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<TITLE>Review for Tarzan (1999)</TITLE>
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<H1 ALIGN="CENTER" CLASS="title"><A HREF="/Title?0120855">Tarzan (1999)</A></H1><H3 ALIGN=CENTER>reviewed by<BR><A HREF="/ReviewsBy?Stephen+Sills">Stephen Sills</A></H3><HR WIDTH="40%" SIZE="4">
<PRE>Tarzan 
A review by Stephen Sills</PRE>
<P>Disney's recent animated efforts have become nearly identical in plot
and indistinguishable in theme.  They all follow the same basic
formula: rich, gun-toting white guys = bad; cute animals,
strong-willed women, and weird freaks = good.  Let it be known that
the company's most recent foray into the animated market, "Tarzan," is
no exception.  It's certianly a typical Disney movie, although it's
probably one of their better efforts in recent years.  Despite its
problems (and they are certianly legion), "Tarzan" manages,
ultimately, to be a passably entertaining time at the movies.</P>
<P>The film opens with a brief sequence that sets up the backstory.  With
the accompaniment of a mind-numbingly annoying, quasi-African song
blaring over the soundtrack, we see Tarzan's parents barely escape a
harrowing shipwreck with their newborn son and make their way to a
tropical island.  Once there, they build a "Swiss Family
Robinson"-esque hut.  The parts of the sequence dealing with Tarzan's
parents are intercut with shots of Tarzan's future family, the
gorillas, leading their daily life.  During one of the gorilla-related
moments, we see a baby gorilla get killed and his mother's reaction.
By the end of the sequence, Tarzan's parents are also dead, having
been killed by an evil tiger that looks suspiciously like Kahn from
"The Jungle Book."</P>
<P>The mother gorilla, Kala (voice of Glenn Close), discovers the hut.
While scouring through it, she finds baby Tarzan hidden under a
blanket.  Still grief-stricken over the loss of her child, she views
Tarzan as a potential replacement.  </P>
<P>The leader of her Tribe, Kerchak (voice of Lance Henriksen), thinks
otherwise.  He views Tarzan as a threat, and orders Kala to leave him
in the jungle to let him fend for himself.  Kala's strong maternal
instincts ultimately prevail, however, and Kerchak reluctantly decides
to let Tarzan stay.</P>
<P>We are then "treated" to yet another annoying musical sequence, scored
with what sounds like the same song from earlier in the movie.  The
sequence culminates with baby Tarzan growing into boyhood.  The movie
lingers in that stage of Tarzan's life for a while, showing us the
inevitable conflicts that a boy child would have when raised among
gorillas.  Tarzan is viewed as different and strange by his playmates
(a clumsy, obvious stab at racism that is typical of Disney).  Kerchak
still views Tarzan as an outsider, and is suspicious of his every
move.  His status isn't helped any by a botched attempt to impress his
friends by stealing a hair from an elephant.  The plan backfires when
he causes a stampede that nearly wipes out the entire tribe.  </P>
<P>Finally, after another sequence scored with what sounds like the same
song, Tarzan grows into adulthood.  He is generally accepted now,
although Kerchak still doesn't like him much.  His relatively
care-free existence is challenged when he discovers a small group of
humans trudging through the jungle.  The group consists of Professor
Porter (voice of Nigel Howthorne), a kindly old gentleman who only
wants to study the gorillas, his beautiful daughter, Jane (voice of
Minnie Driver), who wants to do the same, and their guide, Clayton
(voice of Brian Blessed), this movie's obligatory gun-toting, and
hence evil, white male.  Having never seen the female of his species,
Tarzan obviously finds himself attracted to Jane.</P>
<P>Tarzan studies them from a distance until Jane finds herself being
chased through the jungle by a band of monkeys.  Tarzan swoops down
via a vine and rescues her, taking her on a wild ride though the
trees.  Shaken up by the experience, Jane returns to the small group's
camp and tells her companions about her adventure.  Inevitably, they
dismisss her experience, citing Tarzan as merely a fantasy.  They
change their respective minds, however, when Tarzan shows up at their
camp.</P>
<P>As Tarzan spends more and more time with his fellow humans, he finds
himself to be increasingly attracted to Jane, and the human lifestyle
in general.  He must decide between his love for Jane and the only
family that he has known throughout his entire life up to that point. </P>
<P>The themes in "Tarzan" are certianly not new to Disney movies.  As
aforementioned, all of the politically correct stereotypes are there,
and Tarzan's delimma is reminiscent of "The Jungle Book" and
"Pocahontas."  These movies have become continual repititions of the
same themes under different contexts.  Furthermore, the film's climax
seems incredibly contrived and serves merly to satisfy a Disney
convention.  </P>
<P>I was also a bit disturbed by the erotic overtones in this movie.
There are some unavoidable, implied, sexual themes when you have a
half-naked ape man running around in the jungle; themes, I think, that
are a bit too mature for the target audience.  The attraction between
Tarzan and Jane was very erotic, far more so than most Disney movies.
One scene in particular, where Tarzan studies Jane, went a bit too far
in my opinioin.  Since Tarzan can barely communicate with Jane, the
only possible attraction is physical.  Tarzan is even referred to as
Jane's "fantasy" at one point.  </P>
<P>Still, "Tarzan" has a couple of very good points, the most notable of
which is the knock-out animation.  Much like "A Bug's Life," this
movie looks so good that it's worth watching along those lines (I was
actually more visually entrhalled during "Tarzan" than I was during
"The Phantom Menace").  The story, while contrived and inherintly
politically correct, works and is entertaining when looked at within
the light of a children's movie.  Despite my mostly negative sounding
review, I have to admit that "Tarzan" is leaps and bounds ahead of
Disney's last animated effort, "Mulan."  It's certianly not up to par
with the likes or "Peter Pan" or "Robin Hood," but it's still mildly
entertaining, enough so to garner a limited recommendation from me.</P>
<PRE>*** out of ****</PRE>
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