Congo by Michel Crichton was an extraordinary book as well as a movie about a
group of scientists taking a journey into the heart of Africa in search of the
black diamonds, in the lost city of Zinj! While being observed back in the U.S.
over satellite camera, the whole team dies within a matter of seconds by some
unknown being. The scientists back home sent out a second team (Karen as the
leader) to find the others and to pick up where they had started! There was only
one problem with this plan, however. However, there where no flights going to
this part of Africa in the next month. They then came across a group of
scientists that where taking a sign language talking gorilla named Amy. They
where going to the same spot because they thought that this is where Amy was
born, and she keeps on having nightmares about this place. They team looking for
the diamonds asked them to go because the gorilla team needed more money, which
Karen could provide. Once the other team had gotten into the plane and on there
way to Africa, they started being attacked by another country because they where
crossing over there border with out there permission. They where forced to jump
out of the airplane with Amy, to land safely on the ground. Both teams then set
out for the lost city of Zinj. On there journey there Karen had continued
staying in contact with her boss over the satellite, until one day when Amy and
Peter (Amy’s owner) where playing and Amy bumped it and caused it to break.
Her boss then probably thought that she was killed too. Once they reached Zinj,
they found that it sat on the top of a great volcano, but they had also
discovered what had killed the others! They seemed to be a mutant form of a
gorilla, with gray hair and mutated face with incredible intelligence. They
discovered them with in a temple where they would rest during the day. The first
night there they heard rustling around their camp, coming closer and closer to
them. They turned on a spot light right towards them, to discover about 50 of
these gray backs staring them right at them. They started to fire at them making
them flee away! The next day they found the found the mines that the diamonds
where in. They had not been cleaned out at all! All of the diamonds where left
and abandoned, never bothered. While Karen was crying over the diamonds Amy and
Peter where looking around the city while Amy was signing “Amy scared, Bad
Place, Amy not like. Peter realized that Amy was always having nightmares of her
watching her own mother be killed by these gorillas! She would always make
finger paintings back home of something with a yellow eye. Peter asked her what
it was, and she made him follow her. They came to a temple where inside there
was a huge statue of one of the gray gorillas! He realized that this culture
used to worship these gorillas and train them to guard the mines while they
couldn’t. “That explains why they are so intelligent, and why they kill all
that come into their territory. Also why they kill by smashing ones head open
with two stone paddles, killing them instantly.” That night they set up camp
at a different location and surrounded the camp with wire that is linked to
automatic machine guns that shoot towards where the line is being pulled. They
all where armed with flashlights and pistols, and some had night vision goggles,
and heat seeking views to see them coming. They thought they where all ready!
That night they heard the same rustling in the brush but when they turned on the
goggles and the views they saw NOTHING! Nothing was coming up in there view at
all. One of the auto machine guns started going off at the back of the camp, and
all of a sudden they all came over the hill and where attacking from all sides.
All hell breaking loose, some swinging down from trees, some lifting the line
and going under. The havoc Only lasted a few minutes until the gorillas started
to retreat. Once they where all gone the turned on all of their spot lights,
which revealed all of the dead gorilla bodies lying dead on the ground. But
there was more that dead gorillas, there where dead HUMANS too! Three of
Karen’s men died all three of their skulls crushed open allowing their bloody
brains to spill out right into the dirt. The very next day they realized that
Amy had run away after the attack, but could not stop to look for her. They all
realized that they had to get out of there that day and never return. They
started packing their things while peter called out to Amy awaiting her arrival
back. Once ready they set out to the mines for the last time to collect the
diamonds, but on their arrival the earth stared to shake more than it usually
did. They then knew that if they didn’t collect some diamonds quick they would
die! They collected a few diamonds and… Both of the endings are to much
different so I will list both of them in the next section of Compare and
Contrast. Compare and Contrast Characters Amy, in the book, had a talent to talk
in sign language so any one who knew how to read it could communicate through
her. But instead of just sign language, in the movie, she whore gloves that
senced every movement of her hands and transmitted it back to a small computer
on her back which verbally said the words out loud in a female computer voice!
This allowing her to talk to anyone that she cared to. Karen in the story was
only in search of the diamonds for her company, to make a new form of energy.
But in the movie she had more important things on her mind. Her husband was on
the first trip out there, which was killed. So she went in search of him and
then would get the diamonds if she could! In the movie there was another man
that helped out in the funds to get down there. He was an explorer that claimed
to have traveled all around the world that would love to go to this part of
Africa. He really turned out to be a fake in search for the diamonds to become
rich. And in the book… well he wasn’t even in the book! In the story,
Karen’s boss was only interested in finding the diamonds to for his company to
become rich while making a new form of energy, while not even caring about his
son’s death. But in the book he still cared about the diamonds but he didn’t
even have a son, at least not in the business, and certainly not dead in Africa!
Compare and Contrast Plot In the story, when they arrived at jungle, they where
fine until night where they attacked by mutant gorillas. They only attacked at
night because they all slept during the day while it was light out. In the story
they also found that they kill by smashing head between rock paddles, killing
people instantly. In this case all of the gorillas died when the volcano
erupted! Peter and Karen got away in a hot air balloon, that the found in
another plane that her boss had sent (which was shot down) WITH Amy. In the
Movie, when they arrived at the jungle they where right away faced by the
gorillas. In This case the gorillas attacked during the day and night any chance
they could. Amy and Peter never really witness them all die however. Karen did
however Killed some gorillas by a laser that worked off of the diamonds, in
order to escape the temple when the gorillas surrounded them. At the every end
Karen and Peter got away in hot air balloon WITH OUT Amy. For she had decided to
stay behind and live with her species of gorilla. If I had to choose which
version of Congo was better I would have to say that the book is much better. It
goes into more detail of everything and adds more suspenseful situations that
allow your mind to go free and create any mental picture that you want. While in
the movie you are restricted to what the present and show to you not allowing
much detail and gore as the book did.