"Congo," based on Michael Crichton's novel, was a fair hit in the summer of 1995. I didn't get to see it at the time, but I've seen it twice since 2009 and enjoyed it greatly.
THE STORY: Laura Linney, Dylan Walsh, Tim Curry and Ernie Hudson star in an unlikely expedition into deepest, darkest Africa where they discover King Solomon's secret diamond mine and the killer gorillas bred to guard it. Along for the ride is a female gorilla who's been trained to use sign language which activates a speech synthesizer.
The film plays out like a less-goofy Indiana Jones flick or "Jurassic Park" without dinosaurs or kids and with a better cast.
Laura Linney is a believable female protagonist; She's good-looking but not smokin' hot (e.g. Megan Fox). Dylan Walsh is a likable addition to the cast as the primologist. To the story's credit Linney never has a hot spring scene and there is no real love story in the mix. Not that I would have minded either; it's just refreshing that the film avoids such clichés, maybe because the rest of the story is full of well-worn material. For instance, Tim Curry as the diamond-obsessed creep and the volcano-erupting, temple-colapsing climax.
The best castmember is Ernie Hudson as Monro Kelly, who takes the reigns of the expedition and refers to himself as "a great white hunter who happens to be black" (hee, hee). I don't remember seeing Hudson in any other film or TV show but he's stellar here. He effortlessly commands the safari and responds to the string of dangerous encounters with a confident, bemused detachment.
The stellar filming locations include Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Costa Rico and the Los Angeles County Botanic Garden.
With the exception of "Raiders of the Lost Ark," which is in a league of its own, "Congo" is on par or better than the other Indiana Jones flicks. I actually like it better. Although the hackneyed ending will make you roll your eyes (as well as thrill you), "Congo" fits the bill if you're in the mood for a modern jungle action flick. Just keep in mind it's not "Apocalypse Now" and was never meant to be.
The film runs 109 minutes.
GRADE: B
THE STORY: Laura Linney, Dylan Walsh, Tim Curry and Ernie Hudson star in an unlikely expedition into deepest, darkest Africa where they discover King Solomon's secret diamond mine and the killer gorillas bred to guard it. Along for the ride is a female gorilla who's been trained to use sign language which activates a speech synthesizer.
The film plays out like a less-goofy Indiana Jones flick or "Jurassic Park" without dinosaurs or kids and with a better cast.
Laura Linney is a believable female protagonist; She's good-looking but not smokin' hot (e.g. Megan Fox). Dylan Walsh is a likable addition to the cast as the primologist. To the story's credit Linney never has a hot spring scene and there is no real love story in the mix. Not that I would have minded either; it's just refreshing that the film avoids such clichés, maybe because the rest of the story is full of well-worn material. For instance, Tim Curry as the diamond-obsessed creep and the volcano-erupting, temple-colapsing climax.
The best castmember is Ernie Hudson as Monro Kelly, who takes the reigns of the expedition and refers to himself as "a great white hunter who happens to be black" (hee, hee). I don't remember seeing Hudson in any other film or TV show but he's stellar here. He effortlessly commands the safari and responds to the string of dangerous encounters with a confident, bemused detachment.
The stellar filming locations include Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Costa Rico and the Los Angeles County Botanic Garden.
With the exception of "Raiders of the Lost Ark," which is in a league of its own, "Congo" is on par or better than the other Indiana Jones flicks. I actually like it better. Although the hackneyed ending will make you roll your eyes (as well as thrill you), "Congo" fits the bill if you're in the mood for a modern jungle action flick. Just keep in mind it's not "Apocalypse Now" and was never meant to be.
The film runs 109 minutes.
GRADE: B