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Congo (1995)
24 Plays7 days ago
This week on the Everything Actioncast, Zach and Chris head into the jungle and discuss 1995's Congo for its 30th anniversary.
Based on the 1979 novel by Michael Crichton, an expedition heads deep into the jungles of the Congo. Peter Elliott (Dylan Walsh) wants to bring his research gorilla, Amy, whom he has taught to communicate in sign language, back to where he believes she was born. Karen Ross (Laura Linney) is looking for a missing expedition sent by her company, TraviCom, which was after special diamonds that could revolutionize the telecommunications business. The expedition faces many perils on the way to their destination, from deadly hippos to the dangerous gray gorillas who guard the area around the Lost City of Zinj. Zach and Chris discuss the tease of Bruce Campbell at the beginning of the movie, Taco Bell product placement, why TraviCom doesn't switch to manufacturing laser weapons, the suave coolness of Ernie Hudson, and more.
You can watch Congo on PlutoTV or rent or buy it from services like Amazon, Apple TV, and Fandango at Home. Next week, we try to avoid getting infected by the Rage Virus and revisit 28 Days Later as the long-awaited third entry in the series, 28 Years Later, hits theaters.
We want to hear your comments and feedback. Send them all to contact@everythingaction.com. Also, let us know your suggestions for movies for us to discuss.
Please subscribe, rate, and review us on Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Spotify, or wherever you get podcasts. You can also find the podcast on YouTube.
Check us out on Twitter (@evaction), Facebook (www.facebook.com/everything.action), and Instagram (@everything.action).
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Transcript
Introduction to Everything Action Cast
00:00:03
Speaker
Welcome to the Everything Action Cast, the official podcast of EverythingAction.com.
00:00:18
Speaker
Hello and welcome to the Everything Action Cast, the podcast week of June 9th, 2025. I'm your host, Zach. I'm your co-host, Chris.
Nostalgia for Congo: A 90s Adventure Film
00:00:26
Speaker
And this week we are heading into the African jungle and talking about Congo, which came 30 years ago this week. came out on June 9th, 1995. Really being sold as a spiritual successor to Jurassic Park, which... i don't know about you, Chris, but that really made me hyped for Congo when it was coming out. It's a new Jurassic Park?
00:00:45
Speaker
Alright. I think I saw the the original trailer where it's like, what's in the jungle? It was like very it was like a teaser trailer. It wasn't like you saw clips from the movie. You saw like... Just like cool jungle stuff.
00:00:57
Speaker
But like yeah this was during the time in the 90s where like jungle things were just in. Everything was jungle. Yeah. Yep. Kids movies, ah adventure movies, action movies. it like Everyone was just like going through the jungle.
00:01:13
Speaker
But I mean yeah mean, they really saw it. It's like from the author of Jurassic Park, you know, it's ah it's a new Michael Crichton adaptation. It's ah strange creatures in a jungle, in like a tropical setting.
00:01:26
Speaker
And, like like, promotion level, too. They were, like, you know, toy line, Taco Bell tie-in. i mean, the Volcano menu came from Congo. you think the... Wait, was it was this the era where, like, it came out before the movie or, like, after those tie-ins?
00:01:45
Speaker
Oh, the tie-ins. Like, had to had to be... I think it's always before, just to, like, hype you know get you hyped for the movie. Like... It's like, oh man, come come eat the the Volcano Tacos and then see Congo in like a month.
00:02:01
Speaker
Yeah, that kind makes sense. But was Congo 95? So that era of Taco Bell like promotion tie-ins was bizarre. Because it was like, I think at around the same time, Congo was geared towards teens, but then like it it was like, oh, hey kids, like don't you want to own the toy and like enjoy this burrito?
00:02:24
Speaker
Yeah, I don't i don't think Taco Bell had like, they didn't have Congo like kids meal toys. Oh, they did. but They did? Okay. And watches. That's what it was, watches, yep. That's looking at real quick. I'm like, wait, I don't remember a toy because it's like, yeah, like the toy line was a gamble um that I think only like you said, like you you got like a few of them.
00:02:47
Speaker
Well, I had the Keter toys, which were perfectly in line with Jurassic Park toys. So
Congo's Jungle Setting and Themes
00:02:53
Speaker
could just add them into like whatever, you you know, that Grant and Muldoon and toys. You could put Monroe in the Jurassic Park Jeep.
00:03:06
Speaker
And then hunt down gorillas and dinosaurs.
00:03:10
Speaker
And they really went all with gorilla toy. ah the like the toy line is like so much more like exciting and like just like um than the movie gorillas because it's like there's like all these like very like they all like personalities and it's like there's like this whole look like like gang of gorillas they're like like like uh like are fighting the all the characters it's like you get the movie it's like they're all the same just like guys in suits
00:03:42
Speaker
you know who who you don't Who you don't see, we like, they tease them at the beginning, and then you don't see them until, really, until the last 20 minutes of the movie. Yeah, you you think based on, like, the idea of the Congo, it's about, like, monkeys and stuff, but it's really just, like, the Congo setting is, like, most dangerous, and most of the dangerous is, like, the African Civil War that's happening.
00:04:08
Speaker
Yeah, it's it's it's much more like a like ah classic adventure where but the expedition to the place they're going to is like the danger of the adventure. like There's animals, there's weather, there's, yeah, political dangers.
00:04:24
Speaker
And then don't get to the actual like selling point in the movie, which is these crazy mutant great gorillas until like the final act. And I think that's like what a lot of people thought they'll see more of, but It takes a while. In fact, I think at some point you forget about them.
00:04:40
Speaker
Yeah. Until, like, they pretty much get to the city of Zmir. Zing. Zing. And then... Zing! It totally is like... and It becomes like the King Solomon's treasure movie.
00:04:54
Speaker
Well, that's how it was... sleep Like, Michael Crane pitched that pitch this as, like, a King Solomon's mine movie for Sean Connery. Because they worked together on ah The Great Train Robbery. So they worked on that movie, and then Michael Carr was like, i want to write ah I'm going to write a movie specifically for Sean Connery where it's like basically King Solomon's minds. It wasn't fun. I feel like it would have been a great time.
00:05:18
Speaker
Well, it's ironic because, you know, Sean Connery's last movie was playing Alan Quartermain one of the worst movies of all The Astro-Royant Gentleman. That, like,
Congo's Place in 90s Jungle Mania
00:05:29
Speaker
caused him to quit acting.
00:05:32
Speaker
You know, people said that's a bad movie, but, like, just, like, If you think of it great rental, it's fun. But if you think that movie as, like, you know, you paid good money, like... If you go in with, like, proper expectations.
00:05:48
Speaker
Yeah, like, I wasn't a fan of the book series yet until I saw that, and then i was like, I need to read the original. i read the original, was like, wow, they they got this wrong. Yep. This is this one instance where, like, Alan Moore is completely right.
00:06:03
Speaker
So, but Congo definitely was, like, um the era of the Jungle Mania. I think this was a year before Ace Ventura 2 Pet Detective. ah like Or back to the... Wherever Ace Ventura 2 was.
00:06:20
Speaker
Nature Calls. Nature Calls, yeah. It's the same year. Oh my god.
00:06:27
Speaker
Yeah, I mean, we we like we were like yeah we were like digging into like jungle movies and it's like, the list is crazy. Jumanji, Ace Ventura 2, Mowgli movie, Jungle to Jungle, Anaconda, Mighty Joe Young.
00:06:47
Speaker
yeah we i I didn't discover how much of the 90s movies took place jungle. I'm not sure these days how kid movies are promoted like this. like it It comes in like every five years is like a jungle movie.
00:07:00
Speaker
But most of them have been Jumanji movies now. Yeah, Jumanji movies. Like,
Personal Memories of Congo
00:07:06
Speaker
Red Notice. It's like this like The Rock is the person keeping, like, Jungle movies alive.
00:07:12
Speaker
Jungle Cruise. Yep. Once you kind of said that, it's like, he just likes the jungle. But, I'm surprised if they ever did a remake of Congo, The Rock would not want to be, like, he would want to be in it.
00:07:27
Speaker
he's He's Peter. He's, like, I mean, he basically was Peter, like, Peter Elliot in, like, Rampage. He's got a special connection with a gorilla. Yeah. ah so So, growing up, remember this movie was like like... This was the older brother to Jurassic Park, almost, because there's no theme park to kind of lure you into the story. This is straight up like, hey, we're going into a dangerous place that doesn't have a jeep.
00:08:00
Speaker
you know like There's no safety part of civilization. This is the ah More mature, like, I guess more realistic if you went to the Congo and just did all this, where Jurassic Park is still like a fantasy theme park.
00:08:14
Speaker
Mm-hmm. So I definitely remember, like, this movie was introduced to me through, like, relatives. Like, an older cousin was like, hey, you want to see Congo? i'm like, okay. Okay.
00:08:26
Speaker
And not like, oh, cool, dinosaurs. you know it's like At least for me, like from that perspective. So I think I've seen this movie a couple times through like rarely catching it on TV to like you basically have to hunt for it.
