Michael Crichton's Cult Classic Movie About Killer Gorillas Deserves To Get Remade

Between films like "Cocaine Bear," "Primate," and the seemingly steady supply of shark thrillers that have been released as of late, killer animal movies are currently having a moment. The idea of remaking killer animal, er, classics (for lack of a better term) to do new things is alive and well, too, as the latest "Anaconda" proved. And of course, the spirit of author Michael Crichton lives on in various corners of cinema and television, most directly in the continuing "Jurassic World" series. All of this is to say that treasures are lurking within the Crichton catalogue waiting to be mined, or re-mined in the case of his 1980 novel, "Congo."

Sure, "Congo" was turned into a feature film that critically flopped just over 30 years ago, and it has its fans. Yet even fans of the Frank Marshall-helmed movie would admit that their love of the film has more to do with its incredibly stacked cast (Laura Linney! Ernie Hudson, in his favorite role! Delroy Lindo!! Tim Curry!!!) and its semi-unintentional camp value than anything else. That latter element primarily came courtesy of the script by playwright John Patrick Shanley, whose film work has a consistent touch of absurdism to it. While that tone works wonders for movies like "Moonstruck" and "Joe Versus the Volcano," "Congo" was torn between having a ball with its more outrageous elements and trying to keep its emotional stakes in play. 

It's an undeniably fun watch, but never quite strikes the right tone for the pulpy jungle adventure throwback romp it wants to be. Given the recent success of films like "Primate" and "Jurassic World Rebirth," it seems now the time is ripe for a "Congo" remake that could really nail Crichton's original concept.

Apparently, long before Frank Marshall got involved, Michael Crichton toiled for years trying to bring "Congo" to the screen. Crichton saw his version of the movie as a classic jungle pulp adventure, something akin to H. Rider Haggard's "King Solomon's Mines." Not coincidentally, during this period of development hell for "Congo," a film version of Haggard's novel was produced in 1985 in reaction to the huge success of Steven Spielberg's "Indiana Jones" movies. Crichton was undoubtedly partially influenced in the same fashion; he even hoped to cast Sean Connery, whom he'd worked with in "The Great Train Robbery" (and who would go on to co-star in "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade"), in the lead. The one element that continually thwarted Crichton's plans was bringing the film's ape character, Amy, to believable life.

Marshall thought this problem was finally licked when it came to shooting his 1995 version, thanks to the considerable efforts of Stan Winston and his effects studio, who had done wonders with their practical dinosaur creations for Spielberg's "Jurassic Park" just two years before. Sadly, as Winston himself observed in retrospect, they "took a lot of artistic license with Amy" that the effects guru believed shouldn't have been taken. Imagine what could be done with the Amy character now, however. There's been a massive advancement of tech when it comes to realistic, expressive ape characters who can carry entire films, as seen in "Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes" and "Better Man." There are also the actors who bring them to credible life, including Miguel Torres Umba, who performed in a practical suit for "Primate." Bringing any of these people and techniques to bear on Amy would make for a great co-lead for "Congo."

For those of us who remember and still enjoy revisiting 1995's "Congo," the film's pleasures lie in its idiosyncrasies on the margins: Amy's Nintendo Power Glove communicator, Delroy Lindo's military officer commanding Tim Curry's Romanian dandy to stop eating his sesame cake, and Jimmy Buffett flying a plane. This list does not include the movie's actual plot or setpieces, mind you. That's because Michael Crichton's signature blend of techno-paranoia, genre-coded terror, and corporate mismanagement is itself mismanaged by Frank Marshall and company. This is likely not wholly Marshall's fault, as his prior feature, "Arachnophobia," was a horror-comedy hybrid that recalled the best of Joe Dante's films. It's entirely possible that studio Paramount Pictures, clearly hoping for their own license to print money a la "Jurassic Park," took too heavy a hand in the proceedings, resulting in a movie that has a lot of potential but never comes together properly.

Although a "Congo" remake would undoubtedly be tempted to follow in the footsteps of 2025's "Anaconda" and fully embrace the comedic aspect of the film's nostalgia, it would seem wiser and more daring for someone to try and make "Congo" what it should have been originally: scary, or at least scary enough for a summer blockbuster. A new "Congo" needn't be as upsetting or brutal as "Primate," but it could easily emulate the good-natured thrills of "Jurassic World Rebirth." If someone really wanted to go wild with it, maybe it could have a similar tone to 2022's "Beast." 

Perhaps it's Crichton's original concept of a classic adventure film that a new "Congo" should try to nail. In any case, filmmakers should consider that there might still be a diamond in the rough of the "Congo" mountains.