Buy it... if a Swahili choir, distinctive wood-struck percussion, and synthetic ape sounds can compensate for an otherwise standard James Horner action score.

Avoid it... if you expect the ethnic accents in the music for Mighty Joe Young to feature anywhere near the same attractive flair as those in the just previous The Mask of Zorro.

Horner

Mighty Joe Young: (James Horner) The 1949 version of Mighty Joe Young failed because it was a shameless rip-off of the classic King Kong made by many of the same crew members. The 1998 resurrection of the concept by Disney maintains most of the original outline of the 1949 story, though it too borrows heavily from King Kong (but this time, the 1976 remake, from which Mighty Joe Young also carries over some crew). The studio had originally advertised the 1998 film as a summer monster flick, but the utter failure of Godzilla earlier in the year caused the studio to scale back the fright and market the film as a heartfelt Christmas affair. Indeed, despite the inclusion of a prominent villain in the new version, the Disney take on Mighty Joe Young better explores the humanitarian aspect of the tale. Bill Paxton and a young Charlize Theron are the protectors of the 2,000-pound gorilla Joe, who is offered sanctuary from poachers but whose transfer to Los Angeles leads to the mandatory romp through the city. Composer James Horner had been on a romp of his own through 1998, enjoying the immense popularity of Titanic (and the two Oscars that came with it) and writing for the high profile films Deep Impact and The Mask of Zorro. The latter film's score was particularly striking, earning Horner increased respect from a soundtrack collecting crowd weary of the composer's tendency in recent years to base most of his new scores on his previous ones. Both The Mask of Zorro and Mighty Joe Young are defined by their mixture of ethnically rich solo performances with an orchestral ensemble. Horner trades in the flamenco elements for a Swahili choir, distinctive wood-struck percussion, and synthetic ape sounds. The resulting multicultural score from Horner seems to pull inspiration more from John Williams' Oscar-nominated Amistad rather than from his own career, though nothing that Horner produces in Mighty Joe Young can compete in authenticity or class with Amistad. Still, the ethnic accents in the Mighty Joe Young score make it somewhat unique for Horner. While the instrumental colors may be new, the themes and mass of action underscore, however, are very typical to Horner's career.

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The primary theme for the movie is translated into the "Windsong" choral performance at the end of the film, though the idea receives significant treatment before that point. Introduced on gorgeous flute in the latter half of "Sacred Guardian of the Mountain," this theme receives fleeting performances throughout Mighty Joe Young before the final ten-minute concert track devotes its entire length to it. In terms of memorability, "Windsong" is a decent entry in Horner's career; without the Swahili voices, the theme may suffer from some anonymity, but with the majority of its performances highlighted by one of the numerous soloists, it makes a positive impression. Its progression is a clever reference to an ape call, though more people may associate it with Tarzan. Far less convincing is the primordial theme for the ape himself, heard immediately at the start of the score. This forceful, three-note theme is a direct adaptation of the identical progression from the outset and conclusion of Willow, and not only does it leave any Horner fan somewhat disgruntled with the unoriginality, its layering of voices causes it to take on characteristics from Alan Silvestri's The Abyss. Outside of these two themes, Mighty Joe Young is often a muddled mess of "Hornerisms" and bland action music. Two redeeming cues are "The Trees," which accompanies its soft woodwind and percussion tones with the deep electronic sound effect of a sighing ape. Also of note is the latter half of "The Carnival," which harmonizes the action music in a fashion that blends Balto with the later The Legend of Zorro. Otherwise, the score tends to walk an aimless path down memory lane for Horner, with the most blatantly shameless self-rip-off taking a sequence from Legends of the Fall for the opening of "Our Last Chance - A New World." Both the wailing shakuhachi flute and the crashing piano effect were well worn by Horner at that time. The African voices are mixed at a harsh tone that supercedes the orchestra and are, frankly, negatively distracting in many of their contributions. The overbearing mix of the percussion section also detracts from several cues. Overall, Mighty Joe Young is easily the composer's weakest entry of 1998, though the "Dedication and Windsong" cue is worthy of any Horner compilation. **   Amazon.com Price Hunt: CD or Download

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For James Horner reviews at Filmtracks, the average editorial rating is 3.13 (in 98 reviews) and the average viewer rating is 3.25 (in 184,725 votes). The maximum rating is 5 stars.