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(About Our Ads) DVD REVIEW FOR "MIGHTY JOE YOUNG" (1998) (Charlize Theron, Bill Paxton) (PG) Length Screen Format(s) Languages Subtitles Sound Sides 114 minutes Letterbox (1.85:1) English English Dolby Digital 5.1 1 PLOT & PARENTAL REVIEW VIDEO: (A+) Beyond just a tiny bit of pixelation evident in a few shots, this disc's picture quality is excellent. From the lush green colors of the jungle foliage to the incredibly sharp and detailed images present in the outdoor, brightly lit scenes, this is one of the best overall visual presentations that we've ever seen on DVD. AUDIO: (A+) The disc's audio is also exceptional. Featuring great sound effects (including those directly related to making Joe sound real) and the perfectly subtle use of spatial effects (such as in the jungle scenes), the audio track always sounds perfect. From the sounds of pounding African drums to the sweeping score, the disc fully utilizes and constantly delivers its audio across the full dynamic range, especially in the bass notes to further emphasize Joe's mass. EXTRAS: Scene selection/Jump to any scene. Theatrical trailer. COMMENTS: If the plot of "Mighty Joe Young" sounds familiar, it's probably not just because it's a remake of the 1949 RKO film of the same name that's best known for jump starting the career of legendary special effects wizard Ray Harryhausen. No, it's because it bears a striking resemblance to the most famous ape movie of all time, 1933's "King Kong." While Joe isn't exactly Kong, Jr. (that character appeared in "Son of Kong" that hurriedly arrived in 1933 hoping to make some quick bucks), the people behind the first "Mighty Joe" -- writer Merian C. Cooper and stop motion pioneer Willis H. O'Brien -- were also responsible for the more well-known ape and his legendary movie. As such, the parallels between the stories (including this remake) are more than striking. An expedition to Africa discovers an oversized ape and brings him to America where he proceeds to go berserk at his grand public unveiling. With the only thing capable of calming down the ape being an attractive woman for whom the beast is particularly fond, he eventually runs amok through the city, climbs the highest structure around, and then takes a fall. Now which movie are we talking about? With Charlize Theron inhabiting a modernized version of the Fay Wray character, and Bill Paxton getting to do his Robert Armstrong part (and, of course, Joe plays the Kong role), everything's in place for a retreading of a familiar, but obviously not overused plot. Guess what? Despite the bland dialogue, acting, and overall predictability, the film still manages to work simply because the basic story is still quite solid. To ensure that the audience really gets behind Joe, the filmmakers needed to make sure that he appears quite real and for the most part they've admirably succeeded. Utilizing the latest blend of computer effects (courtesy of Hoyt Yeatman and several visual effects teams), animatronics (from renowned creature/effects whiz Rick Baker) and the old standard of a guy in a gorilla suit (John Alexander), Joe nearly seamlessly interacts with his "real" surroundings and human costars. As far as the disc's audio and visual components are concerned, they're clearly top-notch, with the picture quality being one of the best we've ever seen on DVD. We only wish that more supplemental materials were present, particularly considering the amazing special effects that were put to use in this film and how they could have been compared to ones used in the original film as well as in "King Kong."