Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		0.0
Overall		3.0

Mighty Joe Young Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman November 8, 2018

Like it or not, for better or for worse, remake-itis was, and remains, a staple of the cinema landscape, and the late 1990s/early 2000s saw more than its share of such films. Disney remade 1961's The Parent Trap in 1998 to some success. 1976's Freaky Friday and its (surprisingly better) 2003 re-do rank amongst the most recognizable remakes. Another example is Mighty Joe Young, Director Ron Underwood's (Tremors, City Slickers) 1998 take on the 1949 RKO classic of the same name. The updated version maintains plot essentials and doesn't do any disservice to the original film, simply setting it in modern times and recreating it with "improved" technology (Ray Harryhausen's work may be crude by today's standards but in no way feels dated). It's a tasteful re-imagining of a vintage favorite that doesn't supplant that original classic but opens the doors for new generations to go back and explore it after enjoying this version.

As a girl, Jill Young (Charlize Theron) watched her mother die protecting the gorillas she loved from poachers. Jill has spent the years since raising a friendly, and very large, gorilla named Joe, who stands taller and weighs more than his peers, who largely reject him. Jill and Joe live happily in his native environment until the kindhearted Zoologist Gregg O'Hara (Bill Paxton) convinces her to move the animal to a private sanctuary in Los Angeles. Joe's arrival is big news, and it catches the attention of the dangerous and revenge-minded poacher, Andrei Strasser (Rade Šerbedžija), who wants to kill Joe for bitting off his index finger and thumb on that fateful night when Jill's mother was killed.

The film opens with heartbreak but continues to tell a tale that is heartfelt, a tale of a creature looking to live a life of peace and tranquility and the people who would see that happen. They're opposed to the people who would profit from, or take joy in, taking that away. The film can be very touching in its exploration of the bond Jill and Joe share. Their relationship extends beyond friendship and almost feels like family. They understand one another, share in each other’s joys and pains, and when the movie focuses on the relationship it’s at its best. The various action scenes -- which largely involve Joe lashing out in ager when provoked or when the poachers are chasing Joe, Jill, and Gregg -- are exciting. The film puts together some enjoyable scenes of Joe loose on the streets of Los Angeles, too, but it definitely hits its stride when it’s in the downtime depicting the Jill-Joe relationship and, to a lesser extent, the Jill-Gregg romance.

Mighty Joe Young Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

From the first shots, Might Joe Young's Blu-ray impresses and its firm 1080p credentials are obvious. While early film colors lack significant, eye-popping depth -- natural greens are varied but a little flat -- there's enough core saturation and color diversity with the people and the gorillas to please. Textural details are strong too in the opening scenes, and the light grain, which is largely steady throughout the presentation, adds a cinematic veneer to the proceedings. As the film progresses to the funeral scene, more extreme examples of bold colors impress, particularly reds, and colors stabilize thereafter, including more diversely colored clothes, denser greens, and refined terrain in Los Angeles. The wildlife refuge in L.A. offers some impressively sharp and detailed environments, as do some nighttime city exteriors seen late in the movie, where both color (storefronts, police sirens against a night sky backdrop) and details (pavement, buildings, people) look terrific. Character textures reveal a firm command of intimate skin details and close-ups of the gorilla are showcases for the very impressive practical work done to bring the creature to life. Nighttime black levels are terrific, particularly against bright carnival lights seen near film's end. There is some macroblocking evident in the 53-minute mark along dark red walls, a small blemish on an otherwise very impressive image from Disney.

Mighty Joe Young Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The included DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack appears to be another Disney offering that requires some upward volume movement from normal reference levels to fully enjoy. Once adjusted, the track's fullness and credentials become more obvious. It lacks intense depth and weight and absolute elemental clarity, but various growls, slams, and crashes find enough low end punch to satisfy basic requirements. Action scenes enjoy full stage width and depth and seamlessly fold in additional sounds to match on-screen action, including spinning helicopter rotors slicing through the stage late in the film. Jungle and city ambience are nicely integrated across and through the stage, as is carnival din late in the film. Music spreads nicely about the front and folds in some surround support both in more intensive action score and lighter support cues. Dialogue presents clearly and accurately from the front-center portion of the soundstage.

Mighty Joe Young Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Mighty Joe Young's Disney Movie Club exclusive release contains no supplemental content. The main menu screen offers only options for "Play" and "Scene Selection." No DVD or Digital versions are included, either, and the release does not ship with a slipcover.

Mighty Joe Young Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

No amount of modern (then-modern, anyway; this film is now nearly two decades old at time of writing) visual effects can raise this Mighty Joe Young above the original Harryhausen classic, but there's definitely room for this film as both a solid entertainer that builds a touching core relationship between Jill and Joe and as a springboard to hopefully introduce modern audiences to the original classic. Disney's Blu-ray, which is currently exclusive to its online movie club, features very good video and audio. Sadly, no extras are included. Recommended.