I remember seeing this movie with my mom when it first came to theaters and I remember loving it, now that I am 24 years old it still has a place in my memory and just on Friday I went and bought it from my local movie and entertainment store. And watched it and this is what I think and remember.*SPOILERS BELOW*Mighty Joe young is made by Disney and I think they did a wonderful job with the story and the meaning of the story. In Africa, a young girl and infant gorilla become friends, the young girl named Jill Young has a mother named Dr. Ruth Young a primatologist who studies a specific group of gorillas in an African Jungle. One night, a group of poachers is bent on destroying and poaching Joe's family and band. Amid the chaos of the poaching Jill's mother and Joe's mother are killed by the poachers, they are both shot by the head poacher Andrei Strasser, Ruth is shot while trying to protect and rescue Joe. After the chaos dies out, Jill finds her mother Ruth in pain and agony while mother and daughter share last feelings with each other, Ruth makes Jill promise to protect Joe from the outside world and especially those who wish to harm him. Sadly, Ruth dies in a good cause. The movie goes from there.Some reasons I really like this movie is because of the messages of Friendship and a promise that a daughter makes to a dying mother to protect a rare and innocent animal from danger. The sacrifices Jill makes in order to protect her gigantic gorilla friend touches my heart in a way that is vary special. I honestly cried when Ruth and Jill share last moments together and the promise that is made and kept in heart throughout the entire movie. Promises are important to me, and that's why this movie is special to me as well. I give Mighty Joe Young 10/10 because of the messages it shares and the part in my childhood it played . Watch it and I guarantee you will shed a few tears if not many for this special story of love, friendship, and promises.

Mighty Joe Young (1998): Dir: Ron Underwood / Cast: Charlize Theron, Bill Paxton, Rade Serbedzija, Peter Firth, Regina King: Ray Harryhausen created the giant gorilla in the 1949 classic. Rick Baker does a tremendous job at creating the creature in this remake. One problem is that the creature is seen too early and he seems to be running a similar drill as King Kong. Charlize Theron stars as Joe's companion since her mother died. Bill Paxton plays an animal tracker who convinces Theron to have Joe transported to California to be placed in an animal reserve. As predicted Joe will be threatened by a vengeful poacher and run rampant through the city until saving a kid on a burning Ferris Wheel. Typical setup followed by a massive ape but certainly not a massive plot. Theron and Paxton are pretty standard in their romantic tease relationship. Rade Serbedzija as the poacher is also pretty standard and will get it twice as bad as he does in his first encounter with the ape. Directed by Ron Underwood who previously made City Slickers. He doesn't achieve the same success here and its target audience should stick with E.T: The Extra-Terrestrial. Despite its animal preservation message, the film seems more geared towards being an impressive creature feature that children will likely not go ape over it. Perhaps the screenplay should be balled up for Joe to use as toilet paper. Score: 2 / 10

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

Mighty Joe Young starts in Africa where conservationist Professor Gregory O'Hara (Bill Paxton) discovers the existence of Joe Young, a huge 2000 pound giant Ape that has been looked after & cared for by Jill Young (Charlize Theron) ever since their mother's were killed on the same night by poachers twelve years ago. O'Hara is amazed by both Joe & Jill & when poachers return to try & kill Joe he arranges for him to be taken to California where he can be properly protected from poachers in a zoo. At first Joe seems happy enough but once again he comes under threat from poachers & when he runs amok at a dinner party he is considered a threat to the public, it's up to Jill & O'Hara to save Joe before he is either killed by poachers or the authorities...Directed by Ron Underwood this big budget Disney production was a remake of the same titled Mighty Joe Young (1949), while not terrible I suppose this remake is nowhere near as good as the original & at times I found it a bit of an overly sentimental bore with far too many annoying Disney-esquire touches. The script here sticks to the general storyline of the original but changes a lot of the set-pieces to lacklustre effects like the capturing of Joe is changed from Cowboys lassoing him to blokes in jeeps & the fantastic climax set in a nightclub where Joe fights Lions & then saves children in a burning orphanage is replaced with a walk around Hollywood & saving a kid on a burning ferris wheel. While the CGI effects are excellent there's a certain coldness to the action & adventure scenes while the character's are terrible with some annoying comic relief & a really sickening romance between the two leads & lots of moralising about the evils of poaching & the perils of locking animals up in cages rather than letting run free & the parallels that has with our own lives as we too are locked up in cages & it's just that we call them houses. At almost two hours Mighty Joe Young is a bit too long, there's too much mushy Hollywood sentiment including a cringe worthy ending in which random members of the public all decide to give money to rehouse Joe & this remake doesn't have the magical fantastical quality of the original & if I am honest feels lie a poor man's King Kong (1933) with it's slightly weird central relationship between a giant Ape & a pretty blonde woman. Having said that it's watchable I suppose & the effects are good.As already mentioned the CGI effects are very good as are the practical effects created by Rick Baker who was along with his team nominated for an Oscar but lost out to What Dreams May Come (1998). This being a squeaky clean Disney family film there's no violence & even the main villain doesn't get much of a send-off. Charlize Theron's attempt to portray a character who has never been to civilisation & spent her entire life in the jungles of Africa is hopeless & she comes across as some ball American blonde anyway.With a supposed budget of about $90,000,000 this had a lot of money spent on it & it show's with great effects & ambitious set-pieces although the finished product doesn't come across as exciting on screen due to the awful music & lack of imagination that isn't the fault of the effects work which is impressive. The acting is bland & I usually quite like Bill Paxton but not in a family film such as this.Mighty Joe Young is a remake that isn't as good as the original & comes across as a second rate King Kong, hell even the ridiculous King Kong Lives (1986) is better than this. Basically a King Kong wannabe that doesn't cut the mustard & isn't as good as the original Mighty Joe Young either but is still watchable on a corny level.