00:08:42
Speaker
And then I watched it through Pluto TV because streaming services really don't carry this movie too much. Also,
Congo's Plot and Technological Themes
00:08:51
Speaker
make sure sure if you're on Pluto, make sure you watch the English version because there's also a Spanish version.
00:08:57
Speaker
Hey, I mean, up the ante.
00:09:01
Speaker
ah But yeah, let's get into the story about this telecommunications like plot.
00:09:09
Speaker
Which i I still, yeah, it still doesn't make a lot of sense. So there's Travacom run by Arby Travis, who's played by Jonah Baker, in fronting-at-the-mouth capitalist mode.
00:09:24
Speaker
Like, literally, the only thing he cares about is money. He's, like, he and he's, like, he's also, like, paranoid. He's, like, constantly, like, locking out people from, like, the control room. But he's just, like, yeah, he's just, like, I don't care about anything except money!
00:09:37
Speaker
I think he's losing money, so he's paranoid that everyone's stealing, like, his secrets, maybe? This, yeah, this hit this new laser, like, this laser telecommunications laser that they're trying to get off the ground is, like, the new, that's gonna be his cash cow.
00:09:54
Speaker
too save the company, or like put them in like a new like ah ah new era of the company. But they need these specific diamonds from the Congo to power the laser that powers the satellites.
00:10:10
Speaker
And it's it's not like they had the diamond. They had to go there to see if the diamond was real, and then put it in their laser tester gun.
00:10:21
Speaker
And then once that was confirmed, that the presence of the diamonds were there because they use like shards and it was that powerful for shards. So they wanted to get like the real thing to mine.
00:10:36
Speaker
um And, you know, the movie sets it up where it's like Bruce Campbell plays Travis's son. what ah what ah What a tease. Yep. What a big tease. The movie have been a little bit different if Bruce Campbell was actually like more in this movie. If he's the actual like lead character.
00:10:55
Speaker
So it's like they don't tell TravisCon where they are. That's like a big point. It's like, hey, where are you? I'll send you my coordinates later. Bye. Like they they don't say I'm here.
00:11:07
Speaker
It's yeah more like I'm somewhere in this territory. I'll see you later. I will get the credit. that They're like, you know, their satellite video communications is pretty good. um my God. It's like it's like's like Skype level or like Zoom level now.
00:11:23
Speaker
Yeah, I'm like, wait, your telecommunication company is awesome. why Why are you not leading the race? AT&T's beating you? You have you have like pretty clear video communications between like Houston, Texas and the Congo.
00:11:39
Speaker
But for some reason, they're losing. Yeah, losing money or they need but they need like ah this like new technology. What are they powering that satellite on that like is costing them so much money? It's like,
00:11:54
Speaker
oh, we use human souls to communicate. We need a soul, like, a week in order to power our satellites. Well, it kind kind of... The book makes it make little bit more sense because there's a rival consortium.
00:12:07
Speaker
It's also after the Diamonds that is, like, a rival to Trevacom. So they have like, get there before this this Like, it's, like, Japan, the Netherlands, and Germany formed, like, a like this, like, corporation consortium.
00:12:20
Speaker
And they're, like, trying to get the Diamonds to do the same thing, basically. See, that makes more sense. Which they they could, like, the for some reason in this movie, they do kind of, like, do that, but then it's all it's just another, like, Travicon plane that they send after them later on.
00:12:35
Speaker
Like, because that, the book that's, like, that plane that finally crashes is, like, a Sordian plane.
00:12:43
Speaker
Oh, that makes sense, like, you need another company. You need, like, a rival thing. Yeah, they need an engine. They need an engine. So, without it, it's weird because, like, yeah, there's a certain, there's a certain, like, theme in a lot of Michael Crichton books.
00:12:57
Speaker
There's always, like, the one company that has, like, one corporation that has something, and then there's a rival corporation that's, like, trying to send its own, like, corporate support. They're gonna use it for evil. Mm-hmm. So...
00:13:08
Speaker
I don't mind that same repeat, but I think like whoever produces whatever the like board was like, hey, you can't have that again. People might see that. It's too close to the year. It's like two years in a row.
00:13:20
Speaker
There were two movies in a row from Crichton that were like very similar. Yeah.
00:13:27
Speaker
That would don't have made Jonah Baker's like you know create like craziness make more sense, though. Because he's like, he's like if the rival consortium was like super close to like getting the diamonds and technology, that's why he's like freaking out, because he he wants to get it first.
00:13:41
Speaker
And then he's he's willing to do anything to like get there first. Yeah. and prices um um like It makes more sense in that tone. Because in this, it's like, he looks generically evil. well he's It's not even like, he doesn't slowly become more and more crazy. like He starts out in 10.
00:13:58
Speaker
I'm just like screaming about money and like, yeah I don't care! The only thing I want is those diamonds! Give me those diamonds!
00:14:08
Speaker
And then Karen's like, alright. You at least, yeah you understand it more. Like, there's more context.
Amy the Gorilla and Her Role
00:14:16
Speaker
I don't mind him being crazy. That's fun.
00:14:21
Speaker
yeah He's just constantly screaming about diamonds. And then ah Laura Linney, Karen, is like, alright, I'll go get diamonds, but if you if you show me that you only care about diamonds, then I'm gonna make you pay. But he's already like established that he only cares about diamonds, that's it.
00:14:40
Speaker
Yeah, it becomes like Diamond Mania to him. The movie does a really good setup of explaining that these diamonds are in a place that is very like remote.
00:14:53
Speaker
Or it's like super like mysterious and like um like ruined for a reason. Ruins near like an active volcano guarded by mutant great gorillas.
00:15:08
Speaker
We'll get back to that volcano part. That is just like the icing on the cake. It's like a hat and a hat. It's like there's there's like great gorillas but also like this volcano is going blow up.
00:15:20
Speaker
So um yeah but like ah Travis Co. has got his own problem. Then you get like the or like Stanford, like ah whatever university that's teaching Amy about like sign language and then like dealing with PTSD. Yeah, you have Dylan Walsh, who is Peter Elliott. He's a primatologist.
00:15:41
Speaker
Then he's got you grant has future future Oscar winner her Grant Heslov with him as his like research assistant. And they're, yeah, they they have Amy, who is a gorilla that they taught sign language, but also shows up She has a power glove that she can put it on and then it lets her talk with like an electronic voice.
00:15:59
Speaker
Also, why is that not like a real thing these days? they show They show that video. like Peter has that presentation where it's like they're showing a guy using it and it's like he's like, that's the first time I ever heard my voice and he's like super emotional about it It's like, yeah, why is why is that not like a like have like a translator for sign language or something so but people people like you can like hear people like hear it in, like ah like, an audio way.
00:16:24
Speaker
for Well, it's only for our benefit, so we don't need to learn sign language. So we can just, like, listen to them, so I get why, like, the need. But just, even if you don't understand sign language, because it's hard to do, like, ASL.
00:16:40
Speaker
Or not ASL, like, whatever the but like sign language language. I know there's, like, two different dialects for it. But, yeah, man, like, i would like that. So that way, there's some, like, bridging, you know, there's a gap.
00:16:53
Speaker
making Making communications easier and stuff. And this movie's all about communications. In some way. In some It's weird. It's a satellite about communications. It's communication with a monkey. It's also communication about your tribe. Or like your home.
00:17:08
Speaker
um So wouldn't that make sense? But I mean. This movie has so many different plot points. That could be it's own thing. Like. The monkey.
00:17:20
Speaker
The movie begins almost like a Disney movie. Of. of like hang out with this monkey, like these two frat bro scientists, like having fun and feeding junk food to the monkey. And they're, they're like their table full of Taco Bell. Just like, be like, yep. Taco Bell sponsors this movie guys. Just, yeah just so you know, Amy is full of beans.
00:17:39
Speaker
Yep. and I think we ah we also have to mention that Amy is a full, uh, like performer in a suit. It's this, it's this crazy complicated Stan Winston suits, uh, with like, um,
00:17:52
Speaker
I think, like, computer, like, they, like, did, like, this, like, new technique for, like, doing the eyes on, like, a lathe, and they're, like, computer-controlled facial movements.
00:18:04
Speaker
um Which, I mean, at the time, it seems like that like this was, like, you know, cutting-edge, like, animatronic stuff. um Now, looking back now, it's kind of like, it's like, oh, yeah, it's definitely person of suits.
00:18:18
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah, as a kid, ah you just sort of suspend belief. Like, wow, this could be a monkey. you know But now, I um ice did not watch a 4K version of this on Pluto.
