This movie is fun with a alot of laughs. It is predictable at times but heartwarming!! Gorillas are really intelligent and strong. Whoever portrays Katie did a great job. It's definitely worth a watch.
14 Reviews
Not a bad movie.
treakle_197820 August 2019
Can't really say whether it's good or bad
The_Light_Triton2 March 2009
Warning: Spoilers
I can't really say whether i wanna blast this movie to pieces or to congratulate it for giving me a bad image of police when i was 5 years old. every time i see a cop now, i think back to this film and think every cop is bad. thats sad, really. if the news won't brainwash your 5 year old child into thinking cops are the bad guys, then this movie will.
It's another one of those animal/teenager friendship films. you might consider it the flipper or gentle giant of it's time, but it might also compare to movies like Free Willy and Andre.
I give it 5/10...and a big slap to the face for giving me a permanent bad image of cops that I shall never forget.
It's another one of those animal/teenager friendship films. you might consider it the flipper or gentle giant of it's time, but it might also compare to movies like Free Willy and Andre.
I give it 5/10...and a big slap to the face for giving me a permanent bad image of cops that I shall never forget.
The most heartwarming family movie of the 90s.
sandlot19922 August 2023
Born To Be Wild is one of those animal family movies that stands with movies like Free Willy and Mighty Joe Young (the original before the 1998 remake). I first saw this movie when me and my family watched it on videocassette after its release in the same year and rewatched it on DVD back in 2009. And yet, this movie is heartwarming and tear-jerking at the same time. Plus Wil Horneff (the Sandlot, the Ghost in the Machine, the Yearling (1994)) does a brilliant job playing the role of Rick Heller and recieving a Young Artist Award as Best Film Leading Actor in a Feature Film.
If you Love this movie that you grew up in the 90s. This would make you laugh and cry and teach you about love and respect for animals of nature, plus this beloved family movie is filled with adventure for the entire family would enjoy.
If you Love this movie that you grew up in the 90s. This would make you laugh and cry and teach you about love and respect for animals of nature, plus this beloved family movie is filled with adventure for the entire family would enjoy.
Understandable
Vegita28 August 1999
I know that most of this movie is fake but you have to understand that the plot is nice and it really wakes people up to animal cruelty. After reading Congo, by Michael Crichton, I just had to watch this movie once more and I'm glad I did. Most people think that gorrillas are just huge beasts who'll kill anything that gets in their way. On the contrary, chimpanzees are even more ferocious than gorrillas and will eat human children in the wild. That gives you something to think about when you watch this movie, which I really recommend
One of the worst films of all time...
MovieAddict201611 January 2004
Simply awful. Stunning. A man in a gorilla suit makes friends with a troublemaking teen who learns to love the gorilla and tries to free it. "Free Willy" meets "Larger Than Life," only it's worse than both put together (or subtracted from each other). John Billingsley ("Out of Time") has a small role.
0/5.
0/5.
Förklaring
kus_lindell9 January 2018
Wrong message
retroparat18 July 2019
The movie in general is awful, but the message sent is upside down.
This boy was raised relatively correctly considering all the outside issues, like this movie and similar by products that show not listening to your parents is correct and movies like this and similar products validate teens and the way they treat their parents and the like.
Your mom, WHO GAVE YOU LIFE AND A HOME AND FOOD IN YOUR BELLY, comes first. Only white people do this and it is disgusting.
As for the movie, well, overacting, simple plot and all that goes with a below average movie.
Lastly, parents and kids, stay together and keep your family together for a long, long, long time.
Thanks.
James.
the end made me cry
sarajeanne3025 June 2006
I love this movie. It's really good in showing the bond very powerful bond between animals and humans. Rick is 14 turning 15 in this movie and he knows that this very intelligent gorilla(Katie) should be free and not miss treated in a cage. There are a lot of depth and meaning to this movie and it's not just about saving the gorillas. The best part of the movie is definitely after Katie falls in the water and that Rick's talks about his dad and how he left. I love the continuum to this because at the end of the movie when Rick lets Katie in Hawaii she asks him if he's a father now because he won't come back. This is a great movie that everyone can enjoy young and old.(I'm 14 and the end made me cry)
Fantastic!
brandon_boydian2 March 2006
This movie is fantastic. Very moving film about the relationship between humans and animals that a lot of people can quite easily relate to. Katie (the gorilla) is an intelligent creature who creates a strong bond with a troubled teenager (Rick) that takes them on an adventure neither would ever forget. And as for Wizard-8 saying "the gorilla costume isn't very convincing", Katie was in fact played by a live gorilla. They may be strong, powerful creatures, but they are also very intelligent and are able to perform once trained. And Wizard-8 also said "I think only very young children might get some enjoyment from this - everyone else, stay away", and this is also false - I am 21 and still enjoy this film. It's a fantastic story well worth seeing!
