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CONGO (1995) Retrospective/Review
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- čas přidán 8. 07. 2023
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#congo #congo1995 #congoreview #frankmarshall #kathleenkennedy #jurassicpark #michaelcrichton #oliverharper #retrospectivereview
Bruce Campbell talked about how he shot all of his scenes in the first week and asked if he could be sent home. They said he had to stick around in case of pickups…for a character that was already dead. So he spent 4 weeks vacationing/shooting golf with Tim Curry and Ernie Hudson all on the productions dime.
LOL
nice work if you can get it
LOL That's hilarious. No wonder movies cost so much.
I hate golf, but I would have taken it up to join that group for a few rounds. Approximately 25% of all human charm on one golf course.
Living the dream.
The amount of times my brothers and I watched this on VHS back in the day is ridiculous. “Have some coffee and cake… HAVE SOME!”
Stop. Eatin'. Mah Seasame CAKE!
I always got a kick when he stapled the paper bag after getting the $$. Lol “more….”
@@artmpowers don’t want anybody peeking!
This is an absolutely ridiculous movie and I love every second of it!
me too
At least it isn't woke. In fact the Karen character is heroic, sympathetic, and likeable... just in a shoddy movie.
I actually take CONGO VERY SERIOUSLY as an Action Adventure film with strong Creature Horror Feature Elements. That's not to say that Tim Curry, Ernie Hudson, Delroy Lindo, Joe Don Baker and Joe Pantoliano who TRAGICALLY went uncredited aren't entertaining, because they are. But I take The Albino Killer Gorillas VERY SERIOUSLY
Hercuma Hemulca!
Laser Apes 😅
This film, Sphere, Timeline, 13th Warrior...so much potential in all those adaptions that just weren't executed nearly as well as Jurassic Park.
All original unique films so it's a real shame they all turned out bad.
@@basquat76I really like the 13th Warrior. Cool premise
Sphere is one of my favourite books off all time. The movie is one of the worst adaptions of all time. Completely butchered the story, especially the final 30 minutes. Terrible!
Wait a few more years and you'll likely see Hollywood give these ideas another shot.
I often describe Congo to my friends as a B-movie with an A-list budget. The talent that went into the movie is immense, but the result never manages to raise above a late-night guilty pleasure.
Adventure, colorful characters, lost city, mutant killer apes, talking apes, volcano, it's great!
One of those movies i had no idea there was so much negativity for before the internet.
I guess it's goofy now in retrospect, but as a kid, this was incredibly atmospheric and scary. It has a weird magic to it.
I just remember the laser killing scene - otherwise it's awful
2 things: 1. I actually finished reading the book this year and I liked it! 2. This film has one of the best teaser trailers ever!
Congo was constantly being shown on cable when I was a teen. It’s a forgotten gem.
I had one of those illegal cable boxes in 1995, and this was one of the movies which was constantly on, along with Mortal Kombat, The Net, and Die Hard 3
@@DaveVoyles The Net, another regular now mostly forgotten to time! A similar plot to Enemy of the State with Will Smith.
On Cinemax? Damn yes I remember
Swapping Dylan Walsh and Bruce Campbell’s roles would have done so much to help this movie it’s ridiculous.
I'm guessing Katleen Kennedy had something to do with killing off Bruce Campbell's character towards the beginning of the movie.
@@Noname15514Showing her brilliance even back then. s/
Def not Dylan was a great scientist
Walsh had good chemistry with Linney tho, so I disagree
@@JP47471 Agree to disagree. I think Walsh is very stilted and flat in his performance.
Delroy Lindo & Ernie Hudson characters deserved their own movies.
“I can feel the money hairs on the back of my neck going "WOO-WOO-WOO".” -Eddie Ventro
Congo lost their Razzie awards to Show Girls. Yet both films are 1000% better than most of the nonsense today. More entertaining and funnier.
"The show is called Goddess, it ain't called classes.”-Tony Moss, Show Girls
i still quote the money hairs lines to this day. like that is a goddamn ingrained quote that rises above all other movie quotes.