00:18:33
Speaker
You could definitely tell, okay, they got like definitely a smaller statued person to cram themselves in this monkey suit. well there's There's a great bit of trivia where Michael Crayon, for like his original version, he wanted a real gorilla just play Amy and then like they're like the studios were like no you have a really real gorilla he's like well I'm go i'm i'm leaving this project then so that's how my great left projects because he couldn't get a real gorilla to play Amy so they just like he sold the rights or you think he i' um I'm just that that was like in like the 80s like the early 80s okay like he was like we need a real gorilla to play like to like in this movie and they're like uh no we can't really can't do that
00:19:18
Speaker
And then they were CG, they were thinking about doing CG because obviously Jurassic Park came out two years before this and had like incredible CG. But we were, the fur technologies were not with the spark power yet. We weren't up to Monsters Inc. yet to make CGI fur look good.
00:19:39
Speaker
and I feel like this, the suit work is still pretty good for like practical. It's just, you know, it, It now kind looks like a Godzilla. Yep. But I mean, it's fine. like Yeah, good it's fun.
00:19:55
Speaker
It doesn't really like destroy the movie where like you see the seam or the zipper or anything. No. but yeah but yeah
Challenges and Cultural Encounters in the Expedition
00:20:04
Speaker
But Amy's having PTSD of some sort of like jungle and like like this like big eye and then um they they want they want they want their goal is to take her to the Congo and then try have her teach mountain gorillas sign language. If those gorillas can learn sign language, then they can use Amy to translate, basically. Basically talk between species.
00:20:30
Speaker
But one wants to fund that. So then insteps Tim Curry as Horkimer Homolka, the Romanian philanthropist.
00:20:42
Speaker
Who, like, Here's the thing. Does he keep going to like different colleges, lectures, to see like monkey technology? What what what will what would get like what willll get him to the Congo? because yeah like Any project that's something from the jungle or the Congo, he's like, ooh, I'll go. Because he's obsessed with finding Zing.
00:21:06
Speaker
apparently Apparently he's had like numerous disastrous expeditions to the Congo to find Zing. But, like, was he just looking in the wrong places all the time?
00:21:16
Speaker
guess, yeah, yes yeah yeah yeah he didn't he didn't have, like, an exact... He was, like, just going into the jungle and trying to find it.
00:21:24
Speaker
I feel like since he's done multiple attempts, he should say, okay, let's not go that route, let's do this. Because it seems like it's his first time going through Africa. Yeah. There's a lot of, like, misdirection, I guess, about him. Because once he reveals, I think at the second act, that, like, he's actually...
00:21:41
Speaker
pretty well known in the African smuggling circle that he's just led terrible expositions. some That's one thing I noticed in this rewatch is that there's a lot of scenes, like someone will bring up something in like a previous scene and then they'll address it in the next scene, but the next the next scene is probably like hours or... In the time, if you think about them on this expedition, it's probably been like hours since so that person mentioned that thing. So like, Ernie Hudson, we'll get to him a little bit, mentions like, oh, I know this i know this guy. He's led bunch of bad expeditions. And like, next scene, which is like hours later, like, hey, aren't you that guy who led those bad expeditions? Or like, tell us about those expeditions you led that were failed.
00:22:26
Speaker
they did They sat in a truck together and they had to drive on a plane and it's like, they they just didn't talk? Yeah, they just wait hours and they're like, oh, hey, you mentioned that thing out like yesterday. Let's talk about that now.
00:22:46
Speaker
It's like, ah you were a... They said you were a CIA agent, Karen Ross. like like yeah remember that Remember yesterday when they said that? like Let's talk about that today.
00:22:58
Speaker
Yeah, it'ss it's just so it's like a weird script thing. of like They probably should have like been talking about this already. Which, its it's like, only for our benefit. Because, because in our time, it's been only been like, two minutes or three minutes.
00:23:14
Speaker
But think about, for them, it's been hours or days. At least, like, days, right? Like, or or, I don't know how big Africa is, like, cross if they're not traveling, like.
00:23:26
Speaker
Eventually, I mean, eventually they're on foot, they're on foot trying to make their way through the jungle, so. I mean, that takes a while to get through. Yeah, but like they at least have those kind of important hashing out conversations while they're leaving the borders of each area.
00:23:41
Speaker
Which is something I kind of did not notice until like this rewatch. How much like the borders play a big role, where it's like what territory owns what by what warlord. Yeah. And then there's still the president who is not running his country well.
00:23:55
Speaker
Or does every area have like a different president?
00:23:59
Speaker
I mean, i think I think they go through three different countries. They they they fly into Uganda. That's where they first end up. And then that's... Uganda's in the middle of a civil war because like they land they land there and the president's... like I don't if it's the president's car on the runway blows up, but like a car blows up on the runway and then like, oh, yeah, there's we have like a rebels are fighting like the president of the country.
00:24:24
Speaker
And then they they go if they go through Tanzania and zaia then into Zaire. But I think the Zaire is the one that like... is is that They close the border to like Zaire. And they don't explain why. They're just like, oh, you have to do like Smuggle Run to get into Zaire.
00:24:44
Speaker
Which is weird because they bribed Delroy Lindo in like one of the best scenes in the entire movie. And he's uncredited. He's like yeah one scene and done. You think it would be some sort of recurring role or something. He's really great in that one, memorable in that one scene.
00:24:58
Speaker
there's There's a bunch of people who are like, yeah, like in like one scene, like we mentioned Bruce Campbell's in the beginning. That's it. Yeah. Delroy was in one scene. Joey Pants shows up for two scenes, but the like combined, they're like basically equivalent, like one scene.
00:25:12
Speaker
yeah dont i mean I feel like the Delorealino scene became like a meme just because of like the, yo, stop eating my sesame cake! And like Tim Curry's insane like eating the cake and then sping it out.
00:25:29
Speaker
I mean, tip Tim Curry is at his like most like Tim Curriest in this movie. like He's going full Curry.
00:25:37
Speaker
With his accent and all his crazy facial expressions and like sayings.
00:25:48
Speaker
but yeah I appreciate that like Tim Curry is able to do like every accent he he's got in his movie. I don't think he's ever done like a true Romanian accent, because it just sounds like his Russian-English accent blended together and into his Romanian.
00:26:08
Speaker
i It's like, I will get send me home.
00:26:12
Speaker
will not trust me. You know, like, oh okay, he's just mushing words now. Yeah.
00:26:21
Speaker
But I guess the the big like character that has become my fan favorite, has always been my fan favorite, is Captain Monroe, like the Ernie Hudson. Ernie Kelly, baby, yeah. He is is the Han Solo of this movie.
00:26:37
Speaker
Ernie Hudson, he is the coolest motherfucker on the planet. He's got that suave voice. yep he's look He looks awesome. How have he ever done an English accent?
00:26:49
Speaker
i like There should have been like, like just spin-off movies of just him on other adventures. I would see it. It's like, does he have a Twitter? Does he have like like, hey man, can we make a Monroe movie?
00:27:02
Speaker
Yeah. Just like, back to the Congo? Or like, Monroe's Revenge?
00:27:10
Speaker
But yeah, his introduction's great. It's like, there's he's, they land in Uganda, a civil war breaks out, or he's already started. And he's just like, alright, well, time to go. like He hijacks a cargo van. Yep.
00:27:23
Speaker
He's like, get out. He's like, run run. Yeah, go ahead. Run away. And yeah yeah he's he's got Joey Pants as like his guy like supply guy to like get him like supplies and get him, I guess, transport.
00:27:39
Speaker
He's getting him a plane. and Yeah, he's like his other end of the smuggling. He's like the logistics guy. yeah You know, again, we're talking about all this. This has nothing to do with the monkeys. This is just this is
Themes of Greed and Technology in Congo
00:27:51
Speaker
the peed.
00:27:52
Speaker
No, yeah. I mean, ah okay, if you think about Kraken stories, a lot of it is like the human greed and then like the opportunities to exploit it. I think the only Westworld think Westworld is the only one where like the ah like product itself is like out of control.
00:28:11
Speaker
Not like someone turns off a security system Or there's just like, oh, evil corporations doing something. This is just literally, hey, the Congo itself is wild.
00:28:25
Speaker
And like you just need enough money and men and then lasers to survive it.
00:28:32
Speaker
And then ah also the talking ape just becomes like a background character for all this. Like everyone like points it out. Hey, a monkey. like Yes. so Amy does nothing. It is more of like a thing when they fly, like Amy in the air. Otherwise, they're like, all right, well, come on, Amy, get in the truck. All right.
00:28:49
Speaker
All right, Amy, like sit in this for 10 hours. It's like a car ride. I do like that. Like she like wants to smoke. And then everyone i was like, oh, you want here you go.
00:29:00
Speaker
Well, mean, it's still like a full gorilla that, like, i don't think they're going to win in a one-on-one hand flight. and And also, like, like Amy drinks a martini on the plane. yeah she's had it before.
00:29:12
Speaker
see likely there's there's a like a frat bro nature to like the scientist that, like, in itself is a Disney movie. Like, Richard and, like, pes Peter, they they are just, like, giving alcohol to an ape.
00:29:27
Speaker
And they're teaching it sign language. And then they're like, this is great. And feeding it Taco Bell. Probably, yeah. So I'm not sure if that's the perfect formula. Like, are they proposing in this study? You know, someone goes, hey, what are you feeding Amy? It's like, don't, I'm not going answer that question.
