Hi Kids. Just a few quick comments on 'Congo'. If you have already seen the film, you already have an opinion. If, like me, you passed on the theatrical run based on lukewarm reviews, you might want to at least check out this action/adventure from Paramount. Based on a (mediocre) novel by Michael Crichton though the film actually bears only a passing resemblance to the book. In this case, I think changing the story helped the movie. The screenwriter, John Patrick Shanley, jettisoned most of the tedious technical stuff and changed the female lead's character about 180 degrees. The final product is a fairly straightforward adventure film with the standard array of characters (Ernie Hudson as the guide steals this one) including an overly cute gorilla. Nothing of great importance but a fun popcorn muncher.
The laser disc is top notch. The film was shot flat and the matted ratio of this transfer is about 1.75:1. The THX approved transfer is about what you should expect. Solid, accurate color, excellent contrast and near perfect sharpness and detail. This is a very nice looking disc.
The soundtrack is a lot of fun. Nice envelopement in the jungle scenes and liberal use of the surround channel go a long way in enhancing this film. The low end is nothing short of spectacular. When you get to the volcanic erruption near the end, better make sure everything is tied down. This disc also includes AC-3 audio encoding.
The film runs 109 minutes and the disc contains 16 chapters. The side break seems to have been placed with some intelligence. No trailers or other extras, however, Paramount/Pioneer did include the "helicopter" Dolby Digital trailer along with the ubiquitous THX trailer. List price is $39.95.
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