Congo

Congo is an adventure film about an expedition into the African jungle. A telecommunications company sends a team to find a rare kind of diamond, prized for its size and purity, that can power a laser communications transmitter with potential military uses. When an earlier attempt ends badly, a new group is assembled, including a researcher who has been working with Amy, a gorilla raised in a scientific experiment. The plan is to return the animal to the wild, but others on the journey have their own reasons for going, and their route is drawn toward a legendary lost city said to sit on rich diamond deposits. The travellers face hostile terrain, dangerous wildlife and a hidden threat waiting at their destination.

Frank Marshall directed the film, the third he had made, following Arachnophobia in 1990 and Alive in 1993, from a screenplay by John Patrick Shanley. Laura Linney plays Dr. Karen Ross, with Dylan Walsh as Dr. Peter Elliot, Ernie Hudson as Captain Monroe Kelly and Tim Curry as Herkermer Homolka. Sam Mercer and Kathleen Kennedy produced for Paramount and The Kennedy/Marshall Company.

Made for about 50 million dollars, the film took roughly 152 million dollars worldwide, a strong return on its budget. Audiences are mixed: on TMDB it holds 5.6 out of 10 from about a thousand votes, while on IMDb critics' reviews average 3.9 out of 10 from around fifty notices, a lower figure than the viewer score.