Reviews (34)

Tragedy In the Andes
Based on a real story of a plane crash high in the Andes, this film portrays the story of the survivors who managed to stay alive for months in the grueling winter atop the mountains. I expect that the actual event was more frightening and difficult than what was portrayed in the film, of course, but it is still a compelling story. The acting is a little less than first rate, but the story here is the reason to watch as these people struggle to stay alive despite unbelievable hardship, forced to make decisions that no one should ever have to consider just to make it back to civilization. I could feel the icy coldness and the gnawing hunger and found myself wondering if I could do what these people did to survive. I found some of it hard to believe, but it is all true. A real testament to the will of man to survive despite the odds.

I've seen this movie three times already, but I had to buy this DVD so I could watch it again. A compelling, heartwrenching, courageous and inspirational film, not to be missed.

Inspiring movie!!!
I absolutely love this movie!!! One of my all time favorites because it's based on a true story and because the cast did such a wonderful job with the characters!!! Most of the actors are little known, perhaps out of Canada...Ethan Hawke (Gattaca), Josh Hamilton (The '60s), Vincent Spano(???), Bruce Ramsay(Starstruck), David Kriegel (Speed), Christian Meoli (Bongwater), Jake Carpenter (???), Michael DeLorenzo (Resurrection Blvd)and tons of other good actors star as members of a rugby (a kind of football) team from Uruguay, South America. En route to Chile to play a game, their plane encounters rough weather and the pilots are unable to prevent a horrifying crash. The special effects are super!!! It's awful to admit, but I have fun watching this scene because of the effects. They crash in the Andes, some of the tallest, coldest and most forbidding mountains in the world, and they are immediately plunged into a survival oddesey in which they face the rage of the elements, bitter cold, endless snow and blizzards, starvation, and death. Many of the passengers died in the crash, others perished from cold, hunger, and loss of hope. It's interesting to see them at the beginning, clean shaven, handsome, innocent and watch hardship transform them into scruffy, wind burnt, chapped survivors who are determined to save themselves. I read a review by some woman who called this movie "One big bad idea" and proceeded to poke fun at the cannibalism and use tired punchlines about "fava beans and chianti". She along with many others, missed the whole meaning of the movie. I only hope she doesn't find herself in a situation such as this sometime in her life. This movie doesn't wallow in cannibalism and gore. It treats it with respect and sensitivity. There are those who thought the references to God were annoying and redundant. When you are in a situation where you just might die, you are lonely for God's presence. I say, if you don't want to see a movie where God and life and death are the themes, don't watch this. Otherwise, this movie will always be one of the greatest survival dramas of all time. I only wish they'd make a movie about the Donner Party, and no, Ravenous doesn't count!!!
Mari Weir

Power of the Human Spirit
This is one of those overlooked movies that few people have heard about let alone have seen.
It's a gem among disaster/survival flicks. Well crafted by Frank Marshall and the cast.
An uplifting movie that when watched keeps misfortune in perspective for those who haven't gone through such arduous extremes.
Watch this movie when you feel you've had a bad day and quit whining.

Good stuff, but no where near the power of the book.
Solid movie. For fans of the book however, this picture does not come close to evoking the emotions felt in type. A much better job could have been done, not by the actors, but by the director, in capturing the sheer weight of the undertaking, and especially the expedition. I did not have the overwhelming feeling of accomplishment at the end that I did when reading.
The ending is true to the text, but glossy and rushed.

Uplifting, to be sure, but yet another example of missed opportunity in turning an incredible book into a so-so film.
Three stars.

Intense and uplifting
Frank Marshall's celluloid recreation of Andes tragedy and the stupendous will of the survivors is intensely gripping and moving. As one of the reviewers remarked that if one wants to see a demonstration of human will and spirit, just watch this movie. I watched this movie on HBO and during the entire length was absolutely seized by it. I kind of felt myself going through the horrendous ordeal and was crying uncontrollably in second half. I was so stricken and moved by the tremendous ordeal(there's no stronger word than this)my heart pleaded for their rescue every second of the movie. Kudos to Frank Marshall for managing to create such a masterpiece....few movies manage to seize viewers....this belongs to that elite category.

