As a young adult, I would look back at some of my favorite childhood movies that I've overlooked. Especially those with positive reviews and mixed reviews and this movie is one of them. Now, before I begin this review, I would like to say that I never saw the original Mighty Joe Young this remake was based on because I guess there weren't any 1940s movies for me to watch, but looking back at this as a child when it was first released at the late 90s, I simply loved it as much as anyone else. Sure, it's not a masterpiece due to it's formulaic storyline and cartoony characters, but I think it's an underrated childhood favorite of mine and I still love it ever since.
The story, although formulaic, is actually faithful to the original storyline of the original Mighty Joe Young, but made some changes to the present time while being helped by the extraordinary special effects. The characters, on the whole, are a mixed bag. Charlize Theron did great as Jill Young and Bill Paxton did a good job as Professor Gregg O' Hara (I also liked the relationship between them), but the rest of the actors ranged from decent to so-so. There were some hilarious moments (despite it's dark and intense beginning) and some tear-jerking moments especially the ending scene where Joe, the gorilla, dies and comes back alive after saving a kid from a burning ferris wheel. It also has a lovely music score from James Horner and it's his best solid music score as a composer.
The film did become a box office bomb when it first came out in 1998, but that doesn't mean it could not be recommended to others because this is an underrated tear-jerking movie that I loved as a kid and I still love it as a young adult now. My advice: If you're looking for a movie that could leave you teary eyed, check this one out.
The story, although formulaic, is actually faithful to the original storyline of the original Mighty Joe Young, but made some changes to the present time while being helped by the extraordinary special effects. The characters, on the whole, are a mixed bag. Charlize Theron did great as Jill Young and Bill Paxton did a good job as Professor Gregg O' Hara (I also liked the relationship between them), but the rest of the actors ranged from decent to so-so. There were some hilarious moments (despite it's dark and intense beginning) and some tear-jerking moments especially the ending scene where Joe, the gorilla, dies and comes back alive after saving a kid from a burning ferris wheel. It also has a lovely music score from James Horner and it's his best solid music score as a composer.
The film did become a box office bomb when it first came out in 1998, but that doesn't mean it could not be recommended to others because this is an underrated tear-jerking movie that I loved as a kid and I still love it as a young adult now. My advice: If you're looking for a movie that could leave you teary eyed, check this one out.