Mighty Joe Young

If you want science fiction that respects its own premise, Mighty Joe Young is available in Australia on Disney Plus, and in the US on Disney Plus and Wonder Project Amazon Channel right now. It says what it needs to say in one sitting, no filler. 887 viewers have already rated it on TMDB — the kind of consensus that does not happen by accident. Charlize Theron's performance is the anchor the more ambitious scenes need. There is no real reason to keep putting it off — it is right there on Disney Plus.

Mighty Joe Young is not trying to be everything to everyone, and that focus is exactly what makes it work. Mighty Joe Young uses its genre premise as cover for asking bigger questions. As a child living in Africa, Jill Young saw her mother killed while protecting wild gorillas from poachers led by Andrei Strasser. Now an adult, Jill cares for an orphaned gorilla named Joe -- who, due to a genetic anomaly, is 15 feet tall. When Gregg O'Hara arrives from California and sees the animal, he convinces Jill that Joe would be safest at his wildlife refuge. Charlize Theron and Bill Paxton lead a cast that brings real weight to the material. It was released in 1998. The world-building is meticulous enough to sustain multiple rewatches, with details early on that only make sense later. There is real craft here, even in the moments that do not fully land.

Mighty Joe Young is satisfying on multiple levels — something to watch and something to think about after. It does not lean on comparisons to make its case. It is a manageable watch, easy to fit into a single evening. Charlize Theron grounds the bigger ideas in something human. Once you are in, you will want to talk about it.