** 1/2 His name is Joe, and he's MIGHTY!

In many way this is a sequal to King Kong; many of the same people worked on this one too. Different plot though, but it is simular. People find giant gorilla, people bring gorilla to big city, gorilla go on rampage. If it wasn’t made by the same people I’d be ready to call it a rip-off.In many way this is a sequal to King Kong; many of the same people worked on this one too. Different plot though, but it is simular. People find giant gorilla, people bring gorilla to big city, gorilla go on rampage. If it wasn’t made by the same people I’d be ready to call it a rip-off.

Jill Young at the beginning of the movie is a small girl growing up in Africa. She sees some people carrying a gorilla around (for unkown reasons) and decides to trade a few things laying around the house so she can keep the gorilla as a pet. Years past, they both grow up, and Joe the gorilla apparently has an overactive petuatary gland cause he got mighty big. Your typical entrapernear guy (who supposedly isn’t the same one from King Kong despite being played by the same actor) decides to go to Africa to see what he can find, and he finds Joe. After some misunderstandings, he eventualy convinces Jill to go with him to America and become a star (with Joe of course). He starts up a fancy night club of sorts with lions behind the bar, elaborate African dancing, and the main atraction being Joe and Jill. The act starts pretty simple (Joe holding up Jill while playing a piano, Joe winning a tug of war against some strongmen), but eventualy the act becomes downright embarising (lets all laught at the monkey with the little hat!). After some obviosly drunk people pick on poor Joe (and get him drunk), he breaks loose and tears the place up. Joe faces certain death after that stunt, but Jill and the gang break him loose. After saving random orphans from a random burning building, Joe is considered a good gorilla and he gets to go home.

As nice as the plot sounds here, in the movie itself it’s told rather slowly. Which is an amazing feat for an hour and half movie. The things downright boring, and in scenes like the first one with young Jill Young, it’s downright painfull. It’s logicly ordered, but certain bits play a little heavy on the cosmic coincidences. There just so happens to be a burning building right on their route and there just so happens to be little orphan children trapped inside. Despite the out of place nature, this is still one of the better scenes of the movie (and it’s done with red tinting, yay for color!). Other good scenes include Joe’s little acts, which are suppose to be entertainment and they actualy entertain. Otherwise though the movie is unoriginal mindless drible.

The real entertainment of the movie is Joe Young himself. The stop-motion effects are as good as one would expect. He moves good, fits well with the scenery, and his sheer presence is enough to keep you interested. Too bad all he does is run around and beat up random lions for no good reason. They could have done a lot more, but every once in a while the greatness of the effects shine through.

Overall I wasn’t all that impressed with this movie. Sure the effects were good for their time and there is the occational bit of entertainment, but it’s not worth the tedios trip to get there. Heck, I’d even go so far to say that the remake was better.

Plot is descently set up

Great Oscar-winning special effects

Occational entertaining bit

Good choice on the red tinting for the fire scene

Slow paced and boring at times

Unoriganal plot

Poor Joe, it's not his fault he's ornery

Everybody is out to kill Joe! How will we redeem his name? Wait I know! Lets have him save orphans from a burning building! There's one right over there!

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