The classic 1949 fantasy film of the same name began with a sleazy promoter on safari in Africa to steal animals for his booga-booga, jungle themed nightclub. This big budget, politically correct remake produced by Walt Disney Pictures opens with a blonde naturalist diligently studying mountain gorillas with her daughter Jill in tow.

When poachers (Rene Serbedzija, Peter Firth) attack the gorillas, Jill’s mother attempts to save them, but not before the poachers clip her and kill the mother of Jill’s favorite baby gorilla, Joe.

12 years later, Gregg O’Hara (Bill Paxton) arrives in the area with a comical guide (Naveen Andrews) to explore the mountain, where no local dares to tread. It doesn’t take long for a 2,000 pound gorilla to appear. After pursing it in Jeeps, O’Hara encounters an adult Jill (Charlize Theron) who is fulfilling a promise she made to her dying mother to look after Joe.

With word out about the giant fellow, O’Hara convinces Jill to relocate Joe to an animal preserve he works for in L.A. A zoologist (Regina King) and the goofy park director (David Paymer) help Joe feel at home, but those nasty poachers soon arrive and upset poor Joe, who goes ape during a fundraiser at the park. The authorities seal Joe in a cage, while his friends have other plans for him.

Directed by Ron Underwood, with a screenplay Lawrence Konner & Mark Rosenthal adapted from Ruth Rose’s original screenplay, the remake demonstrates how filmmaking has advanced remarkably in terms of acting and visual effects, but also, how the fun and excitement of yesteryear’s great movies is gradually getting siphoned into the pursuit of assembly line blockbuster.

Bill Paxton – who wisely turned down U.S. Marshals for the chance to fill Ben Johnson’s cowboy boots – and Charlize Theron are perfectly cast. With a 20 year gap in age, they don’t have any romantic chemistry, but the movie doesn’t show an inclination to really pursue that avenue anyway. Both actors demonstrate a real understanding of what kind of movie this is and impressively summon the wonder and sincerity to help bring Joe to life.

Rick Baker – the Academy Award winning makeup artist who designed the primates in Greystroke and Bigfoot in Harry and the Hendersons among many others – totally out does himself in terms of movie magic here. Baker makes the unreal seem real and Joe looks exactly like you would think a 2,000 pound gorilla should look.

I really enjoyed the climax, where Joe stumbles into an amusement park in Pacific Pallisades, and becomes a good samaritan by rescuing a kid trapped atop a burning ferris wheel. But so much of the script is by-the-numbers. Regina King, David Paymer and especially Naveen Andrews are essentially given walk-on roles, while the poachers as villains are cornball. Nazis and poachers are about the only two demographics you can get away with villainizing these days without a picket.

Ron Underwood got his start directing children’s television before success as a movie director with Tremors and City Slickers. This project - which cost $90 million to the original’s $1.5 million – is also an outdoors adventure for all ages, but lacks the imagination and wit that made those successful. “Cookie cutter” comes to mind frequently. Underwood followed this up with a turkey of epic proportions called Pluto Nash and his feature film career went goodnight with it.

Terry Moore – who played Jill in the original – and Ray Harryhausen, who provided the stop motion effects, were given cameos during the fundraiser scene of this version. The filmmakers do show reverence for the original, including things like the music for “Beautiful Dreamer” or prominently featuring the flashlight from the 1949 film. It’s all okay, but in no way compares to the original.