Congo - So under appreciated

I remember watching ‘Congo’ in the cinema back in 1995 and I loved it!  It was only afterwards did I realise how much other people (and when I say ‘other people’ I generally mean the critics!) absolutely hated it.  And, although I obviously don’t agree, I can see why – from a certain point of view.

In 1993 ‘Jurassic Park’ was epically adapted from a Michael Crichton novel and… well, the Box Office and impact on films and popular culture spoke for itself.  Therefore, when ‘Congo’ was pitched from another Crichton novel, it was ‘sold’ to the masses as ‘Jurassic Park with gorillas.’ Yes, if you saw any of the trailers or marketing material around the time of its release, you’d get the impression the human stars were going to be going up against hordes of savage, mutated gorillas in the jungle.  And, although that does happen, it can hardly be described as the ‘main’ portion of the film.  In fact… would it be a ‘spoiler’ to say that the ‘bad gorillas’ only come into the story in the final act?

What ‘Congo’ is about is a bit of a ‘mish-mash.’ You have a scientist (Dylan Walsh) who’s trained a gorilla to use sign language and to ‘speak’ through the help of a virtual-reality glove, returning her to the film (in the ‘Congo’ – surprise!), teaming up with an ex CIA operative (Laura Linney) who’s looking for her ex fiancé because he disappeared while searching for a new form of diamond for a telecommunications company.  Throw in an eccentric Hungarian (Tim Curry) who’s looking for a lost city in the jungle and a suave British local guide (Ernie Hudson) and you generally have a lot going on.  Is it any wonder that the film-makers simple figured it would be easier just to sell it as ‘Jurassic Park with gorillas?’

However, despite having a lot to cover plot-wise, it’s actually pretty good.  It’s not so much about ‘man versus mutant gorilla,’ rather the group versus everything you’d expect (and more!) to find in that area of the world.  You have the local tribes, the harsh elements, corrupt military and hungry, hungry hippos (yes, seriously).  First of all, it’s an adventure film.  The bad gorillas are simply one part of a much bigger film.

It’s no dramatic masterpiece.  In fact, Laura Linney and Dylan Walsh are two pretty uninspiring leads.  The true outstanding performances come from Ernie Hudson and Tim Curry who – probably – should have been the two leads as their bantering and performances is what makes the film (in terms of human leads).

The other notable ‘cast members’ are the gorillas themselves.  Although computer effects did wonders at bringing dinosaurs back a few years earlier, the technology still wasn’t there to make furry gorillas look realistic, so animatronics and practical effects were used instead.  These were masterminded by Stan Winston and, although they aren’t perfect, they are as pretty close to holding up today as any film made in 1995.

If you’re expecting a wall-to-wall action film where man must survive against great big, nasty gorillas who are picking them off one by one, then you won’t find it here.  If, however, you’re looking for a good old fashioned action/adventure film that could be watched by all the family on a Saturday afternoon, then this will certainly kill a couple of hours.

7/10 if I woke up on Groundhog Day and had to watch this again, I could live with that