The cast is uniformly excellent in performances and special praise for the Latino looking guy and Eathen Hawke. Cinematography is absolutely stunning right from the plane crash, avalanches, majestic sunrises to seatsledge rides.Watching the movie was so emotionally stirring and I wonder how the real survivors managed to stay alive under horrific odds. Truly a tale of indestructible human spirit, strength of will to survive, courage to face the meanest of hardships.

The basic plot is explained by other reviewers so I won't go into it. Please, please watch it and marvel at the strength of human Spirit. Hope Frank Marshall makes more such movies. ... Read more

Reviews (9)

Couldn't watch it all the way through at first.
Pretty scary stuff. I had to turn it off the first time I ever saw it. I did end up finishing it and have enjoyed it ever since. Every time I see it I spend the rest of the night swatting phantom insects off my arms and every little thing that brushes my leg is enough to send me rocketing to the ceiling with a bloodcurdling scream. Jeff Daniels played a good role as the main character who was...this was the only part of the movie that I felt was a little too plotted...afraid of spiders.

Julian Sands was great as the rather lofty, condescending professor, Dr. Atherton. I was disappointed, however, to see that a man who was written into the plot as an expert of spiders would honestly walk right into the spiders' lair and be killed off so easily. Maybe I just didn't want his character to die since I'm a fan of Julian Sands, but I still maintain that Dr. Atherton would not have been that nieve about the nest.

Anyway, moving on...all in all, I love this movie and the climax keeps you on the edge of your seat. You might breathe maybe two breaths total during the basement scene, when Daniels' character is fighting the father spider.

Along Came a Spider...
Julian Sands, Jeff Daniels, and John Goodman star in this thrilling and sometimes funny film about a small town overrun by mutant spiders. The film begins as Dr. James Atherton (Sands) and his crew are in the forests of Venezuela searching for insects. What they find is far beyond what they expected. It seems that they have discovered a mutant strain of spider with a very powerful venom. Unfortunately for Atherton's photographer Jerry Manley, played by Mark L. Taylor, the spider bites and kills him. The spider also manages to catch a ride back to the States in Manley's coffin. It is here that the mutant spider mates with a regular spider, and the "fun" begins.

Meanwhile, Dr. Ross Jennings (Jeff Daniels) and his wife Molly (Harley Jane Kozak) have moved from San Francisco. Ross is about to take over as the town doctor from Dr. Sam Metcalf, but Dr. Metcalf decides against retiring at the last second, leaving Ross with no patients and a flock of mutant spiders multiplying in his barn. Soon, several townspeople, including Dr, Metcalf, are found dead, having suffered spider bites. After confirming his diagnosis of the spider bites, Dr. Ross summons the help of Dr. Atherton of ridding the town of the spiders, but will they be able to succeed before its too late?

This is a fun movie to watch. The acting, especially by John Goodman as exterminator Delbert McClintock, is excellent, and the plot, while suspenseful at times, does a good job of blending in some humor as well (Goodman's "That's right, I'm bad" line after squishing an unsuspecting spider is a good example). I highly recommend this movie. Watch and get a good scare and laugh at the same time.

If you're afraid of spiders, watch out!
This is a clever comedy/thriller about an arachnaphobic doctor who, naturally, has a barn full of giant, man-killing spiders! Many intense scenes are filmed close-up and are quite effective. Jeff Daniels is great as the nice-guy doctor and John Goodman has a small but funny part as an exterminator ("Yeah, I'm bad!") This movie was filmed in the beautiful California coastal town of Cambria. The spider scenes are really scary, but fun! 5 stars!

Filth
Time is turned back to the prehistoric dawn of humanity, when text books spouted propaganda that snakes, sharks, exotic spiders and their kin were evil and should all be brutally murdered.

