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Congo

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Congo (1995)

June. 09,1995
|
5.3
|
PG-13
| Adventure Action Science Fiction
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Eight people embark on an expedition into the Congo, a mysterious expanse of unexplored Africa where human greed and the laws of nature have gone berserk. When the thrill-seekers -- some with ulterior motives -- stumble across a race of killer apes.

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ThiefHott
1995/06/09

Too much of everything

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Micransix
1995/06/10

Crappy film

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Intcatinfo
1995/06/11

A Masterpiece!

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Glucedee
1995/06/12

It's hard to see any effort in the film. There's no comedy to speak of, no real drama and, worst of all.

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orangehenryviii
1995/06/13

When a movie opens with a Bruce Campbell cameo as a fanny-pack-sporting explorer you know you are in for a goofy good time. Throw in Tim Curry, Joe Don Baker, a talking gorilla, a volcano, and more fake monkeys than Saturday morning TV in the 70s and it's a party. All this with a Michael Crichton plot and big budget special effects. Thank goodness Spielberg didn't get his hands on this or it may have never turned out to be such ridiculous good fun. If you are are in the mood for a so-bad-its-good/accidentally funny flick, then break out the pop corn and enjoy!

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ejonconrad
1995/06/14

I read the book when it came out, but it took me this long to get around to watching the movie (although it's also possible I saw it a long time ago and completely forgot about it).It's definitely a fun movie, but the whole thing has a slapped-together feel with a lot of loose ends and unanswered questions - starting with the whole motivation. It begins with Bruce Campbell in the Congo, reporting via satellite phone to his father/CEO, reporting that he just discovered a large number of "special diamonds". In the book, Crichton gets his usual nerd on and explains that these particular diamonds may be the key to a new generation of faster semiconductors - something that was actually credible when the book was written. In the movie, they hint at this by saying "This will revolutionize communication", but he also loads one like a bullet into some sort of rifle and turns it into a laser/death ray thingy (huh?). In the end, isn't "a whole bunch of diamonds" motivation enough? They could have just left it at that.Communication is suddenly cut off on the Congo end, and the father/CEO loses his mind and smashes a golf club through the monitor (he apparently always carries one with him for just this purpose). He launches an expedition, led by Laura Linney, and she starts to pick people up along the way, including a guy with a talking gorilla (!), an expert guide, and Tim Curry as a Romanian - who ends up serving no purpose whatsoever.It turns into an old timey jungle adventure, that's fun as long as you don't overthink it, culminating in a not very believable end.The highlight is definitely Ernie Hudson (the black Ghostbuster) as the British guide. I would have liked to see a whole string of Indiana Jones-style movies starring his character.The low point is Joe Don Baker as the evil father/CEO. His character toggles between saccharine sweetness and full blown freakouts, with nothing in between.Laura Linney is good, but kind of wasted, and Tim Curry is just kind of goofy.One of the reviews talks about the "low budget", but $50 million was pretty respectable in 1995. That's almost the budget of the first Jurassic Park; nevertheless, it's definitely a cheap looking B-movie, particularly the gorillas.Bottom line: fun, as long as your expectations aren't too high. I just can't shake the feeling that with a little tweaking and clean-up, this could have been a really memorable movie.

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Wuchak
1995/06/15

"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

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tbills2
1995/06/16

The movie Congo is hushedly giantly appealing; Congo's viewing is very attractive for some reasons. Congo has these beautiful landscapes with great 'geothermal' colors, first-class budgeted production effects, and an awesomely themed story about killer gorillas, silver, killer gorillas at that. People are profoundly interested in the great apes, curious to know their ways, how smart that they are, and if they're dangerous or not. Congo interests in that. Also, Congo's a gentle, unmalicious viewing which so helps in strengthening its gorier moments, and it's backed by a drastically popular novel, oh, and it has lava! All this, and what else, makes it very largely appealing. Ooo! Ooo! I know what else! The beautiful Laura Linney! I can't forget about her! She's, really like, perfect, for the part. This is Linney's great starring role in Congo. I think she knocked it out of the park. Laura is more infatuating in a leading role than she is in her supporting roles even. Once the team gets to the Congo, Congo starts getting better. If you're expecting some Hollywood blockbuster typical-type movie, you're not gonna get it here. Is it just me, or do gorilla suits look exactly like real gorillas?

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