The biggest disappointment from this is after Ernie showed what he can do they didn't give him more tent pole opportunities
Man had so much style
I was obsessed with this movie as a kid. I still have the old blockbuster box that you could get. No idea why but it’s in a closet at my Gmom’s house and has been there for nearly 30 years. For whatever reason I also spray painted my bike and put the word Congo on it with stick on letters. I thought the word was so cool. Man to be a kid again.
Whenever I watch this I’m reminded that while Bruce Campbell IS still nowadays an amazing human with a great acting legacy he could have been so huge if he had been dealt a different hand by the industry.
I ONLY watched this BECAUSE, of Bruce Campbell
Don’t remind me. Whenever I watch his 80s films I always ask myself why he didn’t make it bigger.
Seemed like it would be a sure thing….I’m still glad for what we have.
I love him so much! He’s just the man. Grew up watching his movies and there’s something really comforting about that :p
@@jekw23 Look up the movie Crimewave, a production disaster that could have sunk a number of today's familiar talents before anyone had ever heard of them.
Ernie Hudson completely ROCKED in this movie, both suave and shady at the same time. "Lightweight"... my a%se ;)
Hurcuma Hamulca!
Tim Curry is so talented it's not hard for him to outshine other actors. One of my favorites Long John Silver, Muppet Treasure Island.
Yep and it's also worth considering how strong some of the other Crichton adaptations were.
Saw this in the cinema when I was a kid. Great fun, didn't realise it got so much hate.
The movie didn't open during many CZcams reviewer's childhood.
I'm pretty sure I saw it in the theater, but that was quite a while ago. I really don't understand why it's so unloved as it was a fun movie with some great actors and acceptable CGI. I even had the PC game.
"Where'd you guys go???"
"We ran...."
🤣🤣🤣 My mom took me to see Congo that summer, Independence Day in 96, and Lost World in 97. That run is what made me love film.
RIP Mom, and Thank You🙏🏿
🫂
A criminally underrated and underappreciated film. I never understood the hate for it.
It is because the film is really, really naff. I hope you found this helpful.
Read the book. Then watch the movie. You’ll understand.
@@donovanchilton5817 I will one of these days. But a film doesn't always have to be 100% faithful to be good.
Well Oliver Harper just told you why.
@@donovanchilton5817I agree the book is probably better than the movie but this adaptation really isn’t that bad
The book is incredible but I do love this movie...a guilty pleasure of mine.
The scene with Delroy Lindo is gold!
"Mr. Homolka, stop eating me sesame cake. STOP EATING ME SESAME CAKE!!!!"
*STOP! EATING! MY SESAME CAKE!*
“This is the crazy world we live in.
Ok, you can go…”
Always fun to see Lindo channel amusing dialogue like what a more established character would revisit in The Core:
“Say it with me. I don’t know…”
Best part😂
For my entire life Tim Curry's "the city of ZinJ!" line lives in my mind
f... you put it back into my head now.... that accent and acting was ridiculous hahaha
An absolutely schlocky flick that is ripe for rediscovery and more reviews on CZcams. Always enjoyed this one, especially Ernie Hudson and Tim Curry's performances.
It's a fun movie. And I think that's pretty much all they intended to get out of it. It's fine, not everything can be a great piece of cinema, we do need movies that are just successful in being fun to watch.
I love this movie. I used to go to the cinema as a kid, buy some benign kids movie ticket that I had no interest in, only to sneak out once the pre-film ads were on and into the movies I intended to watch. Usually horror or 18+ movies I was too young for, this was 1 of the movies I did that with and did another 3 times after because I enjoyed it so much. Think I was 9/10 years old at the time when this movie came out.
There’s something charmingly wholesome about Tim Curry’s portrayal of Homolka getting over the top excited when speaking about the Lost City of Zijn
For me this movie's a great example of ridiculous cheesy fun in that "more modern rework of a 30's adventure film genre", way like Indiana Jones The Mummy - I was always surprised that it was considered Terrible and bombed so bad. Thank you as ever for this retrospective!