Oh, the film? A group of scientists find a remote area in the world and unknowingly bring back a giant tarantula-like spider which mates with a little house spider (????) giving birth to hundreds of little eight-legged runabouts.

Haven't tarantulas and spiders in general already suffered enough abuse without films such as this reinforcing hatred and paranoia concerning anything eight-legged? All through the film spiders are crushed, burned and killed with ghoulish glee. The film isn't even very scary - the big spider in early scenes is obviously a rubber model being pulled along, and the babies are unable to kill in their thousands. And where did the giant queen come from? If something had been made showing gratuitous deaths of destructive pests such as foxes or mink there would have been a public outrage, but tarantulas (there has never been a recorded death from a tarantula bite) are considered fair game. It's true, some animals really are more equal than others.

Terror Has Eight Legs
Probably the first horror film released during the Nineties that can be called a masterpiece, ARACHNOPHOBIA is a deliciously inventive and appropriately paced thriller with a sharp sense of black humor and plenty of scares. Coming from Steven Spielberg's Amblin Entertainment staple, it also marked the directing debut of longtime Spielberg right hand man Frank Marshall. And he could not have come up with a better story than this creature feature with a touch of Hitchcock.

The film focuses on Canaima, a small town in Central California, which, unbeknownst to its residents, is about to be overrun by arachnids with an appetite. Apparently, a Venezuelan spider had bitten and killed a photographer who was part of a scientific expedition into the Venezuelan rainforest. Subsequently, this spider hitches a ride in a coffin back to California.

Then when it mates with the local spider population, it produces a highly lethal strain of eight-legged terrors that begin to systematically kill several Canaima residents. And the only man that stands in their way is a big-city doctor (Jeff Daniels) whose greatest fear is, you guessed it--spiders!

Utilizing cinematic techniques he learned from Spielberg's JAWS, as well as Hitchcock's PSYCHO and THE BIRDS, and even a bit from the fine 1977 low-budget horror film KINGDOM OF THE SPIDERS, Marshall weaves a highly suspenseful, sometimes morbidly funny, and frequently frightening, web. There is plenty of menace in the spiders' attacks, and Daniels' performance as the doctor paralyzed by arachnophobia is both funny and sympathetic all at once. John Goodman gives ARACHNOPHOBIA its sense of black comedy as the town exterminator who goes after spiders a la Rambo.

After the 1980s had seen only a scant few horror films (for example THE SHINING and POLTERGEIST) be claimed as masterpieces, ARACHNOPHOBIA was elevated to that level too. It is one of the most simple yet clevely plotted films the genre has ever seen; and like any good horror film, it has plenty of suspense and shocks. In short, it is a must-see! ... Read more

Amazon.com

This is a terrible movie. Frank Marshall (Arachnophobia) demonstrates no control over story, actors, effects, or general presentation in this adaptation of a Michael Crichton novel about an expedition into deep, dark Africa that runs into an unknown race of killer apes. The big monkeys attack and attack and attack and have to be fought off with machine guns and lasers--that's pretty much the story, except there's probably an even better one behind "fourth Ghostbuster" Ernie Hudson's bizarre decision to speak with a British accent. While Marshall wants us to root for the human characters, they're all so obnoxious and unbelievable you can't help but feel lousy for the poor apes when they get chopped to bits just for defending their homes against these twerps. If you're not feeling enough environmentalist ire these days, watch this and get angry. --Tom Keogh ... Read more

Reviews (85)

Preposterous, But Fun Jungle Adventure
In the tradition of H. Rider Haggard and "Indiana Jones" comes another blockbuster adaptation of a bestselling Michael Crichton novel. Up until now, this has not been one of his better known books, although it was a good enough read. The film is okay, but hopefully it will lead people to the even better book.

The story begins in the jungles of the Congo. An expedition of scientists has discovered an incredible find: a huge source of pure, blue diamonds. They communicate the good news back home, but before they can transmit their coordinates, they are suddenly attacked and killed. But by what?

