It’s really hard to stack up to the original “Mighty Joe Young” which itself was kind of a simpler take on the giant ape tale. While the original remains untouched, it’s really hard not to enjoy the 1998 remake by Disney and director Ron Underwood. While it can occasionally be silly, it’s still a strong new take on the original film with a great cast, great direction and still very good special effects. This new version from director Ron Underwood strays from the original which was kind of a “King Kong” riff, and transforms it more in to a tale of a woman who watches over a humongous ape named Joe. The writers aim to tackle themes about poaching and wildlife preservation within the fun adventure tale, and most times it allows for an engaging tale of friendship and love.
If you remember the nineties, there were a lot of movies based around preserving or restoring wild life (man there were a lot of animal based movies in the nineties), and “Mighty Joe Young” is put in to the sub-genre despite its fantasy base. Charlize Theron, in one of her earlier career roles, is striking as Joe’s protector Jill, a passionate lover of the wildlife who does everything to keep Joe a secret. But when wildlife enthusiast Professor Gregg O’Hara gains an interest in learning how Joe became so humongous, he discovers Joe hiding in the jungles of Africa. Forming an uneasy pact with Jill, Gregg convinces Jill to put Joe in to a massive preserve, especially as poaching begins to increase around Jill’s village. The late great Bill Paxton is very good as the hero Gregg O’Hara who seeks to learn about Joe’s genetic traits, but gains a fondness for him, especially as by the second half of the movie, Joe finds himself misplaced in the big city.
To make matters even worse, two murderous poachers from Jill’s past are hell bent on finding Joe and killing him. “Mighty Joe Young” packs in a lot of plot and characters, but otherwise remains a very entertaining and sweet tale about a woman’s bond with a giant ape, and how they both grow over the course of the movie. That said, the movie tends to meander, especially down the middle portion when Joe is introduced to civilization. Otherwise, though, “Mighty Joe Young” is a worthwhile companion to the original stop motion classic, as Underwood maintains much of the initial bond, and even alters the climactic feat by Joe, taking it from a burning orphanage to a blazing Carousel in the middle of a carnival.
Despite the fantastic premise, the writers do display a lot of interesting plot twists that circles around to the action packed finale, filled with classic “monster rampaging,” and a heartfelt finale in the spirit of the original 1949 gem. Even for 1998, Joe still looks remarkable on-screen, and the film creates a sweet and empathetic new iteration of the Harryhausen and O’Brien creation. Folks that appreciated the wide eyed simplicity of the original “Mighty Joe Young” might not like how the remake is given so much more of a narrative and handed much more complex ideas; but while the 1998 remake from Disney is a bit long in the tooth, it’s still a very good modern iteration on the original classic film about an overgrown ape with a heart of gold.