Congo (1995) - Popcorn and Coke advised for this corny, fun killer gorilla rampage

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A cool, well-composed poster for Frank Marshall's Congo

QUICK REVIEW:

A diamond mission disappears in the Congo, and the greedy father of its leader sends a new mission off, which partners up with a scientist with a talking gorilla. ... - But the jungle keeps a murderous secret: SPOILER Grey killer gorillas!

Congo is an adaptation of a Michael Crichton (Jurassic Park (1990)) novel. It is essentially a trashy lowbrow story (that, as is often the case with such fare, also contains a super laser!), but this one is lavishly produced by Kathleen Kennedy (Lincoln (2012)) and Sam Mercer (Things We Lost in the Fire (2007)).
Congo features enormous sets, set pieces that wooed me, impressive gorillas by effects and creature whiz Stan Winston (Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)) as well as a killer cast:
Laura Linney (Hyde Park on Hudson (2012)), Delroy Lindo (The Cider House Rules (1999)), Joe Pantoliano (The Sopranos (2001-04)), Joe Don Baker (The Living Daylights (1987)), a screaming Bruce Campbell (Evil Dead II (1987)), Grant Heslov (Good Night, and Good Luck. (2005)), who is funny as a slacker American with no real purpose in the film, and finally Tim Curry (It (1990), TV miniseries) as a Romanian diamond maniac. - Yes...!
Congo is one of the four films directed by 5-time Oscar-nominated producer Frank Marshall (Arachnophobia (1990)). It is written by John Patrick Shanley (Doubt (2008)), who has supplied it with lots of goofy lines, - but what of it? - They seem entirely appropriate here in Congo, a highly entertaining, amusing, wacky 90s ride of a movie.

Tim Curry has a loony part in Frank Marshall's Congo

SPOILER (sorry...) - This happens! In Frank Marshall's Congo

Watch the corny trailer for the film here

Cost: 50 mil. $
Box office: 152 mil. $
= Box office success
[Congo was a summer release, fresh in the tracks of the spectacular and spectacularly successful Jurassic Park (1993). It opened #1 in the US with 24.6 mil. $. It ended up making 81 mil. $ domestically (53 % of the total gross). The gorillas were not CGI, because hair could not be rendered credibly artificially yet, which reportedly disappointed some of the fans of the book, (although it was a good job and undoubtedly the right thing to do.) Congo received generally negative reviews, but Roger Ebert got it and gave the film 3 out of 4 stars (equal to Film Excess' 4 heart rating here) and called it 'hilarious'.]

What do you think of Congo?

The African Queen (1951) - Classic romance bravura de Huston/Bogart/Hepburn

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A colorful, sensationalistic and somewhat hyperbolic poster for John Huston's The African Queen, which highlights its adventure romance elements

Perhaps one of the most wonderful films ever made, The African Queen sees Humphrey Bogart (King of the Underworld (1939)) in his only Oscar-winning role as a squirrel-like, drunkard captain on the titular steamer,  The African Queen, and Katharine Hepburn (Mary of Scotland (1936)) as a missionary, who is on a Christian's journey for the Queen through the impossible, German-infiltrated Africa of 1914.

Animals, suspense, blood, sweat, tears and magnetic on-screen chemistry between the star leads that's a sheer joy to the senses, - The African Queen is a truly marvelous piece of cinema with all of that and more. It is an adaptation of C.S. Forester's (The Good Shepherd (1955)) same-titled 1935 novel by James Agee (The Night of the Hunter (1955)), John Collier (I Am a Camera (1955)) and Peter Viertel (We Were Strangers (1949)).
It is one of the not few magnificent films by Missourian master co-writer/director John Huston (The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948)), a romantic war-adventure classic that you do not want to miss!

Related posts:

John Huston: Chinatown (1974) - Roman Polanski's masterpiece (actor)
Battle for the Planet of the Apes (1973) or, The Final Ape! (actor)
Casino Royale (1967) - The packed spy spoof frontrunner, a film very much of its time (co-director)
The Asphalt Jungle (1950) - The twentyfour carat noir caper thriller
Top 10: The best adventure movies reviewed by Film Excess to date
 

Watch a short trailer for the film here

Cost: 1 mil. $

Box office: 10.7 mil. $

= Mega-hit (returned 10.7 times its cost)

[The African Queen premiered 26 December (Los Angeles, California) and runs 105 minutes. The script was changed to fit with the censorship of the day, and also to change Bogart's character to a Canadian, since he could not perform the desired Cockney accent. Shooting took place in Congo, Uganda, England and Los Angeles, California from May - August 1951. Shooting a Technicolor film with big stars on location in difficult terrain was rare at the time, and the shoot was beleaguered by sickness and dangers. Bogart and Huston made it through without incident and ascribed their fortune to their not drinking the local water but sticking to the whiskey brought along from the West. The film grossed superior 4 mil. $ in North America (37.4 % of the total gross) and 256k £ in the UK, where it was the 10th highest-grossing picture of 1952. It has also been re-released numerous times in many countries. It was nominated for 4 Oscars: Bogart won Best Actor, his only Oscar win ever. Best Actress (Hepburn) was lost to Vivien Leigh in A Streetcar Named Desire; Director was lost to George Stevens for A Place in the Sun and Best Writing, Screenplay was lost to Michael Wilson and Harry Brown, also for A Place in the Sun. The film was also nominated for 3 BAFTAs. The titular boat is now renovated and on display in Key Largo, Florida. Bogart returned in Deadline - U.S.A. (1952), Hepburn in Pat and Mike (1952). Huston returned with Moulin Rouge (1952). The African Queen is certified fresh at 100 % with a 8.7 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of The African Queen?