Another scientist is sent in to find out. Dr. Karen Ross (Laura Linney), for reasons best left unexplained, attaches herself to a mission already bound for Zaire. A primatologist (Dylan Walsh) is returning his talking gorilla-she communicates through sign language-to her home in Africa. He is accompanied by a mysterious and very shady Romanian "philanthropist" with the unlikely name of Herkermer Homolka (Tim Curry). Karen comes along at a crucial time with a pile of money and is soon part of the gang.

Once in Africa, they meet up with Monroe Kelly (Ernie Hudson), their Great White Hunter "who happens to be black." That's when their adventure begins in earnest and it is a wild one. I won't give it away here-you probably wouldn't believe me anyway-but it is exciting and suspenseful, if never actually believable.

The screenplay for "Congo" was written by noted playwright John Patrick Shanley ("Moonstruck"). He has an odd sense of humor-witness his underrated "Joe Vs. the Volcano"-that is very much in evidence here. The story at times borders on the ludicrous and it is filled with all the delightful cliches that usually populate jungle adventure films (e.g. porters who go missing in the night, and a corpse with a diamond clutched in its hand).

Maybe the film wouldn't have worked any other way. I don't know. By making the story a pseudo-spoof, though, Shanley has removed the dramatic tension and suspense that made the novel work. Since everything is played for laughs-all too frequently unintentionally-then it is almost impossible for us to really get involved and care about what is happening.

Still, there is always pleasure to be had from a film that doesn't take itself too seriously and is not above poking fun at the customs of its genre. "Congo" has that, plus a few exciting scenes and some fun performances, particularly by Ernie Hudson. It is certainly not a great film, but it is a pleasant diversion on a hot summer day.

Why are these folks so critical, was the book so good?
I did not read the novel and while I won't say it's the best movie ever made (It's probably a four and a half in my opinion) I found it perfectly entertaining. Admittedly, I have read a lot of SF and like well made SF and adventure movies (Aliens 2, Matrix, even Bakshi's LOTR) but I also enjoy any genre of movie that is created with attention and art if possible and not with lowest-common-denominator formulaic design or for contract obligations. True, if your looking for dramatic acting, go watch "Boys Don't Cry", or "Men Don't Leave" (Movies, not a Four Seasons greatest hits compendium) Congo lacks the special effects of the newer Godzilla movie, but I enjoyed it more than the latest Star Wars movie (Phantom Menace) Congo, which I have watched twice on VHS and will most likely pick up on DVD, has, as one of the other reviewers noted, a Saturday morning adventure feel. It was tense and the gorillas were well done for monster movie make-up. The characters all unobtrusively played out their archetype roles. I recommend this movie to those who can keep thier minds open and who have a taste for adventure in a E. R. Burroughs vein.

EXCELLENT STORY-EXCELLENT MOVIE!!!
Definitely a great adventure and one of my personal favorites, Congo, brings to the screen a tale set in the African jungles involving an unlikely group that has banded together in search of a lost city and the rare diamonds that are rumored to exist there in abundance. The actors' performances are outstanding, especially Tim Curry whose "Romanian philanthropist" character steals the show. The plot, the jungle ruins, and the battles are all wonderful, making this film one of the best of its kind.
Congo is an action packed movie with strong elements of Indiana Jones and Tomb Raider, therefore, a "must see" for those with a passion for archaeology, mystery and adventure.

Before Python there was Congo
Made way back in 1995. A horror story about a lost city and killer gorillas. A research team is slaughtered by some unknown creature will locking for a dimon to power a laser. Design for communication. She goes on a quest across the africian border to retrive it.

What she things is an ancient legendary city and killer gorilas. Can the survive and get off the island. Before the volcano errupts.

If you like Congo I also recomend Raptor, Python, Phyton 2, Anadaconda.