00:29:44
Speaker
Like, yeah, they like an important meeting with like investors or like philanthropists. And then Amy's like, give me green, green, green drink, green, green drop drink.
00:29:56
Speaker
She's like, wait, what is that? It's like, oh, it's nothing. like but Did the Crunchwrap come out around this time? I don't know. feel like Crunchwrap was, like, after this. Amy, want Crunchwrap.
00:30:11
Speaker
Amy, want Volcano Taco. Well, okay, because it's got a... You can't... It doesn't know the sign, like... um certain product names i think the language doesn't have that finesse so it'd be like give me round taco like it would it would be like that like it wouldd be spicy taco yeah but like knowing this movie and knowing taco bell they'll be like there's a hand language gesture for like what would you give me nacho grande like because because pepsi was also like a big sponsor of this movie yeah like i don't think sign language is like at least back then there might be more slang now but i feel like
00:30:47
Speaker
in the language, there's not, like, exactly that word. Like, the product doesn't have the hand gesture for it. Like, you have to spell it out. Like, you would have to then say, if you want something, you have to, like, spell, like, P-E-P-I-S.
00:30:59
Speaker
Like, you to say that. So, like, there would be, like, this pause where like, like, Amy want C-R-U-N-T. But, like, because the movie's obligated to, like, promote, like, there'll be this, like, one-minute point where, like, Amy's just listing items off the menu. Like,
00:31:18
Speaker
or Or there there comes like some sort of like other name, like a name that she could sign, it's like, oh, you mean a Crunchwrap? And then holds that to the camera. Oh my god. That is a missed opportunity.
00:31:30
Speaker
Amy, want Crunchy Treat. Crunchy Treat? You mean the most delicious treat from Taco Bell? Alright, Amy, here's a Crunchwrap.
00:31:43
Speaker
It sounds stupid, but there's a, there I don't know, I was like, Demolition Man, I don't mind it in this era of like Taco Bell promotions. Where they're just going there was like trying to like, we're the new we're the new McDonald's. we're We'll sponsor things.
00:31:57
Speaker
Well, it's like you know what's really cool if you think about it. like McDonald's won't be in too many violent things, but Taco Bell does not care. It's like, oh, it's movie about killer apes? Fuck yeah, we'll be in it. like yeah Put our products in there.
00:32:09
Speaker
Our heroes fuel them.
00:32:13
Speaker
They should have, like, a show like one of the crates they brought should have been just, like, a Taco Bell crate. Oh my god, one of the crates they drop out the airplane? Yep. It's like, oh god, our tacos! That is Amy's food supply!
00:32:26
Speaker
We lost all of our tacos.
00:32:31
Speaker
I mean, they have literally everything else they could possibly bring on their expedition. They have rafts, they have turret guns, they have tons of other normal guns, they have lasers, they have
00:32:44
Speaker
Satellite equipment. bit Air conditioning units. Yes. so it's So that's where like the Laura Linney's ah like CIA background, where she just is prepared for excursions.
00:33:01
Speaker
I guess she's also like she's done jungle warfare before. And Trevacom is filling the bill. so there It's like John Hammond. It's like, spare no expense. Here's like, however ever much however much money you need for this expedition. Buy whatever the hell you want for this expedition.
00:33:19
Speaker
Just give me the diamonds. so they had like You figure, like, bring more men. you You know, like, Laura just shows up and it sort of wings the rest. She's like, I'll just keep paying for whoever.
00:33:34
Speaker
like I think Travis does say, hey, I'll send you a team, whatever, and she turns them down, I think. Well, Monroe's like, here i've I've got ten stout men that will join us.
00:33:45
Speaker
Let's go. but Was that part of the Travis budget? I'm sure their pay was probably was like from the budget. Okay. like they still need it more. like It just feels like not enough.
00:34:00
Speaker
But, I mean, they wanted to keep it convert. um vote convert Yeah, it's supposed to be... ah like Their cover is that it's the expedition to get Amy back to the Congo.
00:34:13
Speaker
Which, okay, so even the college one was like, it was just going to be... Without, like, Laura Linney and Monroe, the plan was to just... go with four, like, three, like, four of them in an express plane and go? Like, that was the plan?
00:34:31
Speaker
If Tim Curry wasn't a con man who didn't have any money, if he if he actually funded i had the money to fund expedition, it'd be Tim Curry, Peter, Richard, and then they hired, like, Monroe says they mentioned, like or, like, the Joey Pants said he mentioned, like, they hired, like, a bird expert or something, or, like, a naturalist to, like, be their guide.
00:34:52
Speaker
then then Joey Pants is like, yeah, I've heard that if heard him, you you would have killed. Right. So then they hired Monroe. Yeah. so But like, Lauren Linney didn't hire Monroe.
00:35:05
Speaker
Like, that was through um Herkimer, who then the guy that they contacted in the jungle was Joy Pants, who's like, your budget is not right for this. I mean, Lauren Linney then backed them up more money.
00:35:20
Speaker
Well, I think after she paid for the fuel for the plane, And then basically basic then basic shot hi she hijacked the entire expedition. And I don't know if she talked to Joey Pants, but Joey Pants was like, hey, I got all your like i or like your list of stuff, Laura Linney.
00:35:38
Speaker
like I got your machine guns, all your like other stuff you requested. Okay, that makes more sense. But okay, it also seems like Peter and and Richard are just woefully unprepared. for Oh, yeah. they've They've not left that campus. They've never left that city.
00:35:53
Speaker
It's like they've never been to the jungle. they never like knew they There's no survival training for them. like They never took a course of like, hey, do all this. And they're just like, well, we'll go. like We'll drag this gorilla there that, you know... It'll just be a nice hike into the jungle. It's like the
Adventure and Technology: Congo's Unique Blend
00:36:10
Speaker
most dangerous, dense jungle in like the entire world.
00:36:14
Speaker
I mean, not even the jungle. It's like like the airport's in danger. It's so much that I'm like, wow, they messed up on this. Yeah, and like what happened it like if Laura Linney wasn't with them and they got like ah arrested, they they would just be like in like Congo jail. or like ah You got in jail forever, basically.
00:36:31
Speaker
The warlord doesn't have like justice. It's sort of like, hey, you just live here now. Because the only reason they get out is because Laura Linney pays them $50,000 leave and go across the border.
00:36:43
Speaker
leave and go across the border I also think like they would have just taken Amy. Probably. Where did Amy go during this scene? Yeah, where were they holding her? Because they're holding Peter and Richard in this interrogation room. Yeah, and then they're asking Amy, and they're like, shut up!
00:37:04
Speaker
but but don't Don't worry about your gorilla right now. i mean, there's this funny scene during that interrogation where Richard goes, ah, this is Kaka. And he's like, who is Kaka? He's like, this is Kafka-esque, and he's like, who's Kafka?
00:37:18
Speaker
Oh, yeah, yeah. I thought it was Kaka. And he's like, ah. but because No, it's Kafka, because they're like asking them like circular questions. and like that like Every answer they give just like leads to like another question.
00:37:32
Speaker
Yeah, it's like a crazy movie through that. That itself would have been its own drama. But, again, nothing to do with the the evil monkeys yet. Yep.
00:37:43
Speaker
But, You know, during this time, you kind of, like, are, like, waiting for it, but you get used to everything. You get used to the dynamic. You get really interested about the expedition. um and then just the awesome scene where Monroe and and Linda, I mean, where... um Karen.
00:38:00
Speaker
What? Karen. Or Lydia. Yeah. They're protecting the train, ah the the airplane with flares. Yep. Cool ass scene. Mm-hmm. But also feel like they ran out of flares because they abandoned that that plane after that. They're like, we gotta go.
00:38:17
Speaker
I don't know. It's like, what, you can't keep firing flares?
00:38:22
Speaker
Yeah, i like... I guess... When the pilots bail? Because pilot the pilots bailed fairly early. because like but like they like You don't see that. That's more like a comical thing where it's like, look there, they're gone. like How? like There's no other door.
00:38:37
Speaker
Is there a secret door that they just jumped out of? Yeah, they would they would have pushed past her and was we're out of here! Yeah. yeah And it didn't seem like they like got out of that cabin and then like you know was like getting parachutes on.
00:38:51
Speaker
i dont you know't and don't think you ever see them again either. like you the power aren Their pilots aren't with them on the expedition. Nope, they definitely bailed and then they just left. Which, I guess they could walk out the jungle?
00:39:02
Speaker
Walk back to whatever country they came from?
00:39:12
Speaker
i think I think Jimmy Buffett is one of the pilots. I get him bailing. I get him bailing early. He's like, I'll see Margaritaville.
00:39:25
Speaker
And then Monroe is just bare holding with no straps, and then just like, I'll hold her down the entire time. Okay, that is like 400 pounds.
00:39:40
Speaker
of like And Amy's like knocked out because of that like that they drugged the banana to tranquilize her. So like she's she's like just like dead it's like dead dead gorilla weight is holding up. like She's helping grabbing support straps or anything.