Underrated family film.
EraserheadDr10 June 2008
Warning: Spoilers
I watched this film about when it came out, maybe a year later. But this film fits in with the other family films by warner brothers like, "The Amazing Panda Adventure" and "Free Willy". This film is my favorite family film in the mid 90's.
The story is about a teenager named Rick Heller who meets a gorilla that his mother's experimenting on, and he starts to notice that she can communicate with the gorilla. So, the real owner of the gorilla takes her away, and Rick wants to see her again and setting her free by the Canadian border.
So Rick steals her from a flea market and escapes with the gorilla. Rick is now a suspect and is being careful not to get caught. The rest of the story is just brilliant. You gotta watch this film if you like family films.
But the ending really sad and great at the same time. I expected more comments on this film, but I suppose it isn't that great of film back then, but I will sure remember it.
The story is about a teenager named Rick Heller who meets a gorilla that his mother's experimenting on, and he starts to notice that she can communicate with the gorilla. So, the real owner of the gorilla takes her away, and Rick wants to see her again and setting her free by the Canadian border.
So Rick steals her from a flea market and escapes with the gorilla. Rick is now a suspect and is being careful not to get caught. The rest of the story is just brilliant. You gotta watch this film if you like family films.
But the ending really sad and great at the same time. I expected more comments on this film, but I suppose it isn't that great of film back then, but I will sure remember it.
Excellent family film!!!!!!!
Roguexmn5524 March 2002
This film is great for the entire family. You will smile, laugh, and even cry together. Excellent bonding between man and animal! Courtroom scenes are dramatic but also funny. Even animals know the difference between right and wrong, as Katie brings her opinions to be known.
Underrated story about human and animal relationships
sleepingsunrise4 April 2023
I remember watching this when it came out simply because I had a crush on Will Horneff. As a teen I didn't really care too much about the story. To my younger self, it was just a story of some rebellious teen who wanted a road trip with a gorilla.
As an adult, with greater understanding of sentience, and awareness of human and nonhuman relationships, this movie really hit me hard.
There are people commenting about how the main character, Rick, disobeys his mother and breaks the law and needs to be punished. Well, he does get punished. But the law also gives hope for Katie and Rick.
The movie deals with what is right and wrong and whether or not it's always wrong to break rules/the law.
People forget that just because something is legal, doesn't make it right. Yes, Charnley had a legal right to Katie (seen as property, and not an individual being), but that doesn't make it right.
This movie will hopefully plant a seed in your mind and make you question all the ways that humans view other animals. Some animals are family, some animals food, some animals entertainment, some animals clothes, some animals as transportation. But why? Why can't they exist simply for themselves and not be used for human greed? Think about it.
Katie tells us how she feels because she was taught how, but what about the other animals who are not capable of communicating with us? What would they say?
I deducted one star because at times the cringe is a bit much but overall the movie is a must watch, a solid family movie, and even adults will like it.
As an adult, with greater understanding of sentience, and awareness of human and nonhuman relationships, this movie really hit me hard.
There are people commenting about how the main character, Rick, disobeys his mother and breaks the law and needs to be punished. Well, he does get punished. But the law also gives hope for Katie and Rick.
The movie deals with what is right and wrong and whether or not it's always wrong to break rules/the law.
People forget that just because something is legal, doesn't make it right. Yes, Charnley had a legal right to Katie (seen as property, and not an individual being), but that doesn't make it right.
This movie will hopefully plant a seed in your mind and make you question all the ways that humans view other animals. Some animals are family, some animals food, some animals entertainment, some animals clothes, some animals as transportation. But why? Why can't they exist simply for themselves and not be used for human greed? Think about it.
Katie tells us how she feels because she was taught how, but what about the other animals who are not capable of communicating with us? What would they say?
I deducted one star because at times the cringe is a bit much but overall the movie is a must watch, a solid family movie, and even adults will like it.
Extremely predictable
Wizard-84 September 1999
If a kid actually did the same things with a gorilla that the kid in this movie does, he'd quickly get his limbs ripped off - primates are EXTREMELY STRONG animals. In fact, seeing this kid get ripped apart would be more entertaining than anything that happens in this movie. Awesomely manipulative, cardboard characters, and VERY predictable - you'll be able to guess what happens before it actually comes onscreen. And the gorilla costume isn't very convincing. I think only very young children might get some enjoyment from this - everyone else, stay away!
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