Congo

1995 • 108 minutes

About this movie

They've eluded heat-seeking missiles, gone eyeball-to-eyeball with enraged 5,000-pound hippos, hacked through a jungle curtain. Still, the expedition continues. Amy, a gorilla who was part of a university learning experiment, is at last returning home. A professor (Dylan Walsh), electronics expert (Laura Linney), guide (Ernie Hudson), explorer (Tim Curry) and others follow the scampering ape. They know she will lead them to the place that's more than her home - it's the site of the fabled Lost City of Zinj and its diamond mines. But what they don't know can be fatal. Once they enter Zinj, they'll be the endangered species! From the best seller by Michael Crichton (Jurassic Park) comes an even-packed adventure filled with state-of-the-art technology and primal fear.

Ratings and reviews

Congo was a thrilling adventure movie that kept me on the edge of my seat from beginning to end. The special effects were top-notch, and the jungle setting was both beautiful and dangerous. The characters were likable and well-developed, and the plot was full of twists and turns. If you're a fan of adventure movies with a touch of science fiction, I highly recommend checking out Congo.

So bad it's bad, but I do love Ernie Hudson (check out the "homage" to Ghostbusters during the finale), and I truly adore Tim Curry's hilarious Eastern European accent. You should be watching a double-feature of Ghostbusters and Clue instead. Also, please read "We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves" by Karen Joy Fowler and allow it to ruin any gorilla-themed movie for you for the rest of your life. At least these "gorillas" were played by humans, or I would find myself making amends right now. I feel bad, but I'm hoping the "How Did This Get Made" on this movie will cheer me up!

I don't know if I should say "don't watch this movie because I will give away spoilers," or if I should say "I will give away spoilers because it's not recommended to anyone under any circumstances?" Well, first off: The idea of making a film adaptation of the captivating novel by Michael Crichton (the author of the Jurassic Park novel) is a great idea, alongside creating the magnificent production design, makes "Congo" an engrossing and imaginative journey to the African rainforests of Congo. The African adventure orchestral score by Jerry Goldsmith is impressive. The relationship between Dr. Peter Elliot (Dylan Walsh) and Amy the mountain gorilla (Lola Noh and Misty Rosas) is so cute. Dr. Peter is a supportive primatologist who speaks sign language and will take her gorilla friend "Amy" back into the wild. Amy is an inspiration of Koko, a female western lowland gorilla who speaks sign language. Amy's screen-time is cute. Frank Marshall (director) did a great job setting up some effective suspense and some funny comedy that is structured really well. But unfortunately, I ended up forgetting these moments because they have escalated too quickly. But the big drawback is that I don't have an opinion on the action; the action is not exciting or intense, it's just there. The performances were mostly fine; they can be funny sometimes, but Laura Linney's performance is a tad bit soulless and mostly stiff. Her poorly directed acting needs more improvement. On top of that, some of the acting is awkward. The people in the animatronic gorilla suits have reflected real gorilla behavior with realistic precision, and the animatronic hippopotamus in the film truly reflects the territorial aggression of real hippos. But, lets start with the gorillas; There are normal gorillas in this film, and there may also be fictional white gorillas that are savage in the climax. But here's the thing: there are some unacceptable lines of dialogue. For instance: Dr. Peter says "Gorillas are not killers, that is a King Kong myth. Gorillas are gentle." That is true, but at the third act, there is a line said by Herkermer Homolka (Tim Currey), and he says "the myth of the killer ape reputation is true!" Captain Monroe (Ernie Hudson) runs away from a silverback. Never run away from a gorilla. Dr. Peter looks at the silverback in the eyes. Looking at a gorilla in the eye is a big insult and they take that as a challenge. Speaking of insult, here's the big one: Even though it's an animatronic suit, Amy is drinking a martini and she smokes a cigarette. Never offer a captive or wild gorilla these pieces of garbage for stereotypes! it damages the insides of all animals. Now for the hippos: The animatronic hippopotamus reflects the behavior of real hippos, but do they really sound like prehistoric monsters? No. The movie feels utterly uneven, because the filmmakers don't know what kind of material they are going for, as the movie teeter totter from being accurate to bogus. By the way, they don't deserve to be shot and killed, because the river is their territory, not ours. There is also a curious snake in his own tree that has been killed by one swipe of someone's hand. The person in the gorilla suit for Amy has opened a cooler to force an African bullfrog off the cooler without being careful. As mentioned earlier, the dialogue is unacceptable, there are also some ridiculously cheesy lines as well. Most of the characters are not that interesting to me; there is not much character development, even if there is some information about them. And most of the time, there is not much chemistry going on here either. In conclusion: I wanted to like this movie so badly; it's an engrossing, imaginative, and amusing African adventure in the Congo, but unfortunately for me as a film critic and animal loving enthusiast, the redeemable qualities have been overpowered by how heavy-handed, preposterous, and how offensive it is. For all of you, don't watch this movie.