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Mighty Joe Young Movie Review

Mighty Joe Young is a 1949 fantasy film directed by Ernest B. Schoedsack and starring Terry Moore. It’s a surprisingly solid, though obviously unnecessary movie.

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“There’s nobody in the world gonna shoot Joe now“

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Joe, a gorilla who is taken away from Africa to perform in a nightclub longs for the wilderness. One night when he is intoxicated by three drunks, Joe loses control and the court orders his execution. This was pretty much a cash-in movie. 1933’s ‘King Kong’ was obviously a big success, so they set out to make what is pretty much another rendition of it. I just wonder why they waited for so long as the two are set apart by a decade and a half.

This is a more childish, naïve and family-friendly version of this story. Many of the plot beats of the original are repeated here, but they lost its edge as the suspense was simply not there. But what we have here, however, is a more charming and sweet take on this story with a better developed woman-ape relationship at its core and stronger effects.

This movie’s effects were done by Ray Harryhausen in what was his debut. The result is a film that still looks surprisingly good – the ape is very believable in his look, behavior and movements. I just wished that they didn’t change his size often as those moments ruined the illusion, but otherwise he looked excellent.

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I wished that the titular character got more development, though he was still very likable. Mighty Joe Young is at its best when it’s focusing on the central friendship. I really liked the Terry Moore character and she was very charming in the role. The movie’s score, production design and cinematography were all competent. The nightclub scenes are definitely of its time, but still cute in their antiquated charm.