00:39:51
Speaker
Bear hug, like you said, this unconscious gorilla, which I'm assuming she's full grown for her size or her species. That's still pounds. for grown ape.
00:40:04
Speaker
ah four hundred pounds is like ah starting weight like a fullgrown eight Or gorilla, because like, yeah they can easily weigh like 600? six hundred think, I don't know, I'm going to Google it. I wrong? Am I just like, are monkeys, are gorillas actually like really not that heavy to carry?
00:40:25
Speaker
Like a female gorilla is like 154 220 pounds. Really? the males are like close 400. Okay. Even still, like like close of four hundred okay so you even still like 200 pounds dead weight parachuting.
00:40:44
Speaker
Yeah, that's a lot. like Either Monroe is crazy strong or like...
00:40:53
Speaker
I mean, do you still to factor then for your like parachute? Because your parachute can only really hold one person before the weight can you down. Unless he has a parachute that's graded for like two people, he can handle that much weight.
00:41:06
Speaker
Again, a ti to parachute yeah unless he has like two parachutes or it's something because your descent is going to like significantly increase with that much weight. I mean, it works. It worked, but I'm like, wow, like that was lucky.
00:41:20
Speaker
It would be funny if Monroe was like, oh, like if this didn't work, like I was just going to like let go it. Oh, yes. would definitely let i definitely would drop Amy.
00:41:33
Speaker
Monroe looks out for Monroe. Yeah, Monroe's, like, number one. Or it's, like, Monroe's not, when, like, no one's looking, Monroe throws Amy and one of those cargo, like, parachute containers.
00:41:47
Speaker
Kicks it out the door. So,
00:41:53
Speaker
yeah, so they survive that, and then sure a little bit after that, they, like, we get the, the, uh, hippo scene, which is also insane. that's a little further, um, But before we get to that, I kind of want to mention the... Wait, was the Hipple scene before after Amy finds another group of gorillas and then tries to communicate them with sign language?
00:42:16
Speaker
I think that's closer to when they get to the Zinge. Okay, so that was the Hipple scene. Hipple scene is great. Hipple scene is actually like practical because I think like a few of those Hipples are animatronic.
00:42:29
Speaker
Yeah, a two and a half ton robotic Hippo.
00:42:34
Speaker
And it's like only done for this one scene, and I'm i' surprised they didn't do a thing where like that hippo like killer hippos are chasing them through Africa. i mean, hippos are one of the most deadly creatures in and like the world, basically. like they got They nailed that part right.
00:42:50
Speaker
I did not know that. you know like They are territorial, they are vengeful, they kill for fun. like they They are like way more like dangerous than crocodiles. Yeah, they they kills they kill more people than crocodiles and sharks combined, or like some sort of crazy number, I think.
00:43:07
Speaker
I think because you don't see them, and they're underwater a lot, but even when you do see them, and if they're not like in a zoo, like they'll chase you. And oh yeah and they're like and they're like a lot faster than you think they are. And their teeth and their teeth have like like... Because they they have like those two like huge pointy teeth, it's like the amount of pressure they exert is that insane.
00:43:33
Speaker
you And think they kill, like, two of, like, Monroe's men. One of them definitely gets, like, wounded, but then, like, but like I think, like, but like, Kahega, like, his main guy's, it like, oh, we'll patch him up, it's fine. and ah
00:43:48
Speaker
so But... But they have to abandon their boats, and they have you know, make the rest of the journey on land. Because the river at night is, like, insane. I'm surprised they didn't try to do that during the day, then.
00:43:59
Speaker
Like... The nighttime has made it even scarier. yeah Yeah, because it's like you can't see this like giant hippo just swimming up to you, bursting out of the water.
00:44:10
Speaker
Yeah, that becomes like a horror movie. That scene is like another like, oh, is it it's like, do you think the gorilla is there? Like the evil gorilla is going to come out? Nope, it's a hippo. And it's pissed off for no reason.
00:44:22
Speaker
And they kind of shoot like a shark, like a Jaws kind of, where it's just like it's bumping on the boat a little bit. And then it's like, well, what's bumping the boat? It's like, oh, God, it's hippo.
00:44:33
Speaker
I mean, it was smart idea to use the river to, like, go down there and then, like, try to not walk, but then they realize that it's full of hippos at some point.
00:44:45
Speaker
And i think it's I think after that they find, ah like, the tribe finds them, that, like, ghost tribe. And then they run into, like, the what they one of the guys from, like, the failed expedition, like Bruce Campbell's expedition.
00:44:57
Speaker
Yeah, which, like, what a What's a coincidence? but like It's been days? Maybe? Weeks? Since the failed expedition?
00:45:10
Speaker
quite ah Quite a bit of time, yeah. see like you had like Because Carrie had to find who's going to the Congo and then yeah join them. and then they'd like you know all i mean It's been like like a few days since they've been like journeying into the jungle.
00:45:25
Speaker
so but okay So this seems a little confusing to me because... does this witch
Action Sequences and Final Confrontation
00:45:30
Speaker
doctor actually bring the soul back to life? And then the guy dies, or he's been... was just unconscious? Yeah, and yeah then he dies from fear, because he thinks the Amy is like the monkey. like You know, either way, he still dies again, but I couldn't tell if it's... Was it because of his injury? There's lot people that die from injuries that I don't know what killed them.
00:45:53
Speaker
Yeah, they kind Multiple people just kind scream and then die.
00:46:00
Speaker
from, like, unspecified injuries. but kind of they and They're covered in blood, but it's not really clear, like, what specifically killed them. They're just, like, they're kind just like, I'm dead now. i yeah I give up. well we'll get into that that I wrote that down as, like, a note later on, but this one specifically, because they introduced, like, maybe mythicism?
00:46:19
Speaker
Like, there's a voodoo village that is the, like, the peaceful tribe that, like, As long as you're nice, they'll show you their sacred ritual.
00:46:32
Speaker
Yeah, Monroe says they have like different levels of dead. So if they're saying like this guy's dead, he's not going to be dead, he might just be like but we what we we would say was unconscious or severely injured.
00:46:44
Speaker
And so another thing to point out is that this movie, I'm not sure if it's trying to be culturally sensitive or like just sort of playing around the idea, because I'm surprised no one was like, hey, you just can't introduce, like, voodoo in a movie that's supposed to almost take itself little serious.
00:47:04
Speaker
Yeah, i don't i don't think that was I don't think that was in the book. Yeah, it just it seems like out of place in the pacing. Imagine in Jurassic Park at some point, like, there's just a point where they come across some some Indonesian doctor who then does voodoo. like it just What? like You're already doing sci-fi. Stay with the sci-fi of like science.
00:47:24
Speaker
Don't introduce like supernatural.
00:47:32
Speaker
Unless they lean into it. Unless later on in the movie, like maybe Pete dies and then they voodoo him back. you know yeah um They don't do that. I feel like there so though like that the whole scene was kind of like a big like trailer scene.
00:47:43
Speaker
Because, like, you know, it's but check guys they can like they can like kind of, like, have that be, like, build up in the trailer of, like, Congo! Congo! Congo! Yeah, they do use that shot a few times.
00:47:55
Speaker
And I think in the game they use that. the Like, weird video game. to Like, but was that, like, a Sega CD game? Or was that, like, a... saturn It was, like, a first-person shooter game.
00:48:08
Speaker
Like, Doom, but, like, not with like With like FFV. Yeah, yeah. um But yeah, but the white tribe is pretty interesting just because they're like, hey, yeah, we we live near like this terrible area, but like we're fine.
00:48:22
Speaker
They don't mention like the the great apes and stuff like they do not warn them or anything. They're just like, well, your friend's dead. Yep. Bye. yeah but
00:48:35
Speaker
ah So, I think this is the scene right after i want to talk about is Amy getting sh like shunned by the gorillas. Peter encounters a gorilla, like a silverback, and then like they stand down from it.
00:48:51
Speaker
he he finally like yeah he He finally gets to use like his one skill like one survival skill, which he knows ah how gorillas act. Don't challenge them. And then...
00:49:03
Speaker
it pays off, but then I guess the gorilla's kind of, like, talking shit. And then Amy shows up and then is like, hey, my name's Amy, what's your name? And they're just like, fuck you, nerd.
00:49:16
Speaker
i think She has her power glove on, right? So she's doing this weird, like, computer voice. And it's funny, because it's shot like a comedy. Like, a very comedic, like, the apes turn around and, like,
00:49:30
Speaker
They, like, are the it apes, like the it crowd, and then Amy shows up and does this, and then they're just like... Get a load of this. Like, what the hell is this? and They don't even throw a poop at Amy. They just sort of like... You know, like, a gorilla would throw things with... Like, they're very, like... Body language is a lot.
00:49:48
Speaker
But you could tell from them just, like, walking, turning right around, like, gross. Like, they does he have that body language in it. Is, um... Taking off her power glove, is that the equivalent of like, you know, like a rom-com, like the the girl takes off her glasses? all this there down because this Because she ends up with that silverback.