Fun fact, there was a huge poster for this movie at the art college I went to in one hall as some graduates from said school had worked on it, next to the likes of Lilo&Stitch, The Prince of Egypt, Jurassic Park+The Lost World, and a boatload of various Pixar productions.
Props for covering this movie. I forgot how much I don't hate it. I think it's kinda fun. Hudson and Curry truly are the mvp players.
Saw this in theater when it came out. Still holds up.
STOP EATING MY SESEME CAKE!
Best scene. Delroy stole the show there
@@AbsolutTBombWho is Kafka?!? Tell ME!!!
I watched this so many times on VHS, it was one of my moms very favorites.. I haven’t watched it it years . Thank you for the video ❤
Fun fact about the lava in the film, a lot of people deride the effects for being too quick and fluid, as well as too Hollywood, but in actuality, the Congo is the only place in the world where lava can move that quickly because of it's consistency.
Laura Linney was wildly miscast but every side character is so well cast that they almost save the movie.
I love Congo, the grey apes are so creepy. Also the lava at the end is brilliantly done.
I absolutely love every second of this movie.
I always found the atmosphare to be really eerie.
The first encounter with the grey ones was positively scary. Something nobody says is that the movie is creepier than the novel, which was a major disappointment when I finally read it: I was expecting it to be like "Jurassic Park" (the book), but instead it was rather boring. It was more concerned with detailing the tech used to zap a satellite video signal than anything else...unfortunately, unlike genetic engineering, telecommunications tech made titanic leaps since 1978. I read the book in 2009, before everyone could stream a video with their smartphones almost anywhere in the world, and it already felt uber-dated. Now it just feels ridiculous. I understand that the idea of somebody sending a live feed from the jungle was very cool back then (it partially inspired the Italian exploitation film "Cut & Run"), but, yeah, I think the book should've had more killer apes attacks and less technical jargon destined to be obsolete pretty soon.
My brother and I had some friends over when we were kids. Congo was showing on HBO while there was a nice summertime thunderstorm rolling in outside. Good times.
Laura Linney slicing gorillas with a laser is a gorgeous sight
I love this film... I know it's got a few flaws, but it's fun. And "stop eating my sesame cake!" is one of the most memeworthy lines of any film in history!
I saw this when I was about 8 and haven't really cared to re-visit it, but whenever my wife tells me something has sesame seeds I quote the line, that part was burned into my brain.
To this day, I quote this whenever someone tries to touch my food. No one has any idea what I’m talking about.
There's another line where Ernie Hudson tells the doctor " relax you're in better hands than you should be" is such a great moment. All of the actors really make it work, you could really see in his face how in over his head he really is.
"A few flaws" 😂😂😂
NOW
just imagine if they actually had Bruce as the lead
I know damn well that man would sell the relationship with Amy way better than Walsh does. It’s the heart of the movie, maybe hire the guy who has experience working with special effects and not the guy who delivers every line with the same inflection while he talks to a dwarf in a monkey costume.
i am just thinking of tim and bruce in the same scene
Your retrospectives are so good, man!
Thank you 🙏🏻
I agree 100%
"Congo!" This one's for you Tom. Bruce Campbell never disappoints with his overacting cheesiness. Michael Crichton has been and always will be my favorite author. Never once during any of his novels was I never engrossed in the story. RIP, he will always be missed.
The new logo done in the style of the Canon Films logo?! THAT IS AWESOME!
Those intro music tones and logo both speak to my inner latch key/1980's kid soul.
I remember seeing this film in the theaters, I loved it then and still love it now. It such an underrated film. STOP EATING MY SESEME CAKE !!!🤣🤣
I remember the fff-screening '95 in Munich, germany, european premiere and Mr. Marshall was there in person, talking about the cheering Bruce Campbell got for his first appearance :) still have his autograph in the program-journal, Saturday, 29.07.95/18:15/surprise screening.
It was a good year, God's army (Prophecy), Species, Hideaway, ...
STOP EATING MY SESAME CAKE!!!!!
