For some reason, I've lately been in the mood for Action/Adventure movies and I stumbled upon this terrible flick. It came up on a Netflix search and I recognized it from when I watched it as a little girl in the Spanish language channel. I vaguely remembered it consisted of people going through the jungle looking for something and dealing with rather inhospitable hosts. I remember being entertained back then, amidst some confusion, so I clicked "Play." I actually fell asleep halfway through, but I did finish it the next day. My thoughts? If you're looking to be thrilled, leave it alone. If you're looking for a car-crash kind of experience, then this would be perfect. I exaggerate... it was mildly entertaining but could've been much better. Worth it if you're looking to kill time.
Some points on it:
1. The apes - After watching Rise of the Planet of the Apes, this movie is simply a bad puppet show. A lot of it had to do with it being 1995 and the still rather young CGI technology. It had proved rather well with dinosaurs in Jurassic Park due to the slick reptilian skin, but for hairy creatures, CGI would've looked worse than puppetry. The use of puppets and costumed actors simply made the apes look and move too unrealistic to create a sense of fear from the evil apes, and limited how much the audience could care for the good ape Amy.
2. Tim Curry as Romanian philanthropist Herkermer Homolka - I don't know why, but this simply didn't work for me. Maybe I can only see him as the Plaza Hotel concierge in Home Alone 2 or the Cardinal in Disney's live action adaptation of The Three Muskateers. He did get the Razzie Award for Worst Supporting Actor due to his Congo role so it would prove that it wasn't just me.
3. The overall story was good and with an interesting concept, but the way it was presented made it unbelievable and ridiculous. I'd love to see a remake of this.
The trailer gives a pretty good idea of what the film is like...
"We are watching you." I laughed inside. Tag line is even better, "Congo, where YOU are the endangered species."
Random note, if an army officer from Africa knows you were CIA, I don't think you did a pretty good job of being discreet and secretive... just saying.
