Absolutely Fantastic

A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

This movie tries so hard to be funny, yet it falls flat every time. Just another example of recycled ideas repackaged with women in an attempt to appeal to a certain audience.

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

If you suspend some disbelief, and just sit back and enjoy, you're in for a good time.I'm going to concentrate on the special effects, because they're so outstanding, and are an essential part of the film.POSSIBLE SPOILERS: The amount of detail in this stop-action is beyond astonishing. Little things, like Joe tapping his fingers, are everywhere. A wide array of facial expressions that help give Joe a personality. The continuity of fast action sequences like the wrangling scene, and specifically when Joe plucks a rider out of the saddle while the horse is at full gallop. It is still believable when viewed in slow motion, with Joe's fingers grabbing the guy's shirt. WHAT you say? Yes, you read that right. The line between live-action and stop-action sometimes disappears.This same continuity exists in the chaos scene when Joe tosses lions. Joe picks one up, does a windup with it and then tosses it, left to right. The next thing you see is REAL lion, obviously having been really thrown by something, hitting a floor at about 15 mph and sliding/scrambling about 30 or more feet in abject terror.And the list goes on and on.....

An African girl (Terry Moore) is best friends with a twelve-foot tall ape named Joe she grew up with. American promoter Max O'Hara (Robert Armstrong) persuades the girl to bring her ape to America to take part in his show. You can pretty much guess how this will go wrong even if you haven't seen King Kong.First big role for Ben Johnson as a cowboy who falls for Moore. He's pretty wooden here but then again he was a fairly wooden actor throughout his career. He does his usual John Wayne, Jr. routine. Lots of "Yassir" and "Ah reckon" type stuff. Robert Armstrong plays a role very much like Carl Denham from King Kong, although a little more comedic. Terry Moore is more Helen Mack than Fay Wray. That is to say she's cute but not much screen presence.Re-teaming of many of the King Kong team for a story that is very similar to that film, although different enough to keep this from being considered a remake. The story is mostly kid stuff and fluff but cute nonetheless. The Willis O'Brien/Ray Harryhausen special effects alone are worth checking this movie out.

MIGHTY JOE YOUNG is essentially a smaller, pared-down re-run of KING KONG, with everything taking place on a smaller scale and perhaps a slightly younger audience in mind. It's nevertheless an extremely watchable and at times powerful piece, one that's at its best when depicting the worst of human nature; namely Joe's transformation from king of the jungle to a side-show freak.Such films are inevitably dated now, presenting a view of a world long forgotten. Despite this, MIGHTY JOE YOUNG is gripping and exhilarating in equal measure. The opening sequences are slightly twee, but once the action shifts to Hollywood it gets better and better, especially the extended "will they make it?" climax. The scene with the burning building is an incredibly complex set-piece and one which is executed beautifully.KING KONG guru Willis O'Brien was the guy headlining this production, but by all accounts stop-motion king Ray Harryhausen did most of the work, and Joe is one of his best creations; not only is he a realistic monster, but like the best of the stop-motion beasties, he's a recognisable character too, and one you empathise with. The rest of the production is well-paced and well-made, with a level of finesse raising it above the level of the competition.

This is a cracking film in every way. Taken in its own context, it's every bit as good as King Kong. Although made in 1949, it completely blows away the remake from 1999. That expert of special effects Ray Harryhausen does a brilliant job in so many memorable scenes in the film, probably the most famous of which is the rescuing of the trapped children from the burning building. Not far behind is the scene in the huge night club, when Mighty Joe goes berserk after being given alcohol. The pace of the film never slackens and the players all put in good performances, with the big star of the show.....Mighty Joe Young himself. Don't miss!!