Delroy Lindo was a legend for that line! And Ernie Hudson! I grew up on this movie, watched it when it 1st came on HBO back in 1996. Jerry Goldsmith's score was really good.
highly underrated movie in my opinion, we need more movies like Congo nowadays.
75 minutes into the film with little action...Oliver nails it. Congo had potential, as a kid in the 90s i watched several times on cable :) Thank you for this episode; it was GREAT! Good name for Congo would be "The Volcano would have destroyed it anyway" hahah
Fantastic video as always mate, I love this film one of my childhood favourites so means alot to me, 10/10 video
Holy hell dude. You made that Street Fighter doc at the beginning here? You should be proud, especially getting all those high profile contributions.
I was a backer, and it's worth buying. Quality content if you're at all interested in the subject!
Great reviews Oliver! Speaking of missed opportunity- I saw last night Cutthroat Island, be great to see an in depth on thhat one:)
3 minutes into the video I see Tim Curry and Bruce Campbell and I pause. Went to watch the entire movie, than came back. Another great video, Oliver.
I love this movie. Though I do wish they would make a R rated Congo movie that is more true to the original novel
Really shocked to see you haven't done a retro on Anaconda 😮
Love your stuff 🤟
Just a note. I am sad you used an F-bomb in your documentary. Your documentary's are thankfully, swear free. Which is much appreciated.
I agree the film was sadly a missed opportunity. I feel with some script tweaks and today's technology the film could of been received very differently. Jumanji was made shortly after featuring the first cgi apes. If they had waited the film could have been very different. Oh dear, and that electronic voice of Amy's. Love anything with a Jerry Goldsmith score. The movie is still an entertaining romp and I love Ernie Hudson and Tim Curry in this movie. The scene were Tim Curry is ordered to "Stop eating my sesame seed cake! " always makes me smile. I have to admit, I did not recognize Dylan Walsh in the new Superman and Lois series. Great to see the actor doing so well. Keep up the good work. I look forward to your next documentary.
I always remember the scene from king of the hill when peggy is like oh you did read the book! When told by her family member that she was at the part with the super laser being fired at the apes.
Thus confirming that the king of the hill writers never read the book as that is something that only happens in the movie.
This is one of those movies that I had recorded on my VCR from cable TV…TNT, TBS, or USA.
Man, I totally forgot Tim Curry was in this. It's been so long since I watched this movie.
This IMO set the bar for "So bad, it's good".
The book is fantastic.
I have a vague memory of this movie when it came out. The only thing I ever got out of it was an orange "Congo" themed wrist watch from a fast food place that I kept for years, but has been lost to time.
I'd love to see this revamped as an FPS hoard game like Aliens Colonial Marines was supposed to be.
I really like this film. Had they made this a few years earlier, they’d have probably cast Steve Guttenburg as the lead, which would’ve been brilliant.
i remember watching this movie when it first came out and liking it
i finally managed to buy a second hand dvd of it about a month ago and it was great to revisit, especially seeing bruce campbell
this movie also gets a great reference in a freakazoid episode which is another classic
This was sold as a spiritual follow-up to Jurassic Park; the next Michael Crichton blockbuster. I was really disappointed. But I guess it has some good stuff in it.
Thank you for another great video!
I saw Congo in theaters when it came out. I liked it at the time, and it most definitely is meant to be funny. I actually find it a strange brilliant mix of comedy, spoof, and thriller… and it worked for me. If you go in with the right expectations, or better yet, none at all, it can be a fun watch. Its dated watching it today however. At the time it was a solid film and I found it refreshing. It definitely does not have the same tone as the book. I recommend the read over the film overall.
I Loved this movie as a Kid , I was only 9 or 10 but brings back some amazing memories I Remember that summer well
Alanis Morissette brought out her first big album , That was played non stop in the car & on the radio
This really does bring me back , I loved this as a kid and 100% its a guilty pleasure of mine. Oliver Killed it as always
The new opening credit's are Amazing , The O & R tReally look like an early 90's Production company like the Carolco Company for T-2 Judgment day or the Orion company.
So happy he is getting the credit he has done Truly Amazing work for well over a decade now.