00:50:08
Speaker
Yeah. Without her glove on. So it's like, like oh, you don't have that glove anymore? now you're Now I'm attracted to you.
00:50:17
Speaker
I think that's what happens at the end. like She kind of disappears from the third act. And the movie moves on. Yeah, because everyone's just hanging out in Zinj. And then she just like and just like like goes off and like hangs up with the gorillas for a while.
00:50:31
Speaker
The good gorillas. Do you even see that? No. It's just gone. It's off screen, right? Yeah. I think Pierce is like, oh you've been hanging out with gorillas. Yeah. But, like, she happens to, like, wear the power glove and, like, the expensive equipment and, like, runs off into the jungle. So, there has to be a scene where, for, like, a while, she's trying to seduce that big ape.
00:50:54
Speaker
That big gorilla. Where she's like, Amy, thank you, pretty. Well, I think Peter petere takes her glove off. He's like, oh, hey, like, that was that was embarrassing. Let's take this glove off.
00:51:05
Speaker
Oh. He doesn't say that's embarrassing, but, like, that's kind of the implication. No, that's the implication. It's like, oh they didn't like that. Let's take your glove They really hate sign language.
00:51:17
Speaker
But she also doesn't speak ape, so maybe they do. I don't know. They don't really show you how they communicate to each other, besides body language. But yeah, she's definitely not around for when they actually get to Zinge and they're like exploring and everything, and then they have to deal with the great gorillas until like the very, very end.
00:51:35
Speaker
So during that time, I feel like there's like a visual difference in the movie. I say that because during the one or two action sequences in this, like the cameras change.
00:51:47
Speaker
like It goes from a very steady cam, easy to follow sequence to very shaky cam. I'm not talking about the standout part, but you know what I mean? They're inside of the perimeter later.
00:51:58
Speaker
Yes. but we Actually, I thought about it. Let's talk about the scene where like they set up camp and then they do like the neon lighting and it kind of looks like Batman Forever for like that one scene. Well, it's it's it's crazy because they get to Zing.
00:52:13
Speaker
Richard and a bunch of guys get killed by the great gorillas. then they're just like, well, i guess we yeah but I guess we were stuck here. Let's just set yeah like oh I thought it was at a sequence.
00:52:25
Speaker
No, it's like it's like they get there and then, yeah, like the great gorillas attack for the first time. And then they camp right outside Zing. they're like, and they're like I think mar like and we're leaving in the morning we're leaving.
00:52:38
Speaker
So they are going to leave, but it's like, why don't you just try to leave now? but it's too hard to fight in the dark. I guess, yeah. I mean, they won't survive the night when they travel.
00:52:49
Speaker
It's easy just bunker down. but It's a cool last stand. I mean, not last stand. but It's like almost like Aliens, where they use all the turrets and all that. But they choose a very interesting lighting.
00:53:01
Speaker
It's like purple lit in the background, and then the turrets have some laser grid. that help like Does the purple light help with like night vision or something? No, purple neon does not give you a tactical advantage.
00:53:14
Speaker
It's also insane because you would think the lasers are just for like if they cross laser that's like you know a motion detector. It actually burns them. It's like full on like it's like a heat laser. What technology was this?
00:53:27
Speaker
They already had a different laser technology? They have a laser barrier that not only is it like, oh, it's not a force field, it's like it's a it's also like like a trap.
00:53:39
Speaker
Yeah. like Because like a couple of the grills like run into it and they it's like they get like they visibly like burned and sparks fly off them. Yeah, I didn't realize that like that they already had that. but you know It's weird because I saw this movie like today.
00:53:55
Speaker
And I heard details. I'm like, it just doesn't stick because it's so like it's brought up and then not mentioned again. The laser grid. that like I feel like there are other situations they could have done that against the hippo, maybe?
00:54:09
Speaker
Yeah, or something. But they just sort of don't. They use it as one cool scene. yeah they never They never set up like that barrier. but Every other time they're setting up camp, they never set their automatic guns or the turret or the laser grid or anything.
00:54:26
Speaker
Maybe they do, and they just never like you never like went off because nothing challenged them until like that night. Yeah, because they know there's something out there like killing people. Maybe.
00:54:36
Speaker
And they're alright, time to put up like the extreme defenses. But I think if the movie hinted at that earlier, where they're like, oh, we also have this laser grid system. Alright, cool. Because like at least they hinted at the laser weapon in the first act.
00:54:50
Speaker
Yeah. But not the like turrets and the laser grid.
00:54:56
Speaker
Do you feel like that was like not do you feel like that was like what was going to happen. They definitely like board influence. They're like, okay, we need to beef up the scene. We need to introduce a battle scene. We've got all these guns. We've got to shoot the guns.
00:55:14
Speaker
so and don't know if Kraken's story needed that. I bet you're not in there. I think that i think i is in in the book they're they do like... They're attacked a couple times when they grow gorillas. do have like a lot of like advanced tech for, advanced tech for, because the book that he plays in 1979, so, like, whatever is, like, high tech for 1979, they have.
00:55:37
Speaker
Machine gun? Yeah. A machine gun on a stick? Mm-hmm. Like an automatic, like, something, like 70s version of, like, an automatic weapon, like an automatic turret?
00:55:48
Speaker
Just, like, a bunch of rocks in a can weighing down a gun trigger. Mm-hmm. i not sure if automatic gun turret was, like, a thing back then. They pretty much, like, Oh, we'll just do, like, cover fire then go to bed.
00:56:02
Speaker
Like, they just go to sleep with a gun just going off every few minutes.
00:56:09
Speaker
Yeah, because because before they only get to deal with, like, monkeys, like like, fucking each other in the middle of the night. Because there was ah there one night where, like, it's like the monkeys are just going crazy and then everyone was like, he has ah this classic, like, every every monkey for 20 miles thinks they're Elvis Presley.
00:56:28
Speaker
Yeah, that's, it's interesting because then Amy sort of then like, oh I should be doing that. I can't wait to be doing that. it's You know, okay, so there's like, the movie really does the whole like, romance angle between Amy and Peter.
00:56:42
Speaker
like a couple Weirdly, yes. Weirdly, and then when that happens, it's like, oh, yeah, they're not compatible. and she's And she's jealous of Karen. like She's like, ugly woman, ugly woman.
00:56:57
Speaker
Yeah. She's all like, she's going to steal her Taco Bell, so she's defending her territory. but the create the The craziest thing is when Amy wants to stay and she's like, like, Peter Relez is like, she's like, met that, like, Silverback, and they're going to be together. He's just like, oh, you're you're with him?
00:57:15
Speaker
er i thought I thought it was, you you're with me, Amy. like I thought we were together. Amy, over you. Yeah. Well, she's she she's like, but Amy, mother, Amy, mother, when she's like protecting him.
00:57:30
Speaker
like She's like, I think of you more as my son, Peter, not as a mate. We are going to redefine our relationship, Peter. And she just signs boundary.
00:57:44
Speaker
It's not you, it's me. I only see you like a son.
00:57:54
Speaker
It'd be funny to find out that Peter also has, like, a mother complex or something. And it's, like, a secret backstory that we don't... It's, like, if you only could tell by the first few minutes of the introduction, like, on the wall, there's, like, photos of, like, older women and him. That's why it doesn't work out. Like, that's why he never, like, tries to, like, do anything with Laura Linney.
00:58:15
Speaker
Yeah, because he doesn't see her as like like, a mother figure, only Amy. Mm-hmm.
00:58:23
Speaker
Yeah, it's weird, because I actually thought like there would romance thing between them, but they don't, and I like that. like I like that it's not a, hey, alright, well, there's only like one girl, one of these guys is going to start being into her, so it's like it's a very respectful, everyone like is independent.
00:58:39
Speaker
Yeah, not not even Monroe, he's suave, but he's not like hitting on her, he's like, yeah it's like oh, you're the CIA? like um that's You're very impressive. Yeah,
00:58:51
Speaker
yeah They do a good job of that. That's why I do appreciate that. Because even like what? Like Jurassic Park. It's Grant and Ellie. Yep. I mean, there's the.
00:59:04
Speaker
Malcolm. He's like, hey, what's up? Oh, you two are. Are you two exactly together? wo Yeah. ah like But you don't get that. There's no like there's no Malcolm in this movie.
00:59:17
Speaker
I mean, it's it's Tim Curry is like the, you know, yeah over the top crazy character. Yeah, but I like that he's more like a sleazebag con man, where he's like, how much money can I get? I'm all about the money.
00:59:30
Speaker
Even, like, he he's they're in the diamond, they're in like the fully in like the diamond mine, where the diamonds are, and Greg and Greg are sort of surrounding them. He's just like, come on, get case get the diamonds! Help me get the diamonds!
00:59:44
Speaker
don't think he sees them, or does he see them, but he doesn't care. I don't know how that one sneaks up on him, because like he just like it just appears in front of him. He's just like, oh, shit. I think it would be funny if they try to bribe the gorilla with diamonds.
