If you were alive in 1995, you might remember Congo as the movie where a talking gorilla, a Romanian treasure hunter, and Laura Linney’s cheekbones all teamed up to sell popcorn. On paper, it was Michael Crichton’s Jurassic Park follow-up, promising another hit about science gone wild and nature chewing back. On screen, though? Well, let’s just say it’s less “Spielberg thrill ride” and more “Saturday morning cartoon with a bigger budget.” Still, Congo is weirdly fun, the kind of movie that’s both a mess and a minor miracle.
So grab a banana smoothie and let’s dive into the jungle of bad accents, laser-powered monkey warfare, and Amy—the most lovable animatronic gorilla ever forced to wear a Nintendo Power Glove.
Talking Gorillas and Corporate Greed
The movie kicks off with TraviCom, a shady tech conglomerate that wants rare blue diamonds so they can build a space-age communications laser. Because clearly AT&T never thought of just building more towers. When the first diamond-hunting expedition goes south—gruesome deaths, ominous howls, and one very rude gorilla destroying the video feed—TraviCom sends in the cavalry: Laura Linney as Karen Ross, a former CIA agent who is so calm under pressure you half expect her to light a cigarette while fighting killer apes.
Enter Dr. Peter Elliott (Dylan Walsh), a primatologist with all the charisma of damp khakis. Peter’s big project is Amy, a gorilla who communicates using a robotic glove and a digitized child’s voice. Instead of terrifying everyone, Amy ends up being the most adorable part of the film—she signs things like “BAD GORILLAS” and “AMY WANT GREEN DROP DRINK,” melting hearts everywhere. Honestly, she deserved her own spin-off sitcom.
Tim Curry, MVP of Ham
The secret weapon of Congo isn’t the diamonds, the gorillas, or even the lava-spewing volcano—it’s Tim Curry. Playing Herkermer Homolka, a Romanian “philanthropist” with an accent so thick you could spread it on toast, Curry devours every line like it’s his last meal. Every time he says “the Lost City of Zinj,” it sounds like he’s about to burst into evil laughter.
Is Homolka a villain? A buffoon? A treasure-hunting con man? The movie never quite decides, but Curry’s commitment is undeniable. He’s having the time of his life, and it makes you wish Congo had just gone all-in and become the Tim Curry Show.
Ernie Hudson Steals the Jungle
Then there’s Ernie Hudson as Monroe Kelly, the mercenary guide. Decked out in safari gear, Hudson delivers his lines with the cool confidence of a man who knows exactly how ridiculous the script is and has decided to play it suave anyway. In a film full of bad dialogue and confused performances, Hudson somehow emerges looking like James Bond on vacation. He’s the guy you actually want leading you through a jungle full of gray gorillas and exploding volcanos.
Killer Gorillas and Sci-Fi Nonsense
Ah yes, the gray gorillas. Turns out the ancient inhabitants of Zinj bred a race of super-violent apes to guard their diamond mine. Because when you’re building a civilization, what’s better than putting your faith in genetically engineered primates with a taste for human skulls? Naturally, the gorillas rebelled, slaughtered their creators, and hung around for a few thousand years just waiting for Laura Linney to show up with a laser cannon.
And that laser cannon is a doozy. After finding her ex-fiancé’s corpse still clutching a diamond (romantic, really), Linney fits the gem into a portable laser and starts vaporizing gorillas like it’s the Fourth of July. The CGI is dated, the physics are laughable, but somehow it’s still glorious. Watching a beam of light slice through killer apes while a volcano erupts in the background is peak ’90s cinema excess.
The Volcano, Because Why Not
Of course there’s a volcano. Did you think this movie would end with a polite exit from the jungle? No, Congo goes full catastrophe, with lava pouring through ancient ruins, gorillas falling into fiery pits, and the surviving humans barely escaping in a conveniently placed hot-air balloon. Yes, you read that right: a hot-air balloon.
By this point, you half expect Amy to light a cigar and say, “I love it when a plan comes together.”
Themes? Sure, Why Not
For a movie that looks like a theme park ride gone wrong, Congo tries to sneak in some Big Ideas. There’s corporate greed (TraviCom only cares about diamonds, not the people dying to find them). There’s the ethical question of teaching a gorilla to speak only to abandon her in the wild. And there’s even a hint of colonial critique in the way Westerners keep barging into Africa chasing treasure.
But let’s be real—most of us are here for Amy saying “Ugly gorillas!” in her toddler voice before Linney zaps them with a diamond laser. The deeper stuff is just jungle wallpaper.
Why It Weirdly Works
Critics hated Congo. They called it silly, shallow, and incoherent. And they were right. But what they missed is that Congo is also wildly entertaining, the cinematic equivalent of eating junk food at 2 a.m. It’s campy without meaning to be, packed with bizarre choices (who thought a robotic gorilla voice was a good idea?), and somehow buoyed by performances that swing between earnest and outrageous.
Laura Linney is tough as nails, Dylan Walsh is forgettable but serviceable, Ernie Hudson is smooth as silk, and Tim Curry is… well, Tim Curry. Throw in killer apes, ancient ruins, and a volcano, and you’ve got a movie that’s never boring, even when it’s completely ridiculous.
The Verdict
Congo isn’t a good movie in the traditional sense. It’s clunky, goofy, and prone to lines like “Stop eating my sesame cake!” (thank you, Delroy Lindo). But it’s also one of the most watchable bad blockbusters of the ’90s—a movie so committed to its own nonsense that you can’t help but enjoy the ride.
Call it trash, call it camp, call it a guilty pleasure—whatever it is, Congo deserves to be remembered not just as the film where Amy the gorilla signed her way into our hearts, but as a perfect time capsule of Hollywood excess.
