The face of the ape suit is fair, and almost tolerable. It’s the body on the suit that’s at least three times the size it should be for the actor playing it (occasional suit actor George Burrows). It sags everywhere, and there is zero attempt to make this behave like an ape (or a gorilla or a chimp for that matter).
Credit has to be given again to Gough, who can’t get enough praise for keeping a straight face through the entire ordeal. That’s hardly enough to make this a recommendation given how flat out abysmal the overall product is, and especially how truly terrible the pay-off turns out to be. This is a movie for those few dedicated fans that have made the commitment to waste hours of their lives watching movies no one else would. (* out of *****)
Konga offers mixed video quality on DVD. Presented in a rare and oddball aspect ratio of 1.66:1, the colors and clarity are surprising. The biggest problems are heavy compression and aliasing that makes this look like a laserdisc at times. Everything in the crowded laboratories and cluttered sets shimmers constantly. Even when the camera doesn’t move it’s distracting. The print is marvelous, with barely any scratches present. (***)
Audio is unremarkable. It’s a standard 2.0 mono track, and with a limited soundtrack, there’s little that could go wrong. Some of the quieter speaking moments are tough to pick out, but not so bad that they’re unintelligible. (***)
Extras are barren except for two trailers. One is for Godzilla Final Wars and the other for Mirror Mask. (No stars)
If you’re desperate to see London being ripped apart, check out the far better Gorgo released the same year. That’s a monster classic, and the special effects are superb. Konga doesn’t even seem to try.
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Article comments
1 - Aaman
Sounds like it was produced by the SciFi channel
2 - Me
Looks like it too