the film looks great and the apes are fantastic, but the film is slow and terribly acted by some of the cast, Ian Holm especially, and trying to make a serios film about Tarzan seems pointless, its like King Arthur films that take away the magic, Tarzan is pure pulp fiction, one day someone will make a film that is true to the books.
shareThis film is the closest to the original 26 Edgar Rice Burroughs novels. The original novels are as slow paced which more in line to the style that made the Tarzan novels good reads.
The acting is not word for word or action by aciton to the novel but then again the key elements are strongly acted and presented.
I agree with the King Arthur comparison. This film attempts to put gritty realism into what should be an escapist adventure fantasy. It starts off pretty good, but all the adventure and romance of the middle of the book is absent. (None of that Tarzan/Jane jungle bonding.) And the third act in Scotland (which is not at all accurate to the book) is not interesting enough to have waited for, and there's no chemestry at all between Tarzan and Jane (Who comes into the film far too late.)
Agree 100%. And you'll find that kind of misplaced solemnity on display in the never-ending buffet of superhero movies Hollywood keeps dishing out.
So ridiculous.
The first half with Tarzan's origin is the best ever put on screen. The second half...a let down if you wanted a pulp adventure but still good.
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I completely and wholeheartedly agree with every word. Specially what you say about Holm's performance and the tale being pure pulp.
The movie is terrible and sometimes incredibly overrated.
Hell i think even Bo Derek's version is closer to the original tales feeling.
"Welcome to Burger Shot mofückaaa !!!"
I saw it as a kid, and just recently watched it again during a midlife bout with insomnia. I'd have to say the opening scenes with the apes were outstanding. But they waited to long to bring in the young lady and broke all the rules of the genre. Also, they appeared to lose focus on narrative and editing during the middle third, in fact the only emotional heartbeat that happened was when his ape father was killed (which traumatized me as a child).
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