have been great: An outstanding human being defends a part of the natural world at all odds. Instead, we get a mediocre film that has questionable ethics. My first impression, when Fossey arrived in Africa, was: Who is she? What motivates and compels her? Why is she interested in the mountain gorilla? How did she hear about the conference she met Leakey at?The film needed to include some footage and treatment of her teaching her human students and explaining how this relates to her decision to abandon that type of job for one on anthraopological study. This is never approached in the film, and I spent the entire film wondering who Dian Fossey was.It was the gruesome content that repelled me, though: I did not need to see the scene where the gorilla tribe was killed and butchered. The people who are most likely to watch this film are those who care about animals, and they are not going to be entertained by seeing the aforementioned animals slaughtered. What I found most appalling, though, even worse than the scene where the gorilla tribe is killed, is when Fossey surrenders the baby gorilla to the poachers. At this point, I lost all respect for her, and most particularly, for screenwriter Anna Phelan and director Michael Apted.Immediately after they nail the boards of the box cage the baby gorilla is in, they are seen by a river, joking, smiling, sexually cavorting and smoking cigarettes.While I do appreciate Fossey's work with the gorillas and her attacks on the tribe of thugs that poached them (for centuries), the heart of this movie is in question: It was a brutal and insensitive portrayal of a rare communication between man and animal that could have been delightful and inspiring. Hollywood just couldn't resist the opportunity for more violence and single-dimensioned characters, though.

I saw a few clips of this on a countdown show, and I knew eventually that was not a fictional story, so I was certainly up for it, from Michael Apted (Coal Miner's Daughter, Extreme Measures, The World Is Not Enough). Based on the true story, Dian Fossey (Golden Globe winning, and scar nominated Sigourney Weaver) is the woman from Kentucky fascinated with studying animals, especially with primates, she is particularly inspired by the work of anthropologist Dr. Louis Leakey (Iain Cuthbertson). With the permission of Leakey she travels to deepest Africa to start her work studying these fascinating creatures, living in a Rwandan village with the loyal people who live close to where the primates settle. Soon enough in the jungle Dian and her helpers come across a group of rare mountain gorillas, and she begins to study them in very close proximity, and they do not seem to be bothered or feel threatened, she learns to find communication. But her passion for the safety and protection of the primates seems to preoccupy her, she becomes easily angered by poachers and others who disturb, and she misses out on a romance with National Geographic photographer Bob Campbell (Bryan Brown). Dian complains to the Rwandan government that the poaching is going on because it is the only way for the country to survive, and after they refuse to help she dedicates her time to making poaching illegal and ending possible extinction. Besides starting anti-poaching groups and charities, she also burns down found poachers huts, and does a mock hanging on one of them as a brutal warning, but her good work did do good for her beloved gorillas. In the end though she was mysteriously murdered with a blow to the head by some tool that was identified as belonging to the poachers, the mystery apparently remains unsolved. Also starring Julie Harris as Roz Carr, John Omirah Miluwi as Sembagare, Constantin Alexandrov as Van Vecten, Waigwa Wachira as Mukara, Iain Glen as Brendan, David Lansbury as Larry, Maggie O'Neill as Kim, Konga Mbandu as Rushemba and Michael J. Reynolds as Howard Dowd. Weaver gives a very credible performance as the woman who gets up close with the primates, really bonds with them, and is overly passionate for their well-being, obviously there are the subtle moments that have been fictionalised for excitement and intrigue, whatever, but the story is most worthwhile, the music is really good, and the scenes with Weaver and real gorillas makes for great viewing, a most worthwhile biographical drama. Sigourney Weaver was number 20 on The 100 Greatest Movie Stars. It was nominated the Oscars for Best Film Editing, Best Music for Maurice Jarre, Best Sound and Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium, it was nominated the BAFTA for Best Cinematography, and it won the Golden Globe for Best Original Score, and it was nominated for Best Motion Picture - Drama. Very good!

I guess I shouldn't vote on something I haven't seen all of. It could have risen to an 8. Then again it could have sunk to a 1. Or a zero.The best words to describe it are clunky, awkward, clumsy and uninspired. Sigourney Weaver (who I think is a terrific actress most of the time) is terrible here. I couldn't tell if she was going for camp comedy or melodrama, but it had to be one of the two. Her delivery was either wooden or awkwardly over the top. John Waters likely would not have allowed it, his movies have a consistency and flow to them, regardless of whether or not you are drawn to the subject matter.Granted, the script doesn't help and the director seems to be on auto-pilot.I'm also never a big fan of movies that depict ignorant foreigners entering a culture and loudly and brashly disrupting it and becoming very indignant when they can't walk all over it and subvert it for their own needs, despite centuries of culture being at stake. This kind of lack of sensitivity and tunnel vision tends to remind me of the attitudes that precluded slavery.I do however, give the film 2 points for beautiful cinematography, and one point for the acting of Weaver's friend who seems quite believable as a loyal friend and guide who sees the bigger picture but is powerless to impart this wisdom to Fossey. I took off the film (for a second time) about halfway through, just as Bryan Brown's character arrived, and he had only spouted a few clichés before I took it off again, so my I've made no judgement of that actor.The late 80's was a time of smug, disposable movies being churned out. Thank god it's over, (although some say it's coming back again) but you still be burned at the video store, and of course for a few hours of your time. I escaped with only one hour wasted.