Archetypes In The Movie Congo

Paramount Pictures film Congo, adapted from the Michael Crichton novel of the same name, is one of the smartest parody of typical jungle adventure plots in cinema. Congo, after its release, has been criticized for try to piggyback off “The success of Universal’s Jurassic Park” just two years earlier (James Berardinelli). Though the camp style, visuals, and acting, adds to the film's charm, while not undermining the viewer's intelligence with smart one-liners and dialogue that holds weight between acts. This creates the feel of a B action movie on an A movie’s budget.
Large uncharted jungles, counties in political turmoil, and lost cities of dead civilizations, are settings that are archetypal to adventure films. Congo uses these settings to

play with the movie's humor. With several sites such as the city of Zinj, clearly looking like it was shot on a sound stage in Hollywood, gives less believability to scenes filmed on location. Taking the gravity and the sense of danger from the even intense scenes. This is aided by the practical effects such as costumes of the silver back gorilla, and gray gorillas, with stiff movement and equally rigid expressions. Tied with minimal effect, such as an animotronic hippo in the night river scene, gives Congo the visual interpretation of a comedy.
The comedic parody aspect continues into the actors pretrial of the characters in Congo. The movie's opening scene shows Jon Don Bakers character, giving a text-book example of over acting, smashing up a TV screen with a golf club after losing signal with an expedition do to a gorilla attack (Roger Ebert). Other instances of over acting are the victims of a gray gorilla attack for most of the film the audience sees very little of the killer primates and, besides an off-camera eye gouging and mauling, little of their viciousness. Therefore, when a victim hams up their reaction of terror, the audience can’t relate making the display humorous. Tim Curry’s performance as Herkermer Homolka, also aids in the comedic nature of the film. In his first appearance, his made to seem like a menacing character with his drawn-out glare, only to have a hilarious accent when he finally speaks(Ebert).
Where the average action adventures film a viewer can guess what’s go to happen next from the basic archetype of the characters.

Congo sets out to subvert the audience’s expectations by going against the typical character tropes, to create a humorous reaction. The most apparent is Amy the domestic gorilla. Compared to the Amy that was in Michel Crichton novel, has a much more limited vocabulary, and subsequent lack of personality, for the sake of making cute (Janet Maslin). Though it is that cuteness and perceived innocence of Amy with her child-like voice and mannerisms like her “Lovey” (a stuff toy gorilla she carries), aids in the film comedic goals. That is made clear in the scene where she requests a “rain drop drink” (a martini) and later on a cigar, which the audience might be taken aback not expecting that form an actual child. Another example of the movie going against stereotypes typical of the jungle adventure genre, is Larry Linney’s character Dr. Karen Ross. Dr. Ross makes her presence clear as a strong female lead, in comparisons to her male companions(Berardinelli). Throughout Congo Karen Ross goes against the trope of the defenseless damsel running through the jungle terrified going as far to give an elbow to the groin and, slicing open gray gorillas with a

laser.
Mixed in with the humor of the characters and setting, is still an intelligently crafted story.

Though the film is considerably toned down from the novel, taking out much of the research and scientific data, to try to make Congo more approachable to the movie going audience (Maslin). There is still a level of astuteness for the more perceptive viewer; take the line from Monroe Kelly, played by Ernie Hudson “I’m your great white hunter, I just happen to be white.” And his subsequent actions in the jungle. Monroe just like archetype he claims to personify, Monroe is quick to action and in the jungle even if it not perceived as the norm is very much in charge. He, unlike the great white hunter, does not just rush into danger and when offered a level of comfort in the jungle, he takes it, which is uncharacteristic of that trope. Another aspect of Congo is the underlining themes of commutation, greed and its connection to the gray gorillas. With the debate of the “King Kong myth” The myth of gorillas being initially savage, this appears to be true at first when the expedition first encounters the gray gorillas. Only to be corrected as hieroglyphics depict the selective breeding of normal gorillas into antisocial killer apes; giving proof that it was the residence of Zinj greed which lead to its destruction. This is put in contrast with the Amy and Peter Elliot, the breakthrough in commutation would have made him very famous if not wealth as well, but when Amy shows signs of

aggression due to her captivity, Elliot’s more sensitive nature allows him to send her to the wild.
Congo is a film that sets out to do as plan, creating a parody that makes staples of an action adventure genre. Accomplished by not playing up the stereotypes but by subtly poking fun at them by going against them, with smart joke and well-crafted story. Even though the film is not critically acclaimed, Congo can still be enjoyable to an audience who are willing to look past what is expected.