June 13, 1995 -- ``Congo'' is one of those entertaining summer movies in the tradition of ``Raiders of the Lost Ark,'' while ``Forget Paris'' is a Woody Allen-type romantic comedy.

Congo's roots go back to the old Saturday matinee serials that always ended with a cliffhanger. ``Congo'' brings the genre up to date with high-tech special effects. It also has a surprising amount of humor.

There's the bizarre character of Tim Curry, who is looking for King Solomon's mines, and Dylan Walsh, who just wants to get his gorilla home to Africa. They get tangled up with professional adventurer Monroe (Ernie Hudson of the ``Ghostbuster'' movies and ``The Crow'').

Hudson and Curry chew up the scenery and the rest of the cast, including the tough, but sentimental woman scientist (Laura Linney) also seem to be having a lot of fun in this light-hearted romp. There's one cliffhanger after another as the group has to contend with a tottering military dictatorship, rocket-firing rebels, killer apes and an angry volcano. The gorillas in the film, by the way, are a convincing composite of miniatures, puppets and other trickery. The talking gorilla, Amy, is a riot with its doll-like synthetic voice.

We've all seen this plot before in films such as ``Allan Quartermain and the Lost City of Gold,'' but usually they are not done this well. Although the tone of the film is light, there is some graphic violence that might not be suitable for younger viewers.

Director Frank Marshall (``Arachnophobia'') keeps the suspense high and the action fast-paced enough that I didn't mind the holes in the plot. If you want to dwell on details, you won't like this film, but if you just sit back and relax and try not to be crabby, it is a lot of fun. It rates a B.

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