Thanks Oliver this was ACE!
I remember watching this when it came out on video; I was 10 in 1995 and scared the whole movie... dreading the eventual interaction with the evil guerillas.
Something unique about Congo, better or worse... I appreciate you covering it.
OMG YEEEEEESSSS TWO THINGS I LOVE, OLIVER HARPER RETROSPECTIVE AND CONGO!!!!!!
As a kid, that laser gun was the coolest thing I'd ever seen. Re watching Congo years later as an adult I said, "really? that's all that was?" lol I think my imagination made the scene longer and cooler.
Haha right? I was exhilarated watching that scene as a kid, I thought those evil monkeys were terrifying lol
90s movies are so much better than any of the bad movies coming out in 2023 right now.
I agree with you in that one.
@@anubusx 💯💯
That’s only because you saw them first. 😂
Correct, this is due in part to superior screenwriting but also higher quality filmmaking in general, filming on-location or if in a studio using built sets instead of obvious green screens, shooting on 35mm instead of weightless looking digital cameras, hiring composers to create orchestral scores, using a stunt team to perform stunts in-camera so that action sequences were thrilling to watch and using practical effects (i.e. real helicopters, explosions, blood squibs, muzzle flashes, ricochet effects..etc) to make everything look real. We do still get films of this technical quality made today ('Oppenheimer,' 'Sharper,' 'Mission Impossible: Fallout,' 'Killers of the Flower Moon,' 'No Time to Die,' 'Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,' 'A Quiet Place 2') but not as often.
Great book. Good movie. It was amazing when i was a kid. Watched it a few years ago and this movie is the defibition of not aging well.
Underrated film. Amazing visuals, soundtrack, etc...
I've often wondered if Crichton had read Robert Howard's classic Conan tale "Jewels of Gwahlur". The parallels of a mythical abandoned city in the jungle with priceless jewels guarded by intelligent grey apes are hard to ignore
This is so hilarious I loved Congo as a kid. It was kinda hard to find online for a small amount of time and theres not a whole lot of videos on it! Good stuff
Ernie Hudson, an amazing and under appreciated actor.
I saw this at the cinema and quite liked it.
"Hello. I am a Romanian philanthropist".
It's gloriously daft. Ernie Hudson! Delroy Lindo! Tim Curry! Bruce Campbell! Lasers! Apes! Volcanoes!
I'm intrigued by the book now with footnotes and that...
What an absolute treat. 30 minutes of Oliver's work. Best content on CZcams by far.
I unapologetically love this movie.
I am not even kidding, you and Rowan J. Coleman are my favourite reviewers of all time. You are both so concise and your formats are unique from one another but very solid in structure. Thank you for the years of content you have created and shared, I genuinely appreciate it.
If you go for any food of mine, I say “STOP EATING MY SEASAME CAKE”
I read this book when I was 14 and it scared the absolute crap out of me. It was a follow up to Jurassic Park and I was not ready for the level of violence and terror I felt reading this one.
Congo was written BEFORE Jurassic Park
Before Sam Jackson and John Goodman should have just been the leads of Kong Skull Island, it was Ernie Hudson and Tim Curry shattering their spines carrying Congo.
This is just one of those films in the mid 90s that studios were coming out that were whacky and silly, I love this film for it's dark tones and use of CGI and creature effects and odd humour.
The films around this time that were like this were, The phantom, The shadow, The Island of Dr. Moreau.
Very underrated film. Great cast playing memorable characters. I’d say it’s almost as good as Jurassic Park and better than the Jurassic Park sequels. It’s a fun movie that reminds me like King Solomon‘s mines from 1950, but in a 90s style.
An Oliver retrospective is like finding a 20 dollar bill in old jeans.
Saw Congo with my older cousins and Aunt when I was a small child in the cinema. It was part of a double feature with Die Hard 3.
Diehard3 is perfect, but this was such a pleasant surprise that aged like fine wine. 😊
The Saturn game was pretty good too. I’d love to play it again one day.😊
HOLY CRAP!!! My brothers and i used to yell at each other "STAHP EATING MUH SESAME CEHKE!" and we COULD NOT remember where wed heard that line from!
