Congo is a pretty thrilling and adventurous ride that pays homage to the Indiana Jones franchise. I liked how the writers portrayed each character as having their own agenda for reaching the Congo: whether it was Dr. Peter wanting to return Amy to her birthplace; Dr. Karen searching for her ex along with a diamond her sleazy boss desperately needs; or Mr. Homolka seeking some lost city.
The cast of characters was quite colorful and well developed. Ernie Hudson's character, as leader of the expedition (or when Laura Linney allowed him--more on this latter on), was a refreshing change from the usual Great White Hunter we've become accustomed to; Dylan Walsh's character feels compelled to return is pet gorilla to her home in the jungle when she begins having nightmares, coupled with transforming the dorm into a rain forest art gallery; Delroy Lindo and Joe Pantoliano both make cameo appearances as well; however, Tim Curry and Grant Heslov return mediocre performances as the typical greedy treasure hunter and the typical "Ugly American".
By far, the two most annoying characters are the aforementioned Dr. Karen Ross (Laura Linney) and the stupid gorilla. Linney, obviously trying to out perform Linda Hamilton in T2, was way overbearing, rude, and arrogant. Her performance became unbearable after awhile. As far as Amy The Talking Gorilla goes; despite sounding more like a sideshow event, the character was pretty cheesy if you ask me. Why not get a real gorilla as opposed to a girl in a gorilla suit? And I thought gorillas were BLACK not brown?!?
Overall, a pretty good action adventure flick, just remember to set your brain to "off" before viewing.
Rating: 7
The cast of characters was quite colorful and well developed. Ernie Hudson's character, as leader of the expedition (or when Laura Linney allowed him--more on this latter on), was a refreshing change from the usual Great White Hunter we've become accustomed to; Dylan Walsh's character feels compelled to return is pet gorilla to her home in the jungle when she begins having nightmares, coupled with transforming the dorm into a rain forest art gallery; Delroy Lindo and Joe Pantoliano both make cameo appearances as well; however, Tim Curry and Grant Heslov return mediocre performances as the typical greedy treasure hunter and the typical "Ugly American".
By far, the two most annoying characters are the aforementioned Dr. Karen Ross (Laura Linney) and the stupid gorilla. Linney, obviously trying to out perform Linda Hamilton in T2, was way overbearing, rude, and arrogant. Her performance became unbearable after awhile. As far as Amy The Talking Gorilla goes; despite sounding more like a sideshow event, the character was pretty cheesy if you ask me. Why not get a real gorilla as opposed to a girl in a gorilla suit? And I thought gorillas were BLACK not brown?!?
Overall, a pretty good action adventure flick, just remember to set your brain to "off" before viewing.
Rating: 7