Alongside the likes of A Quiet Place: Day One, Mission: Impossible, Smile 2, and many more movies, viewers can now catch an underrated classic from the 1990s on Paramount+. To kick off the month of July, movies like Airplane!, Chicago, Zero Dark Thirty, Girl, Interrupted, Saving Private Ryan, and more will be hitting the streaming platform at the same time. Many might want to catch some of these other movies first; however, for those planning on catching the next instalment of the ever-growing Jurassic World franchise, there’s one new Paramount+ movie that should be your first stop.
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Paramount+ just added Congo to its roster, bringing the under-appreciated movie from 1995 back into the limelight. The jungle-adventure stars the likes of Laura Linney, Dylan Walsh, and Ernie Hudson, it’s a surprise this 1995 movie didn’t fare better among audiences, but its cult following gained in the three decades since its release means its arrival on Paramount+ will surely be met with excitement from many.
What Is Congo About?
Congo hit theaters in June 1995, and followed an expedition team on a mission into the African jungle in search of rare blue diamonds that could forge a revolutionary communications laser. Their mission is interrupted when they come across the ruins of an ancient civilization and a violent new species of gorilla. Sound familiar? Released only two years prior, Jurassic Park featured a similar storyline, though saw a team of scientists explore an island theme park full of dinosaurs, rather than a jungle riddled with killer gorillas. Congo’s negative reviews and surprisingly high box office return told two different stories.
With a Rotten Tomatoes approval rating of only 23%, Congo is far from a cinematic masterpiece. However, the movie grossed a total of $152 million at the global box office on a budget of only $50 million, and has obtained a huge cult following in the years since its release. Although likely not everyone’s cup of tea, it’s great to see Congo joining Paramount+ only days before the worldwide release of Jurassic World Rebirth, which will see an expedition team comprising Scarlett Johansson, Jonathan Bailey, and Mahershala Ali travel to an island infested with mutant dinosaurs, rather than mutant apes.
There are clearly some problems with Congo’s storyline and characterizations, but the strong cast, especially Linney, Tim Curry, Hudson, and Bruce Campbell, deliver strong performances nevertheless. Congo is worth the watch, even if it’s the only time you catch it, and it’s easier than ever now that the movie is hitting Paramount+.
Have you seen Congo? Will you catch it now it’s coming to Paramount+? Let us know in the comments!
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