Congo (1995)

User Rating:

4.5/10   

Director:

Frank Marshall

Writers (WGA):

Michael Crichton (novel)
John Patrick Shanley (screenplay)

Release Date:

9 June 1995 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Mystery | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

Where you are the endangered species

Plot:

When an expedition to the African Congo ends in disaster, a new team is assembled to find out what went wrong.

Plot Keywords:

Laser | Gorilla | Diamond | Talking Gorilla | Lion

Awards:

2 wins & 11 nominations

Cast

Laura Linney	...	Dr. Karen Ross
Dylan Walsh	...	Dr. Peter Elliot
Ernie Hudson	...	Captain Munro Kelly
Tim Curry	...	Herkermer Homolka
Grant Heslov	...	Richard
Joe Don Baker	...	R.B. Travis
Lorene Noh	...	Amy
Mary Ellen Trainor	...	Moira
Misty Rosas	...	Amy the Gorilla
Stuart Pankin	...	Boyd
Carolyn Seymour	...	Eleanor Romy
Romy Rosemont	...	Assistant
James Karen	...	College President / Elliot's Boss
Bill Pugin	...	William
Lawrence T. Wrentz	...	Prof. Arliss Wender

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for jungle adventure terror and action and brief strong language.

Runtime:

109 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

USA:PG-13 (certificate #33485) | Iceland:14 (original rating) | Iceland:16 (video rating) | Australia:M | South Korea:12 | Philippines:PG-13 | Germany:12 | Finland:K-12 | Norway:15 | Portugal:M/12 | Singapore:PG | Spain:7 | Sweden:15 | UK:12

Filming Locations:

Costa Rica

Company:

Kennedy/Marshall Company, The

Trivia:

The "diamonds" used for the scenes during the climax of the movie were actually Herkimer Diamonds borrowed from the Herkimer Diamond Mines of Middleville, New York. They are doubly-terminated (two-ended) quartz crystals that are found in only two places in the world. They were the only gems that would look enough like diamonds and be that large.

Goofs:

Continuity: The man with the Shadow People is clean shaven, yet has been there for ages.

Quotes:

Dr. Karen Ross: Are you sure there aren't some kind of gorillas that kill.
Dr. Peter Elliot: Please, Dr. Ross. What's your area of expertise? Folk-singing?
Dr. Karen Ross: [smugly] Communications technology.
Dr. Peter Elliot: So you're a geek with a cellular phone.
Dr. Karen Ross: I'm a scientist. But you and your protege, as far as I can see, belong in the circus.
[looks at Amy eating flowers]

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Troldspejlet: Troldspejlet special: Troldspejlet i USA (#17.1)" (1997)

Soundtrack:

Celebrated Minuet

Mildly entertaining if you don't think about it too much

It is amazing how quickly this film was forgotten. I remember when it was released on video and Blockbuster stores were giving away a "Congo Bonus Box" filled with coupons and freebies. Now you'd be hard pressed to find someone who remembers seeing it.

Congo isn't a bad film; it's competently made and mildly diverting. The problem is that it isn't especially good either. Although it's based on an exciting Michael Crichton novel, the film is surprisingly dull. The story takes forever to get started, with lots of exposition about the talking ape and the political and logistical problems of getting to the Congo. Once the characters arrive and set out on foot, their journey is remarkably tension-free; except for a few minor mishaps, it's like a hike through a state park.

I'm surprised that Roger Ebert liked this film, as it's filled with the sort of logical lapses that he normally pounces on. When the expedition parachutes out of their plane, they (and their equipment) seems to be spread out over a huge, densely-forested area; yet they assemble quickly and nothing gets caught in trees. Later we see them leisurely hiking with ordinary backpacks, but when they set up camp vast amounts of sophisticated equipment magically appears (including portable air conditioners and automatic weapons).

If you don't think about the logical gaps and plot holes too much, however, Congo is a pleasant way to kill a couple of hours. It's also fun if you grew up watching jungle adventure movies, as I did (although I was disappointed that nobody ended up in quicksand, a frequent hazard in those old jungle films).