Simian shenanigans are in plentiful supply in Konga, a King Kong-lite British B movie shocker from the UK/US co-production team of Nat Cohen and Herman Cohen (no relation); released in the UK by Anglo-Amalgamated with US distribution handled by master exploitation exponents American International Pictures.
The sole survivor of a plane crash, botanist Dr Charles Decker (Michael Gough) emerges after a year in the jungles of Africa replete with a plethora of rare plant life and a companion baby chimpanzee. Returning to England and his job as lecturer at Essex University his research into the genetic links between humans and plants leads him to develop a greenhouse full of giant flesh eating flora. As worrying as this sounds it is nothing compared to the growth serum he also develops and injects into Konga, the adopted chimp, causing the ape to grow at an alarming rate and inexplicable turn into a gorilla, or rather an actor in a gorilla suit, in the process. Using hypnosis to control the poor primate, Decker uses Konga to carry out his dirty work, brutally killing any detractors and competitors, in science or romance, who stand in his way. Engaging with a giant gorilla rarely ends happily in the movies and indeed monkey business of the worst variety unsurprisingly ensues.
Taking its obvious inspiration from fantasy masterpiece King Kong (Merian C Cooper & Ernest B Schoedsack, 1933), Konga, with its science gone wrong theme is perhaps spiritually closer to such creature feature classics as The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms (Eugène Lourié, 1953) and Godzilla (Ishirō Honda, 1954); albeit with a beast the result of genetic engineering rather than radiation contamination. Here, however, ends the similarity to those earlier genre defining classics. Designed and executed as a B-movie programme filler, Konga never manages to overcome its obvious budgetary restrictions. Its co-producer Herman Cohen and Aben Kandel penned screenplay, with its derivative plot mechanisms and cardboard characters, shows little ambition to rise above anything other than that.
Of the cast, Michael Gough, most familiar to modern audiences as Bruce Wayne’s resourceful butler Alfred in 80s blockbuster Batman (Tim Burton, 1989), fares best. Hamming it up nicely as the morally bankrupt scientist and proving as adept at acting the villain as he is fighting them, his performance is an obvious highlight. The less than stellar supporting cast, including pop star Jess Conrad, do their best with the meagre material; neither distinguishing nor embarrassing themselves with the slim pickings offered them in script of muddled motivation and uninspired dialogue.
Konga is also hampered by some less than special effects. Nearly three decades after King Kong, technology takes a step backwards as the beautiful stop motion animation of the original is replaced by a man in a monkey suit; a pretty unconvincing one at that which, in fairness, probably enhances rather than detracts from any entertainment value!
Those who love London will love the handful of shots of England’s capital in the early slightly pre-swinging 1960s. Those who hate London will possibly be disappointed that not more of the city is trashed. Indeed, little of the carnage depicted on the movie’s sensational poster art is witnessed in the actual film. Where the mighty Kong impressively scaled the heights of New York’s iconic Empire State Building, battling biplanes with the swoop of his powerful paw, his little brother Konga is happy to stand in the shadow of London’s landmark Big Ben while a ground army fires seemingly random shots at the beast. Thus making the anticipated climax a marked letdown.
While Konga lacks the lavish spectacle and groundbreaking special effects of the original Kong, it holds just enough cheap thrills and unintentional chuckles to fill its 90 minute runtime; meaning that while decidedly dumb it is never dull. While the movie may seem a footnote in monster movies cinema history it undoubtedly has a cheap and cheery charm and it’s easy to see why it has attracted a small but appreciative cult following among genre enthusiasts.
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