SIGOURNEY Weaver must have been satisfied with Gorillas In The Mist (Pearl, 9.30pm). It is not a classic, but it is a damn sight better than Deal Of The Century (World, 12.50am), the Chevy Chase comedy in which she also has a role, albeit an early and more minor one. Ms Weaver now knows that starring alongside gorillas is a safer bet than starring alongside Chevy Chase. The gorillas are more mature.
Gorillas In The Mist, as we all must know by now, is based on the story of Diane Fossey, who travelled to Africa during the 1970s to study the rare mountain gorilla. Her work was later chronicled in National Geographic and then in a book by Harold T.P. Hayes.
Weaver portrays the late, controversial Fossey, beginning in 1963 with her meeting with anthropologist Louis Leakey (Ian Cuthbertson). He agrees to let her accompany him to Africa and so begins her life-long commitment to the study of gorillas.
The film suffers because it fails to portray Fossey warts and all. Her passion gained her fame, but it also led to a fatal obsession with protecting her subjects. Fossey became irrational when dealing with those she felt posed a threat to the gorillas. She began as an animal activist, but ended as a crank.
This is otherwise a well-made piece of monkey business, but could have done without the obligatory romance.
Weaver does well with the rather limited screenplay, dredging up her own emotion from somewhere. The African settings are stunning and the footage of the gorillas terrific. But perhaps the real star is special effects man Rick Baker, who created the gorilla costumes donned by human beings for many scenes. His work is so good that it is impossible to tell the real apes from the men in the suits.