Entertainment well done
I loved this movie, bought the DVD and watch it over and over the performance is so good. It is hard to single out any one thing. The musical score and songs are so good, I keep playing them over in my head. The scene where Dylan Walsh's character starts singing "California Dreaming" to Amy and everyone of the Africans join in the song shows the universality of music and song to people. As with any well executed movie, the details were done right letting the viewer enjoy the actors work. All of the priciple actors came accross as believable in their characters. The only mystery to me is the total lack of credit listing for Joe Pantoliano's participation and his character not even being listed in the ending credits! There must be some Hollywood Gossip behind that. Ernie Hudson really stole the show. The using of a British accent was genius. Since the English colonized and ruled most of Africa for years and set up most of the schools, an African guide would speak English with a British accent. The ending sequence with the volcano erupting and the land splitting brings back fond memories of 1940s "expedition" movies that always ended with such a scene.

"Congo" is entertaining, well directed, scored and acted. It is well worth the price of purchase and my only critcism (the devil is in the details) is the depiction of too few porters to haul the amount of equipment they kept coming up with for different scenes. Laura Linney's character was great! She had the best lines in the movie too.

Rent it or buy it, you will not regret it. ... Read more

Reviews (85)

Preposterous, But Fun Jungle Adventure
In the tradition of H. Rider Haggard and "Indiana Jones" comes another blockbuster adaptation of a bestselling Michael Crichton novel. Up until now, this has not been one of his better known books, although it was a good enough read. The film is okay, but hopefully it will lead people to the even better book.

The story begins in the jungles of the Congo. An expedition of scientists has discovered an incredible find: a huge source of pure, blue diamonds. They communicate the good news back home, but before they can transmit their coordinates, they are suddenly attacked and killed. But by what?

Another scientist is sent in to find out. Dr. Karen Ross (Laura Linney), for reasons best left unexplained, attaches herself to a mission already bound for Zaire. A primatologist (Dylan Walsh) is returning his talking gorilla-she communicates through sign language-to her home in Africa. He is accompanied by a mysterious and very shady Romanian "philanthropist" with the unlikely name of Herkermer Homolka (Tim Curry). Karen comes along at a crucial time with a pile of money and is soon part of the gang.

Once in Africa, they meet up with Monroe Kelly (Ernie Hudson), their Great White Hunter "who happens to be black." That's when their adventure begins in earnest and it is a wild one. I won't give it away here-you probably wouldn't believe me anyway-but it is exciting and suspenseful, if never actually believable.

The screenplay for "Congo" was written by noted playwright John Patrick Shanley ("Moonstruck"). He has an odd sense of humor-witness his underrated "Joe Vs. the Volcano"-that is very much in evidence here. The story at times borders on the ludicrous and it is filled with all the delightful cliches that usually populate jungle adventure films (e.g. porters who go missing in the night, and a corpse with a diamond clutched in its hand).

Maybe the film wouldn't have worked any other way. I don't know. By making the story a pseudo-spoof, though, Shanley has removed the dramatic tension and suspense that made the novel work. Since everything is played for laughs-all too frequently unintentionally-then it is almost impossible for us to really get involved and care about what is happening.

Still, there is always pleasure to be had from a film that doesn't take itself too seriously and is not above poking fun at the customs of its genre. "Congo" has that, plus a few exciting scenes and some fun performances, particularly by Ernie Hudson. It is certainly not a great film, but it is a pleasant diversion on a hot summer day.

Why are these folks so critical, was the book so good?
I did not read the novel and while I won't say it's the best movie ever made (It's probably a four and a half in my opinion) I found it perfectly entertaining. Admittedly, I have read a lot of SF and like well made SF and adventure movies (Aliens 2, Matrix, even Bakshi's LOTR) but I also enjoy any genre of movie that is created with attention and art if possible and not with lowest-common-denominator formulaic design or for contract obligations. True, if your looking for dramatic acting, go watch "Boys Don't Cry", or "Men Don't Leave" (Movies, not a Four Seasons greatest hits compendium) Congo lacks the special effects of the newer Godzilla movie, but I enjoyed it more than the latest Star Wars movie (Phantom Menace) Congo, which I have watched twice on VHS and will most likely pick up on DVD, has, as one of the other reviewers noted, a Saturday morning adventure feel. It was tense and the gorillas were well done for monster movie make-up. The characters all unobtrusively played out their archetype roles. I recommend this movie to those who can keep thier minds open and who have a taste for adventure in a E. R. Burroughs vein.

