Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Overlooked Movies: Congo

Just to show you that I'm an inconsistent guy, I'll talk about a movie that some people might rank right down there with the movies I've been talking about for a couple of weeks, the allegedly amusing jungle adventure films with Richard Chamberlain.  I thought they were awful.  But in Congo, a movie that nobody else likes, everything that didn't work in the Chamberlain movies worked just fine (for me, anyway).  Lost cities? Check. King Solomon's mines? Check. Humor? Check.  Scenery chewing to the max?  Check.  A talking (sort of) gorilla?  Check.  And so on.  It's sort of like Jungle Jim, only classier.

The plot?  Well, it's complicated.  A team looking for a great blue diamond joins up with a team led by a primatologist who's trying to figure out what his gorilla is dreaming about.  Great White Hunter Ernie Hudson (who just happens to be black) leads them into the jungle.  Getting into the jungle isn't easy, believe me, and when they get there, their troubles are just getting started.  

As I said, I liked this movie.  It's funny and thrilling and pretty much everything I'm looking for in an old-fashioned adventure.  I should also mention that I liked the book it's based on (by Michael Crichton) quite a bit, too, but the movie's very different from the book.  You probably have to be as goofy as I am to enjoy them, so I can't really say you should try them unless you're in just the right mood.  If you are, you can't miss.

5 comments:

Todd Mason said...

Lola Noh (previously billing herself as Lorene Noh) played Amy, the gorilla, and (not surprisingly) apparently has done other animal suit work (her only part in IMDb with her face visible was as a guest on HOUSE as Business-Suited Woman). She is rather cute, has a very long nose and (surprise) her most popular image on Google is the head (and torso) shot in which she wears a diaphanous t-shirt (and a facial expression that signals resignation to me).

Anonymous said...

I guess I'm goofy too then as I liked both the Crichton book and the movie. As for the acting, you don't hire Tim Curry or Joe Don Baker if you're going for the understated. I only wish Mr. Cage was in it.


Jeff

mybillcrider said...

Brilliant idea. A remake with him in both the Curry and Baker roles would be a classic.

pattinase (abbott) said...

I have no memory of this one at all.

1LLoyd said...

I had forgotten this movie. It was the movie that the wife and I went to after dropping the teenagers off at a concert (impromptu date).
We picked it out without haven't heard of it, and loved it. We couldn't understand why no one had told us about it.
I now have to look this one up on Netflix or Hulu.