Congo

Rating:
Summary: Congo is an entertaining film to watch on a Saturday night.
Review: Reminiscent of those Saturday matinee serials, Congo is an adventure film directed by Frank Marshall and written by Oscar winner John Patrick Shanley. I have read the book before and it's quite different from the film. Many regard this as the worst film adaptation of a Michael Crichton novel but I don't think so. Marshall seemed to be heading for trashy fun when he directed the film and that's exactly what the audience gets.

The plot begins with promise. An expedition in the virunga region of the Congo travel to Mount Mukenko in search of a diamond that will enhance a large company called Travicom. However the entire group is slaughtered by what seems to be a gorilla. Now, a group led by Monroe Kelly (Ernie Hudson), Peter Elliot (Dylan Walsh), and Karen Ross (Laura Linney) head to the Congo to renew the search for the diamond and find out what happened to the other expedition.

While Crichton's novel was full of nail-biting tension, Marshall and Stanley go more for the light-hearted and offer some moments of humor. That's not to say there's no tension. There's plenty of it in the last half hour of the film not to mention a bit of gory violence that involves a thrown decaptitated head.

The action sequences aren't bad. They aren't up to par with Indiana Jones but they still maintain excitement and tension. The performances in this film are borderline camp. None of the actors are ever really serious until they encounter the killer apes that created the original expedition massacre.

For a film that was clearly disliked by audiences and critics (although Roger Ebert found it to be good trash) it certainly did well at the box office. If you haven't seen this film I would say to watch it expecting a fun action/adventure that's not to be taken seriously.

Rating:
Summary: Congo Schmongo
Review: If monkeys can be trained to do almost anything, do you think they could have written a better script than this schlockly B-movie-style rubbish? Although it's based on another Michael Crichton mega-seller, it borrows heavily from classics like Lost Horizon and King Kong. But woe is us.

Despite some breathtaking photography (most of it, by the way, taken in the deepest, darkest reaches of California) filmmakers have only succeeded in making the best 1940s film of 1995. Be very afraid of Congo. When guys in gorilla suits meet laser technology, the result is, in this sorry case, nothing short of banana-brained.

Rating:
Summary: When the film is better than the book
Review: It's difficult to make a movie based on a novel. The risks come from the fact that people always affirm that the novel is better than the motion picture. That isn't necessarily true, for example Clive Barker's The Hellbound Heart is a memorable book, but the first and the second films of the Hellraiser series, based on the romance, are more exciting and significant than Barker's best-seller.What happened to Barker, happened to Crichton, in this major motion picture.Congo is a great movie, with adventure, some really tense moments (the film balances humor, adventure and tension with mastery, becoming a complete entertainment), a cast of excellent actors, including Tim Curry, who even in a small part, makes this ride even better!Dylan Walsh is a good actor, his talent and charisma are evident, such as Ernie Hudson. Laura Linney, who gave one of the most impressive performances of all time in The Truman Show (it's beyond me the reason why she didn't receive any Oscar nomination), is all teasing, funny and charming as a courageous cientist.Congo follows the tradition of memorable adventure classics, such as Raiders of The Lost Ark and Alive! (directed by Frank Marshall, the same director responsible for Congo). If you just want to have a good and exciting time, join the members of the Congo expedition and buy this DVD!you won't be sorry, Congo is a fast and delicious ride!

Rating:
Summary: Congo is Terrific !
Review: This movie is filled with adventure,excitment and chills. Dylan Walsh is great as Dr. Peter Elliot. The killer gorillas are quite scary and can always deliver chills. Espescialy the part when the people find the lost mine and the gorillas come out and attack. The end is finished off with a volcano exploding and Amy, the silverback gorilla, being reunited with her family. A terrific film.

Rating:
Summary: See this one for Hudson & Curry at least!
Review: This is a GOOD 'B' flick - you know, the second feature that used to play ages ago when you actually got two first-run movies for your admission price! If you're a fan of B's you'll probably like this one - plenty of action, a nice dollop of humor, and some scenes that are definitely palm-sweating.

For me, anything with Ernie Hudson or Tim Curry in it is worth seeing, so I did, and after renting a couple of times I bought it. Hudson does a terrific Ronald Colman 1930's-great-white-hunter impersonation (the so-called "bizarre" accent mentioned by one professional reviewer), while also managing to make as much of a real person out of his character as the script allows. This guy is definitely not getting as much good material as he should: check out his other pictures, some of them are marginal but his performances are ALWAYS top-notch. Decidedly one of Hollywood's underappreciated actors. Tim Curry generates a terrific time with his weird, twitchy, obsessive character: I can't imagine anyone else in this role, or at least anyone who'd make it nearly as entertaining as he does. Laura Linney does an admirable job of portraying a tough female character without turning her into pretend-man or a brittle flounce. I'd like to see more of her work.

This movie is not Shakespeare, In Love or Otherwise. It's not Great Cinema. It IS entertaining and amusing, and worth seeing at least to appreciate some of the real bread-and-butter acting that's happening on-screen by folks stuck with less-than-Oscar material who still deliver the goods.

Rating:
Summary: enjoyable Saturday-afternoon jungle adventure serial
Review: This movie is trash, but I still like it. When Bruce Campbell turns toward the screen and screams early in the movie, I realized that they would be staying true to the "Jungle Jim" roots of this genre, and I wasn't disappointed. If you liked "Tarzan and the Leopard People" (I think that's the name) and could stand the "Bomba the Jungle Boy" shows, then this could be a movie for you.

If you plan to take it seriously (even at the level of something like "Romancing the Stone"), you will hate it.

Rating:
Summary: "Stop Eating My Sesame Cake"
Review: This movie is an instant classic that must be watched several times to be truly enjoyed. Congo is a serious attempt at a summer blockbuster that fizzes into one of the most hilarious movies in recent time. The horrible script, the zippers apparent on the ape suits, and the atrocious accent performed by Tim Curry make this movie not only a classic, but one mysteriously absent on the AFI's top 100 movies list.

Rating:
Summary: THIS WAS A GOOD MOVIE
Review: I actually liked it. I read the book after I saw the movie. There were a lot of changes from the book to the movie, but hey isn't that normal for Hollywood. What attracted me to the movie was(yes) the apes and the lost city storyline. I love lost city storylines.But I thought Tim Curry's character was going to be more sinister actually, because when they showed him up close at the demonstration of Amy at the University, he had this sinister, dark, greedy look in his eyes. We all knew he had his own agenda, but he just turned out to be a coward. Also I loved the Laura Linney character. She took no heat from anyone. She was tough from beginning to end. I liked that. Usually some of the female characters are whiney and simpering "I want to go home" types. It's okay to be scared, but don't ruin it for everyone and I'm saying that as a female myself. But not Laura Linney's character. She was rough, tough and still feminine. Ok! It's not a big, dramatic,serious piece, but just watch it for the fun of it.

Rating:
Summary: I liked the movie
Review: I thought it was kinda cool. The jungle is really a nice environment for a movie. And the 5.1 surround sound is astounding (especially in the forest setting). The special effects are nice. The story may not be academy caliber, but it's kind of fun and interesting.

Rating:
Summary: Join the Amy fanclub
Review: I thought the scene with Amy in the airplane and wanting to booze it up was hilarious. Go Amy Go Amy, it's your birthday, it's your birthday. Where else can you see a gifted gorilla that knows sign language baby sipping champagne in a plane full of Sierra Club freaks egging her on? Congo!.....strange movie.