Ah, Congo.. the first movie I ever walked out the theatre on 🤣 Will have to try it again!
As a soundtrack enthusiast and collector ever since I was around 7 I have LOVED this films score. Right from the start (even if the rest of the film takes forever to catch up) Goldsmith put us right in Africa in a piece that just demands to be played as loud as possible! Seriously Goldsmith has such a body of work one could easily say the following for another film but - man it sounds like he had oh so much fun with it. The only other film that I instantly does that so effectively (not counting star trek) for me is my favorite non trek piece from him - The Mummy! The opening, the bit during the plane sequence and of course "Kahega" stand out before the final "Spirit of Africa". I am so glad I now have the recording sessions for this film. Sure its kinda forgettable in the grand scheme of things but it has its moments. Now if you excuse me . . . I am going to get some sesame cake!
Cheers from Cape Cod! Great piece as always sir!
Now this is a film that needs a serious tone remake. The book is so good. And I think it is begging to be made.
"CONGO" is a good movie ! I've watched it several times and enjoyed it every time.
saw it in the theatre as a child and liked it.
Thanks for taking the time to spotlight this film. I knew you'd get to it eventually over the years, as it seems to fit into your sandbox of what you usually review. I was a kid in the 90's, and this definitely left a decent impression on me then. It scratched that Indiana Jones/Jurassic Park itch despite it's flaws which did become more apparent the older I got. I do think Laura Linney, Ernie Hudson, and Tim Curry put in quality performances with what they were given. It sucks that Amy, who is supposed to be a focal character in the narrative just really doesn't do much than act as a reason to get from point A to B. I feel like I can sympathize with the filmmakers there a bit more though, because getting an audience to connect emotionally with a gorilla in this script just seems challenging from the start. I was never bothered by actors walking around in gorilla suits for whatever reason, and honestly to this day I never even think about it when I watch the film. ILM really knocked it out of the park with their miniature work, and I loved some of the action shots that I'm guessing Frank directly supervised with his experience being involved with these type of movies. I'm especially impressed with the camerawork when the characters dive out of the plane, and always wondered how that they shot that. Can't say I've heard the entire score from Goldsmith here, but what is showcased in the movie I remember enjoying. Overall I get the complaints about the movie, but I still like to come back to it every now, and again. Maybe because I can see the potential in what this film could have been if the initial concepts just came together a bit more. Michael Crichton not being involved certainly didn't help.
Ernie Hudson and a ridiculous performance by Tim Curry make.this a fun action adventure
Great review Oliver! I love your videos. If its possible, could you review Men in Black someday?
I've always liked this film. I still don't mind it. And I will occasionally drop a "stop eating my sesame cake."
Pitch Meeting : Jurassic Park… with Gorillas!
Crichton, you’ve done it again!!! 😂
Is Ashen trying to become early Simon Pegg? If so, he's succeeding. I have fond memories of Congo, went to see it with my dad on a boring Sunday and were not expecting murderous gorillas, which leave a strong impression when you're barely 7 and already impressionable.
Also, PLEASE do a video on King Kong 1976! I've waited almost 15 years for one!
Yes this ☝️
Always loved this movie.
I'd love to see you do a retrospective of Pitch Black or Riddick.
seconded!
Just imagine if we had Bruce Campbell in this moving packing and saying: "It's time to kick ass and chew bubble gum!" What a missed opportunity...
I have a big soft spot, I remember it being a solid adventure film
Setpiece, I remember the lasergun being cool and the lava sequence was awesome
Movie scared the hell out of me as a young one when it came out
Love this movie!
I'll never forget the teaser trailer narrated by Peter Cullen, aka Optimus Prime.
"From Director Frank Marshall, from Producer Kathleen Kennedy, from John Patrick Shanley, and Co-writer Michael Crichton, best selling author of Jurassic Park.
CONGO.
Where you are the endangered species."
Summer 1995.
Oh that is good I remember on the DVD when I played that teaser trailer cause you got optimus prime Doing the trailer voice.