EXCELLENT STORY-EXCELLENT MOVIE!!!
Definitely a great adventure and one of my personal favorites, Congo, brings to the screen a tale set in the African jungles involving an unlikely group that has banded together in search of a lost city and the rare diamonds that are rumored to exist there in abundance. The actors' performances are outstanding, especially Tim Curry whose "Romanian philanthropist" character steals the show. The plot, the jungle ruins, and the battles are all wonderful, making this film one of the best of its kind.
Congo is an action packed movie with strong elements of Indiana Jones and Tomb Raider, therefore, a "must see" for those with a passion for archaeology, mystery and adventure.

Before Python there was Congo
Made way back in 1995. A horror story about a lost city and killer gorillas. A research team is slaughtered by some unknown creature will locking for a dimon to power a laser. Design for communication. She goes on a quest across the africian border to retrive it.

What she things is an ancient legendary city and killer gorilas. Can the survive and get off the island. Before the volcano errupts.

If you like Congo I also recomend Raptor, Python, Phyton 2, Anadaconda.

Entertainment well done
I loved this movie, bought the DVD and watch it over and over the performance is so good. It is hard to single out any one thing. The musical score and songs are so good, I keep playing them over in my head. The scene where Dylan Walsh's character starts singing "California Dreaming" to Amy and everyone of the Africans join in the song shows the universality of music and song to people. As with any well executed movie, the details were done right letting the viewer enjoy the actors work. All of the priciple actors came accross as believable in their characters. The only mystery to me is the total lack of credit listing for Joe Pantoliano's participation and his character not even being listed in the ending credits! There must be some Hollywood Gossip behind that. Ernie Hudson really stole the show. The using of a British accent was genius. Since the English colonized and ruled most of Africa for years and set up most of the schools, an African guide would speak English with a British accent. The ending sequence with the volcano erupting and the land splitting brings back fond memories of 1940s "expedition" movies that always ended with such a scene.

"Congo" is entertaining, well directed, scored and acted. It is well worth the price of purchase and my only critcism (the devil is in the details) is the depiction of too few porters to haul the amount of equipment they kept coming up with for different scenes. Laura Linney's character was great! She had the best lines in the movie too.

Rent it or buy it, you will not regret it. ... Read more

Reviews (85)

Preposterous, But Fun Jungle Adventure
In the tradition of H. Rider Haggard and "Indiana Jones" comes another blockbuster adaptation of a bestselling Michael Crichton novel. Up until now, this has not been one of his better known books, although it was a good enough read. The film is okay, but hopefully it will lead people to the even better book.

The story begins in the jungles of the Congo. An expedition of scientists has discovered an incredible find: a huge source of pure, blue diamonds. They communicate the good news back home, but before they can transmit their coordinates, they are suddenly attacked and killed. But by what?

Another scientist is sent in to find out. Dr. Karen Ross (Laura Linney), for reasons best left unexplained, attaches herself to a mission already bound for Zaire. A primatologist (Dylan Walsh) is returning his talking gorilla-she communicates through sign language-to her home in Africa. He is accompanied by a mysterious and very shady Romanian "philanthropist" with the unlikely name of Herkermer Homolka (Tim Curry). Karen comes along at a crucial time with a pile of money and is soon part of the gang.

Once in Africa, they meet up with Monroe Kelly (Ernie Hudson), their Great White Hunter "who happens to be black." That's when their adventure begins in earnest and it is a wild one. I won't give it away here-you probably wouldn't believe me anyway-but it is exciting and suspenseful, if never actually believable.

The screenplay for "Congo" was written by noted playwright John Patrick Shanley ("Moonstruck"). He has an odd sense of humor-witness his underrated "Joe Vs. the Volcano"-that is very much in evidence here. The story at times borders on the ludicrous and it is filled with all the delightful cliches that usually populate jungle adventure films (e.g. porters who go missing in the night, and a corpse with a diamond clutched in its hand).

