If you remember what a disaster the ludicrous 1977 remake of "King Kong" turned out to be, you'll likely greet Disney's update of "Mighty Joe Young" with at least some degree of suspicion. But there's no cause for alarm: Thanks to splendid special effects, a few clever moments and a crackling pace, this "Joe" is likely to please fans of the 1949 film as well as delight younger viewers who've never heard of the simian hero before. The title character is a 15-foot high, 2000-pound gorilla who has grown up in the jungles of Tanzania with his guardian Jill (Charlize Theron). When poachers come calling, Jill hastily accepts the offer of scientist Gregg O'Hara (Bill Paxton) to relocate Joe to a Los Angeles preserve. It's not easy for Joe to adjust to city life, however, especially when the sinister hunter Strasser (Rade Serbedzija), who tried to do away with Jill and Joe in their homeland 12 years earlier, arrives in town determined to get his hands on the prized ape. The story is fairly hokey, but director Ron Underwood keeps things moving along so briskly you don't have time to question its goofiness. Though Theron and Paxton are fine and Regina King and David Paymer provide some laughs as the animal specialists who try to help Joe make the transition to his new home, the real star of the movie is of course Joe himself, a combination of Industrial Light and Magic's digital animation and Rick Baker's ape suits; he's an astonishing creation, with an impressive range of emotions. The technical work throughout the film is flawless, and Joe's climactic rampage through La La Land is both funny and exciting. Although "Joe" has taken considerable liberties with the original material, Underwood has also inserted a few charming references to the 1949 film in this version, including the use of "Beautiful Dreamer," the song that kept the first Joe under control, in a seaside sequence and cameo appearances by Terry Moore (the original Jill) and Ray Harryhausen (the stop-motion animation genius who worked on the original movie) as an elegant couple attending a soiree at the conservancy. James Sanford
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