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Dom Robinson reviews
Paramount
- Cert:
- Cat.no: PHE 8013
- Running time: 104 minutes
- Year: 1995
- Pressing: 2000
- Region(s): 2, PAL
- Chapters: 16 plus extras
- Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1
- Languages: 4 languages available
- Subtitles: 8 languages available
- Widescreen: 1.78:1
- 16:9-Enhanced: Yes
- Macrovision: Yes
- Disc Format: DVD 9
- Price: £19.99
- Extras : Scene index, Theatrical Trailer, Teaser Trailer
Director:
- Frank Marshall
(Arachnophobia, Alive)
Producers:
- Kathleen Kennedy and Sam Mercer
Screenplay:
- John Patrick Shanley
(director of “Joe Versus The Volcano”)
Music:
- Jerry Goldsmith
Cast:
- Karen Ross: Laura Linney (Primal Fear)
Peter Elliot: Dylan Walsh
Monroe Kelly: Ernie Hudson (Ghostbusters 1 and 2, Leviathan, TV: Oz)
Herkermer Homoika: Tim Curry (Rocky Horror Picture Show, Clue)
R.B. Travis: Joe Don Baker (Cape Fear, Goldeneye)
Moira: Mary Ellen Trainor (Executive Decision, Die Hard, Ricochet)
Charles Travis: Bruce Campbell (Evil Dead trilogy, TV: Adventures of Brisco County Jr., Hercules)
Congocomes from the pen of Michael Crichton – the author of Jurassic Park -and the – the premise being that with the gorillas in the jungle, YOU becomethe endangered species… making for obvious comparisons to be drawn with theaforementioned dinosaur-starring classic.
Following the discovery of a new civilisation in a remote part of the jungle byCharles Travis and his crew, they are promptly bumped off by an angry mothergorilla.
So the scene is set for Peter Elliot, a man who has taught a younger gorillato talk; Karen Ross, played by Laura Linney, one-time girlfriend of RichardGere, in the Laura Dern-type role seeking to find out what exactly went on,especially as a favour to her boss R.B. Travis, the father of Charles.
Also along for the ride is Tim Curry as Herkermer Homoika, a Romanian versionof Richard Attenborough’s authoritative figure who five years ago led adisasterous expedition looking for the city of Zinj which resulted in thedeaths of most of his party.
The question remains: does the city of Zinj really exist, as Homoika seems tothink? After all, he’s been looking for it the whole of his life; or is it,as Monroe Kelly seems to think, nothing more than a myth? If it really doesthen everyone will be very rich considering it’s a massive diamond mine…
The picture is presented in an anamorphic 16:9 ratio, with a level ofconstant grain that we could do without. I was unable to determine the averagebitrate.
The sound does fare much better with gorillas making themselves heard to allconcerned and an unexpected explosion at the airport packs a meaty punch24 minutes into side one. Also the sound of the finale certainly sorts out themen from the boys so to speak.
Extras : Chapters :Just a mere 16 chapters over the 104-minute running time, the same as thePAL LD, which isn’t enough. Languages/Subtitles :Dolby Digital 5.1 in English and German, with Hungarian and Czech in surroundonly.Subtitles are available in English (and hard of hearing), German,Danish, Norwegian, Dutch, Finnish, Swedish and Turkish. And there’s more… :But it’s just a two-minute Theatrical Trailer and a 70-second TeaserTrailer. Nothing to go back to after seeing them the first time. Menu :A basic static and silent menu with a shot of the front cover and the usualoptions.
Overall, Congo isn’t a patch on Jurassic Park and the latteronly really served to impress the first time you see it. Hence, I can onlyrecommend a rental on this disc, as the extras and picture quality aren’tup to scratch.
PICTURE QUALITY
SOUND QUALITY
EXTRAS
OVERALL
Reviewer of movies, videogames and music since 1994. Aortic valve operation survivor from the same year. Running DVDfever.co.uk since 2000. Nobel Peace Prize winner 2021.