Maybe the film wouldn't have worked any other way. I don't know. By making the story a pseudo-spoof, though, Shanley has removed the dramatic tension and suspense that made the novel work. Since everything is played for laughs-all too frequently unintentionally-then it is almost impossible for us to really get involved and care about what is happening.

Still, there is always pleasure to be had from a film that doesn't take itself too seriously and is not above poking fun at the customs of its genre. "Congo" has that, plus a few exciting scenes and some fun performances, particularly by Ernie Hudson. It is certainly not a great film, but it is a pleasant diversion on a hot summer day.

Why are these folks so critical, was the book so good?
I did not read the novel and while I won't say it's the best movie ever made (It's probably a four and a half in my opinion) I found it perfectly entertaining. Admittedly, I have read a lot of SF and like well made SF and adventure movies (Aliens 2, Matrix, even Bakshi's LOTR) but I also enjoy any genre of movie that is created with attention and art if possible and not with lowest-common-denominator formulaic design or for contract obligations. True, if your looking for dramatic acting, go watch "Boys Don't Cry", or "Men Don't Leave" (Movies, not a Four Seasons greatest hits compendium) Congo lacks the special effects of the newer Godzilla movie, but I enjoyed it more than the latest Star Wars movie (Phantom Menace) Congo, which I have watched twice on VHS and will most likely pick up on DVD, has, as one of the other reviewers noted, a Saturday morning adventure feel. It was tense and the gorillas were well done for monster movie make-up. The characters all unobtrusively played out their archetype roles. I recommend this movie to those who can keep thier minds open and who have a taste for adventure in a E. R. Burroughs vein.

EXCELLENT STORY-EXCELLENT MOVIE!!!
Definitely a great adventure and one of my personal favorites, Congo, brings to the screen a tale set in the African jungles involving an unlikely group that has banded together in search of a lost city and the rare diamonds that are rumored to exist there in abundance. The actors' performances are outstanding, especially Tim Curry whose "Romanian philanthropist" character steals the show. The plot, the jungle ruins, and the battles are all wonderful, making this film one of the best of its kind.
Congo is an action packed movie with strong elements of Indiana Jones and Tomb Raider, therefore, a "must see" for those with a passion for archaeology, mystery and adventure.

Before Python there was Congo
Made way back in 1995. A horror story about a lost city and killer gorillas. A research team is slaughtered by some unknown creature will locking for a dimon to power a laser. Design for communication. She goes on a quest across the africian border to retrive it.

What she things is an ancient legendary city and killer gorilas. Can the survive and get off the island. Before the volcano errupts.

If you like Congo I also recomend Raptor, Python, Phyton 2, Anadaconda.

Entertainment well done
I loved this movie, bought the DVD and watch it over and over the performance is so good. It is hard to single out any one thing. The musical score and songs are so good, I keep playing them over in my head. The scene where Dylan Walsh's character starts singing "California Dreaming" to Amy and everyone of the Africans join in the song shows the universality of music and song to people. As with any well executed movie, the details were done right letting the viewer enjoy the actors work. All of the priciple actors came accross as believable in their characters. The only mystery to me is the total lack of credit listing for Joe Pantoliano's participation and his character not even being listed in the ending credits! There must be some Hollywood Gossip behind that. Ernie Hudson really stole the show. The using of a British accent was genius. Since the English colonized and ruled most of Africa for years and set up most of the schools, an African guide would speak English with a British accent. The ending sequence with the volcano erupting and the land splitting brings back fond memories of 1940s "expedition" movies that always ended with such a scene.

"Congo" is entertaining, well directed, scored and acted. It is well worth the price of purchase and my only critcism (the devil is in the details) is the depiction of too few porters to haul the amount of equipment they kept coming up with for different scenes. Laura Linney's character was great! She had the best lines in the movie too.

Rent it or buy it, you will not regret it. ... Read more