 "A fun and goofy ride" | 2010-02-03 |
| - Reviewed By Viva from So. Cal. |
Come on, this movie isn't so bad. I can name dozens of films that are far, far worse. At least this one is entertaining all the way through, no slow spots, a lot of humor, great scenes in Africa, a talking gorilla, decent cast. What's not to like?
Tim Curry and Joe Don Baker overdo it on purpose as the greedy guys who just want diamonds and don't care who dies. Laura Linney sounds like she's on the verge of shrieking and her hair looks perfect even while she's on a safari. Dylan Walsh is very engaging as the scientist with the talking ape, Amy. Grant Heslov is the hapless assistant who is just along for the ride but wants to go home. Ernie Hudson is an interesting guide who turns out to be very resourceful.
Don't take it too seriously. Just enjoy. |
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 "Congo" | 2010-01-15 |
| - Reviewed By Arnita D. Brown from USA |
| An expedition to a mysterious expanse of unexplored Africa unexpectedly brings primatologist Peter Elliot and Travicom Project Supervisor Karen Ross to a place where human greed and the laws of nature have gone berserk. Unlikely partners, Peter is the guardian of Amy, a remarkable gorilla he wants to return to the wild, while Karen has been sent inland to retrieve rare diamonds needed for new communications technology. In a search for the legendary lost city of Zinj and its fabled diamonds, they are accompanied by their guide Monroe Kelly, Peter's colleague Richard and philanthropist Herkermer Homolka. The expedition discovers that in the Congo, they are the endangered species. A visual treat. This movie is definitely worth watching. |
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| "nice escape adventure film--Laura Linny as a CIA spook." | 2009-09-24 |
| - Reviewed By little dave from Chicago,IL usa |
The negative reviewers need to lighten up on this one. This is a very good movie
to escape/space out into. It has a performance by very accomplished actor Laura Linny as a "retired" CIA agent who is trying to rehabilite herself after a career
of working with what she calls a "loveless bunch of sons of bitches".
Plot holes are definitly present here--this is not snobby film festival stuff.
This is a very good light duty action/adventure film with a few real good turns by some verteran character actors. A great film to have a few drinks and/or a nice smoke and enjoy without having to exert deep thought to follow it. Think Indiana Jones without the continous bombastic input. |
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| "Good jungle action flick" | 2009-08-01 |
| - Reviewed By - Durrkk from Ohio/PA border USA |
"Congo," based on Michael Crichton's novel, was a fair hit in the summer of 1995. Although I missed it when it was originally released I finally got to see it this week and wasn't disappointed.
THE STORY: Laura Linney, Dylan Walsh, Tim Curry and Ernie Hudson form an expedition into deepest, darkest Africa wherein 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 cliches, 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, amused 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 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. |
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 "Stupid, boring film - 4.5 out of 10" | 2009-07-14 |
| - Reviewed By Rube Goldfinger from savannah, GA |
This film sucks. Almost in a good way, but right when it heats up to hilarious or exciting, it cops out and turns lame again. Ernie Hudson is a good action protagonist, but the filmmakers give the film to some boring and annoying gorilla trainer. Laura Linney is her usual stern and unlikable self. Bruce Campbell has a tiny, but vital part... why didn't they cast him as the trainer? Tim Curry is really great with some of the hammiest acting of his later career.
The evil gorillas could have been way better but are kinda creepy at parts. The ridiculous volcano ending is hilariously bad. Overall, this could have been a very good "Jurassic Park" ripoff, but ends up an embarrasment. |
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| "Congo- Great Adventure Film" | 2008-12-17 |
| - Reviewed By Ellen Robin from South Mountain, PA USA |
Congo is a great film. It is just as action packed as Jurassic Park. Some people complain that the gorillas should have been CGI. But at that time it wasn't possible to do that. This combined with a 50-60 million dollar budget. But don't let that get your hopes down.
The gorillas are very well designed and executed and plus the story is scary at some points. After all, apes can think, and they could set traps and easily kill the humans that invade their jungle.
While the movie was not as great as the book, it still has a great deal of entertainment value to it. The movie has some great actors: Dylan Walsh, Laura Linney, Ernie Hudson, and Tim Curry.
It is a shame that some people don't appreciate this film. Now if this movie would have gotten a bigger budget and was made in 2000's era, then it would be even better. Of course, we could always hope that it gets redone in some way and follows the book more closely.
Anyways, buy this movie. It's worth the price and you'll get your entertainment value out of it as well. Buy now and enjoy. |
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