00:59:58
Speaker
It's like, here, you want the diamond? Or if you pull out, like, a banana? You want a banana? Yeah. they made up Okay, so this movie also has a point where, like, they keep drugging Amy.
01:00:12
Speaker
Yep. Because that's how they're able to travel with Amy, because she's, like, asleep half the time. Or, like, drinking. Well, the only thing is the martini once in the plane, and then it's you now it's like drug bananas for rest of the They're putting whatever drug is in the banana.
01:00:30
Speaker
Gorilla Prozac. Yep. I think they said that. Again, it would have been a different movie if during that monkey scene, they try to give the the gray monkeys monkey Prozac. Drug drug drug bananas? They just throw a ah whole thing of drug bananas in there?
01:00:51
Speaker
And then Amy's trying to make peace first. Like, enjoy, banana, good times. But then, like, just like in like ah Teenage Ninja Turtles 2, it's like, okay, hey, no, it it doesn't work. You need, like, another active ingredient.
01:01:08
Speaker
um and then But then we wouldn't have gotten the insanity of, like, a Academy Award nominee Laura Linney blasting gorillas with a laser.
01:01:19
Speaker
Okay, so... At this point the movie, they're, like, already surrounded by these killer monkeys, which they discovered are just savaged, and then, like... They've been trained train to kill to kill. And then also, like, mutated through generations of, I guess, inbreeding, and then interspecies erotica, like, interspecies... Possibly, yeah. um But, like, they they pushed further into, like, their home or something. Like, they're in their, what used to be the city, which is only, like, five buildings.
01:01:51
Speaker
But, I mean, we don't see more of it because during this time, like, I mean, okay, so was Bruce Campbell killed in that spot or then killed and dragged?
01:02:08
Speaker
i feel i mean I feel like he they definitely were in that, he wasn't in that, like, cave where he did his final transmission, right? Well, no, I mean, he walked over, the found transmission, and then he went to Zinn, and then, because in his hand is a giant diamond.
01:02:24
Speaker
Yeah. So, like, he must have ran and then found a giant diamond, then gotten killed? he yeah He, like, he ran away after, like, when that, trend like, the transmission went down, and but he was, like, still, like, running away, and then he, like, ended up in, like, that cave, and they killed him in the cave.
01:02:39
Speaker
Yeah, I guess so. He ends up with the giant diamond in his hand. Yeah. Because it's
Congo's Cultural Impact and Legacy
01:02:43
Speaker
it's tim it him, it's him and guy that swam into, like, showed him, like, the like, passage underwater to get into, like, Zinge. Right, which his eyeball gets thrown at him.
01:02:51
Speaker
Yeah. But, like, it was convenient that, like, that diamond that he had, it worked well with Laura Linney's, like, laser gun. like the ja was Yeah, that was the ultimate perfect, like, that's the one that, like, the blue rare one that would, like, fully power the laser.
01:03:09
Speaker
What odds that, like, it perfectly, like, fit that gun. Mm-hmm. She didn't have to like chip it or anything. She's just like, okay, yeah, just put it in and here we go. The latest in telecommunication. Oh my god.
01:03:21
Speaker
Yeah, Laura Lee's just, like, dropping what, like, action hero one-liners. Don't mind it. It's pretty good. Put them on the container species list. would have been funny if during this time, like, AT&T or some other kind of, like, telecommunication.
01:03:38
Speaker
yeah They were just like, hey, like we don't have We don't have lasers, but what we do have is crystal clear communications across all countries. If you're making phone calls in the Congo, might as well get like Singular whatever. like Whatever brand was in the 90s.
01:03:54
Speaker
Was it like Bellawantic still around? I mean, they were still doing like, ah what was there what was the ATTs? Like, 1-800-188-ATT. Like, they collect number
01:04:09
Speaker
Because it was all about click calling in the ninety s It was the craze. don't quote Don't carry quarters. Charge whoever you're calling the call. Have you ever made a collect call? I don't think so, no.
01:04:21
Speaker
Yeah, you just went, hey, would you accept this charge? And you get billed. Yep. But then they figure out, alright, how do we keep lowering that bill? So then, like, 1-800-collect was, like, I think the final, like, one.
01:04:34
Speaker
But... Uh... Yeah, It still doesn't make sense that the laser gun is just like a byproduct from this like communications thing. It's just sort of like, oh. yeah it's it's not It's not, they weren't trying to make it a weapon. It's supposed to be like to help yeah felt like global communications.
01:04:55
Speaker
It was just to make like satellites. Yeah. The signal boosting. But apparently if you like focus the frequency, you can make a laser, which technically is true, but it's not the same because you need like a light prism, but but communications don't get beamed through light. They get beamed through, like, waves.
01:05:14
Speaker
So if anything, it should be, like, a sound wave-like machine. you know? It should be like that. It shouldn't be, like, a focus point of energy. Yeah.
01:05:26
Speaker
A beam weapon that, like, cutting great girls in half and, like, chopping their arms off. and And at top but and at top of that... The volcano is blowing up, too.
01:05:36
Speaker
Which is, like, incidental to everything. Like, they don't set off the volcano. It's not like um it was prophesied. It wasn't like something fell into, like, the crust of the the planet, and then it happened.
01:05:49
Speaker
It just was like a scheduled event. i think I think Bruce Campbell, like, in the beginning, was like, it's like, ah man, this place is shake, rattle, rolling around here or something. It's like this volcano is really unstable.
01:06:04
Speaker
yeah But yeah, full-on eruption. So it's like, they have to like of get survive gorillas and erupting volcano.
01:06:15
Speaker
Which they managed do both, and then luckily, the other plane that like and Jonah Baker said had a hot air balloon in it. So they're able that's how they were able to like get like finally escape, get hot air balloon. and So, I know we did Total Recall last week, but do you think this is also a Total Recall dream?
01:06:33
Speaker
where everything kind of falls into Maybe maybe if ah if the movie ended up the same, like the like sun coming in, like the super bright light like coming in. i mean, it kind of does with like the air balloon flying away. Yeah.
01:06:47
Speaker
Actually, this is all like Amy's dream. this is part She wakes up at the end and she like comes out of her gorilla PTSD. Yeah.
01:06:56
Speaker
She wakes up in like the the college and Peter's like, oh, what kind of dream did you have, Amy? And then everything in the movie is depicted in pictures on the wall. It's like usual suspects. It's like everything everything, like every like character is represented in some sort of like like a coffee cup.
01:07:12
Speaker
like There's just a framed picture of Ernie Hudson the wall. From Ghostbusters. And then over there on the picture is just a picture of like Tim Gurry from like Clue. And you're like, oh. And Amy like signs like, Dream.
01:07:25
Speaker
All. Dream.
01:07:30
Speaker
the movie Oh, ah we have an interest to to the laser quick. Laura Linney like she she makes one more phone call Joe Baker. She's like, oh, I found Charles. He's dead. He's like, I don't give a shit.
01:07:41
Speaker
Where's my diamonds? and She's like, all right, um like screw you. And then she fires the laser into space and blows up the satellites. You know how powerful that gun has to be to hit a satellite and in space? In orbit.
01:07:56
Speaker
Like, it had enough power to, like, reach orbit and blow up satellites. I'm pretty sure, like, NASA would track that and be like, what was that? What did you reach atmosphere to like, get to that? Yeah, like, every agency with, like, a space program would be like, what was that?
01:08:12
Speaker
And also, like, forget whatever you're doing. Like, every, like, the U.S. government will pay you, like, whatever you want to, like, develop that laser weapon. Yeah.
01:08:22
Speaker
Also, that laser weapon had such precision, it didn't have an arc. The planet is round. You know like how of a bend you need for that laser weapon to like hit something like that?
01:08:32
Speaker
Yeah, she she programs programs in the coordinates of the satellite, and then it's not like the laser's on a little tripod thing, and it blows up like aims and shoots and blows up the satellites. I mean, i guess i guess I guess the math still makes sense if you're able to hit the satellite if you float it into orbit like that way, but wouldn't that take minutes for like the, the satellite to get into position unless the satellite is like always around the Congo. It's, it's, it's directly overhead. Yeah.
01:09:00
Speaker
Yeah. As I'm like, what? Like, You know what I mean? like The laser didn't track it and just like shot it from where it was and the beam was like finding the target like a heat-seeking missile.
01:09:11
Speaker
Yeah. It just was, hey, the satellite is... Maybe that makes sense why they're able to make the call. The satellite had to be in that spot in order to make the the call. they there were yeah They were keeping like the like satellite like ah like above the Congo or trying to keep it above the Congo just like communicate.
01:09:27
Speaker
Yeah. Unless that's what it is. like It had to come into... I forgot the term where it's like... It's not orbit, but it's like it orbits around the fixed position of the planet. Yeah.
01:09:38
Speaker
know there's a word. I learned it once, but I forgot it. And when it comes up, we're talking about Congo the rest of the time. No idea.
