Mighty Joe Young (1998)

Director:

Ron Underwood

Writers (WGA):

Merian C. Cooper (story)
Ruth Rose (earlier screenplay)

Release Date:

25 December 1998 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Family | Fantasy | Thriller

Tagline:

Survival is an instinct.

Plot:

After Mighty Joe Young is brought to America for safety reasons, he escapes and rampages through Hollywood, spurred by tormentors out for revenge.

Plot Keywords:

Gorilla | Poacher | Hunter | Rampage | California

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 1 win & 2 nominations

Cast

Bill Paxton	...	Professor Gregory "Gregg" O'Hara
Charlize Theron	...	Jill Young
Rade Serbedzija	...	Andrei Strasser
Regina King	...	Cecily Banks
Peter Firth	...	Garth
Naveen Andrews	...	Pindi
David Paymer	...	Harry Ruben
Robert Wisdom	...	Kweli
Christian Clemenson	...	Jack
Geoffrey Blake	...	Vern
Lawrence Pressman	...	Dr. Elliot Baker
Linda Purl	...	Dr. Ruth Young
Mika Boorem	...	Young Jill Young
Cory Buck	...	Jason
Liz Georges	...	Jason's Mother

Also Known As:

Mighty Joe (UK)

MPAA:

Rated PG for some menacing action violence and mild language.

Runtime:

114 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Swahili

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Iceland:L | South Korea:All | Peru:PT | Finland:K-10 | Argentina:Atp | Australia:PG | Chile:TE | France:U | Germany:12 (w) | Portugal:M/6 | Spain:T | Sweden:11 | UK:PG | USA:PG | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Hawaii, USA

Company:

RKO Pictures

Trivia:

On July 2, 1997, during filming in the San Fernando Valley, director of photography Donald Peterman and camera operator Ray De La Motte were injured after the Panther Pegasus camera crane they were riding on snapped, causing them to fall 25 feet to the ground. Peterman suffered a broken leg, broken ribs and minor head injuries, and De La Motte received minor chest and back injuries. Production was halted for two days, and Peterman was replaced by Oliver Wood. In 2000, Peterman sued Panther, as well as Shotmaker Company, the crane's supplier, and won a $5 million settlement.

Quotes:

Andrei Strasser: Monsterle! Monsterle!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Monster (2008) (V)

Soundtrack:

Imam Assani Cisse

Great adaptation of the classic 1947 film

Mighty Joe Young is terrific family fare, and one of the better movies of 1998. It is based on the immortal classic from 1947 of the same name about a young woman and her faithful 20-foot tall, 2,000-pound gorilla named Joe.

Great special effects featuring Joe are the real highlight of the film, especially the animatronics and CGI which truly bring Joe to life.

There are also good performances, especially from Charlize Theron as the young woman, Jill, and Bill Paxton, fresh from Titanic, as the scientist who loves her.

But, the real star is the title character, the Mighty Joe, who brings a wonderfully gentle screen presence, and is the true hero of the film.

Highly recommended for children of all ages.