Review of Congo (1972) by Steve M — 27 Aug 2007

Dr. Karen Ross (Linney) leads an expedition into the deepest jungle of the Congo to find out what happened to the former expedition led by her ex-fiance. Naturally, things start going terribly wrong.

"Congo" is a throwback to the jungle adventure movies of the 1930s and 1940s. It's got eccentric adventurer characters, dastardly villains and their henchmen, and a dark, mysterious jungle that's jealously guarding ancient secrets. It's even got fake gorillas (although the fake gorillas here look far, far better than anything you'd find in a 1930s film). If you enjoy that genre--and if you enjoyed the Russ Manning Tarzan newspaper strips or Joe Kubert Tarzan comics--I think you'll like this movie.

If taken for what it is--a straight-forward, traditional adventure tale with typical simplistic morals (greed is bad, nature will win in the end)--this is an entertaining movie. The acting and characters are all genre appropriate, and while no one is particularly amazing, everyone makes a good accounting of themselves.

On the other hand, the film features an excellent Jerry Goldsmith soundtrack, with the tune "Spririt of Africa" being one of the catchiest ones he ever wrote. This is one of those movies where the soundtrack music is better than the film it supports, and it's one that deserves unqualified praise. Goldsmith's amazing use of drums and strings add up to one of the best scores ever done for an adventure flick. It's one of those works that show how much the music world lost when Goldmsith passed away.

Congo.

Starring: Laura Linney, Dylan Walsh, Tim Curry, and Ernie Hudson.

Director: Frank Marshall.