01:09:48
Speaker
Yeah, I know. I think Joe and I Baker is losing money by keeping that satellite in the fixed position and like fueling it to always be like, yeah, retro rock. It's always like hovering and not pivoting the company to becoming a ah weapons like manufacturer And it's not like he's against weapon manufacturing. I feel like Joe Don Baker would be like, we I can't wait to turn this into a weapon. And Laura Levy should be like, you promised me this wouldn't be a weapon.
01:10:11
Speaker
This is why he left the CIA. like They were turning everything into a weapon. I just want to help people make phone calls. yeah Travis is all about money. The only thing he cares about is money. it's like whatever makes him money.
01:10:23
Speaker
So like wouldn't the military thing be more lucrative than trying to make Skype? ah Yeah, I mean, you yeah you you get, like, crazy government contracts. I mean, like, DARPA or, like, whoever, like, the army would be like, yes, make us, like, a tank-mounted laser weapon.
01:10:37
Speaker
See, I'm all for, like, actual better products for humanity. Like, communications is always better. You know, it's a good message. yeah However, when you're trying to make, like, a villain, and his thing is just to make the best satellite service, does it doesn't make sense that, like, the military option didn't come across his mind.
01:10:55
Speaker
It's, like, everyone's go-to right after that. Like... It's like whatever, like, technical, logical, like, startup company or business, it's always, like, right after, like, oh, can we make a lot of money through the normal consumer?
01:11:09
Speaker
Yes or no? If it's no, what about the military? Like, yes, the military is going to pay crazy amount of money for a laser weapon. It's kind of... is' the ah Also, laser weapon?
01:11:21
Speaker
Portable? Powered by rocks. I don't, you know, dump yeah and it's not like, it's not like she's walking around like a nuclear bomb or something or some atoms. She's just like, this this like backpack battery and this rock, and there this diamond.
01:11:33
Speaker
There we go. it it's It's like, yeah, it's it's super portable. It's like super, like it super compact. You can like you throw it in a backpack. It's not like, you know, it's not like the eraser like the rail guns or the gigantic.
01:11:47
Speaker
Which also I think was the problem because it's like a war crime to use like those kind of weapons. But the laser is fine? i was also going to say, like it's remember last year when we talked about Runaway?
01:12:00
Speaker
yeah And like like Gene Simmons was like... Gene Hackman? Yeah, Simmons. but like He's like super focused on like hacking robots, but then he came up with target-seeking missiles that are just like... He's just like, I don't give a shit about these. I want i to hack robots. like It's safe it's like like say the here.
01:12:24
Speaker
They have ah like this crazy laser weapon, but it's like, no, we want to make satellites. Or improve satellites. Wait, is Runaway also a Michael Crichton book?
01:12:36
Speaker
I think he e i think you just directed that. Okay, yeah, it's not familiar where it's like it's always somebody with some product that's already like, oh, this makes sense.
01:12:47
Speaker
Because Michael Crichton always involves like technology in a like sinister way that goes wrong, science gone wrong. Yes. I think Runaway was like way too many things going on at once in that movie.
01:12:57
Speaker
Yeah. But then this one, again, it's just like, I guess they try to stay away from that theme of like, oh, weaponry and stuff like that, because they did it already.
01:13:10
Speaker
I mean, it just makes more sense. I don't mind Congo for what it is, because maybe it's because I grew up with it. I feel like if I never heard of Congo for the first time watching it, I wouldn't say it's a cult movie, because it definitely like had the money and the ambition, and it definitely was like perfect time for this movie to come out.
01:13:31
Speaker
I mean, it was a pretty huge hit. I mean, it but it was it was... I think the run was like Casper was the week before this and it was number one. Then Congo came out, topped Casper, and then the week after Congo was Batman Forever. Damn.
01:13:44
Speaker
I think I saw all those movies in theaters. That'd be 95 was like banging.
01:13:53
Speaker
But yeah, I mean, it it was a pretty big huge hit. um I think it was... um think it was like Nathan Rabin from like the AV Club back in the day. like and like his like personal website, he had this feature called Forgot Busters.
01:14:07
Speaker
Where it's like these movies are huge in their time, and then people forget they even came out. i mean It's not because like they were bad. It was just because ever since then, so many things have come out.
01:14:17
Speaker
but You're always going to lose something that doesn't have the same marketing strength. Yeah. I feel like the toy line definitely sala solidified it for like our generation.
01:14:28
Speaker
Because you just can't forget, like, at one point we there was a toy line for Killer Monkeys. Like, there hasn't been a movie toy line since then. Even playing the apes. I'm not sure they even had, like, a kid's toy line.
01:14:40
Speaker
there's There's a Congo Pimble machine that's pretty awesome.
01:14:44
Speaker
I think, like... I mean, we can't forget the Volcano Burrito from it. don't know. That's the most enduring legacy of Congo's that gave us the Volcano menu.
01:14:55
Speaker
I think like the Volcano Taco and the Burritos still pop up now. I'm not sure if the Volcano Taco is from this anymore.
01:15:05
Speaker
i just like If you look it out, just says Volcano Burrito more. Yeah.
01:15:13
Speaker
It's like how the Rodeo Cheeseburger was for, like, Swole Soldiers, but then it's just kind of like... It also came back for, like... I remember the Rodeo Cheeseburger. It was just like, okay, hey any kind of Western thing or whatever? Here we go.
01:15:27
Speaker
Throw somebody to bring some barbecue sauce on it.
01:15:31
Speaker
And and yeah also, it just got, like, Kongo just got, like, a ah Vinegar Syndrome, like, 4K, too. So, like, that kind of, like, you know, it's it's still got, like, enough juice to get, ah like, a special remastered,
01:15:47
Speaker
you know, release, physical release. I mean, it's a great Ernie Hudson movie. Yes. i Yeah, he is, like, i think I think, like, he said this is, like, his favorite role he's ever done, which I could totally understand, because he's, like, he's having, like, so much fun. He's, like, he's just so cool, so suave.
01:16:08
Speaker
Like, he's this he's he's in, like, full like like Billy Dee Williams mode.
01:16:14
Speaker
Like, if he if he had pulled, like, ah like a bottle of Colt 45, I wouldn't be surprised. Yeah.
01:16:20
Speaker
He's like, can introduce of you to 45?
01:16:26
Speaker
Actually, it'd been funny if Taco Bell had the balls to actually get Bernie Hudson in the Taco Bell thing and hold up the volcano taco. Oh my god. i didn't look i Sorry, you're right. like The volcano taco line, the volcano products of Taco Bowl definitely came from Congo.
01:16:41
Speaker
Wow, I forgot that. Yes, that' was the that's what it because because of the volcano in Congo. It's such a minor part of that movie. yeah And I'm like, what? Nothing, see nothing like no like gorilla, like they couldn't come up with anything gorilla related or primal. like the pri Primal taco. It's just like, no, volcano.
01:17:03
Speaker
There's a volcano in that movie. I'm going to run out and get Taco Bell. We've talked about so much. I'm seeing so many Taco Bell things. I'm just going to, like if I go there and take a photo and just like, Congo Anniversary and podcast and Congo Box. like Recreate the con volcano meal.
01:17:21
Speaker
Didn't it come back? like they it's like the The fan vote, like, hey what do you want to come back? And people are Volcano Taco. um Oh, yeah. It was like 2023 that came back.
01:17:36
Speaker
I think gone again. But it wasn't it it wasn't really the same. they it was like you know It had like one their Doritos Locos shells. It had a red shell on it and stuff. I don't think it was the exact same as like the original one.
01:17:51
Speaker
But yeah. but it dirt yeah Definitely the most memorable thing about Congo. was The Taco Bell menu. And Laura Linney blasting gorillas with lasers.
01:18:07
Speaker
But yeah, I think they'll do it for this week.
Upcoming Episode Preview and Podcast Information
01:18:10
Speaker
Definitely, if you haven't seen Kongo in a while, go watch it on, ah like you said, it's on Pluto TV or ah check out that that four k if you want to get like the highest possible quality for Kongo.
01:18:23
Speaker
And yeah, come back next week. We'll be heading into the zombie apocalypse, talking about 28 days later because 28 years later is hitting theaters. So we'll get ready for that, you know,
01:18:37
Speaker
The franchise is back after however long it's been since 28 months later. 14 years? I think that was like... Oh, yeah, 2007. So it's it's been a while. Wait, 28 weeks later was... 28 weeks later was 2007, yeah. So it's it's been a long time since this franchise came back, so...
01:19:02
Speaker
But we're yeah, but we're finally back where we're like, yeah, we're 28 years later into the the Rage virus. so But we'll go all way back to when it was just a month old ah next week.
01:19:13
Speaker
And site. We have our usual stuff there. We got news reviews, trailers, all kinds of stuff. So head over, check all that stuff out. And yeah, so for Chris, I'm Zach, and we will see you next week. For more For Everything Action, head to www.everythingaction.com.
01:19:29
Speaker
You can also find us on Facebook at facebook.com slash everything.action and follow us on X at Evie Action. We're also on Instagram and threads at everything.action.
01:19:41
Speaker
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