Congo (1995)

Director: Frank Marshall

Starring: Laura Linney, Tim Curry, Dylan Walsh

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

Let’s face it; ‘Congo’ is not a great movie. It is laden with so many flaws and with so many out of place humorist elements – and Tim Curry’s comical acting and bad accent – this might be regarded as a comedy, and not the action adventure they were (probably) aiming for. Along with Tim Curry’s character, Ernie Hudson was also along for the ride as comic relief.

Yes, there’s lots of action and adventure and mystery – in the vein of an Indiana Jones movie or ‘Romancing the Stone’ or ‘Jewel of the Nile’. At times, there’s just too much humor – so much so that nothing here can be taken seriously. I’m also not sure I like the idea of a talking gorilla. The visual effects were also mediocre, at best.

Despite all the flaws, ‘Congo’ is still a rather exciting adventure movie, and I do love adventure movies. I suppose this is the type of movie where you’re guaranteed to have a good time if you switch off your brain cells. Don’t take it seriously, get the popcorn and sit back and enjoy the ride.

‘Congo’ was nominated Best Science Fiction Film, Best Director, and Best Special Effects (maybe back in the day it was good….). The film did receive a number of Razzie Award nominations as well. (For those unfamiliar to Razzie; you DO NOT want a Razzie nomination!)

‘Congo’ was a box office success, earning $152 million on a $50 million budget.

Would I watch it again? Interestingly enough, yes – for the adventure element.