Tarzan

            I had never seen Tarzan before today. Nevertheless, I had high expectations for this film as my friends have raved about it. They explained that both boys and girls, of all ages (even college kids) equally enjoy the film.

            I did not expect the opening scene to be so dark. Tarzan’s parents ship went up in flames and they had to be lowered into treacherous waters (reminded me of titanic) in order to try and survive. Eventually they wash up on shore and make a shelter. That is when the story line shifts from human to gorilla. Kala, the female gorilla, hears a terrifying sound and goes to see what is happening. She finds baby Tarzan with blood around him and his parents nowhere to be found. Then the first villain jumps out, the Lion, and tries to kill Tarzan and Kala. Although the opening scene was serious and tense, the animators incorporated small, funny moments. For example, when Kala is trying to pull Tarzan away from the lion and he will not fit though the hole, he makes little sounds each time she tries to pull him through and it is adorable.

I love the fact that Tarzan’s adoptive mother, Kala, is a strong protagonist. Too often, the mothers are either not in the film or are background characters. She not only saved Tarzan, she raises him and loves him unconditionally.

My favorite part of the film was when Tantor says, “Mom, are you sure this water's sanitary? It looks questionable to me”. Then, proceeds to explain his worries while everyone brushes him off and thinks Tarzan is a piranha when he pops out of the water. He reminded me so much of my sister who would not go into at a river when we were in Utah because she thought it was not clean. The hypochondria is really cute.

The only thing I did not like about the film was Terk’s assertion of dominance over the other Gorillas. He tries to boss around Kala and is mean to Tarzan throughout the film. Tarzan just wanted to impress him while he only sees Tarzan for the bad things he does. By the end of the film Terk warms up, but the use of his masculinity (banging on his chest and yelling) to discourage the female gorillas like Kala made me dislike his overall character. Facially, the human villain was easy to decipher. Clayton is a large, older man with a very angular face and a perpetual angry look. He has grey hair, receding hairline and is a poacher looking to kill the gorillas. He is sharply contrasted by young, muscular, long-haired Tarzan. Tarzan, the hero of the film, is characterized as a simple, strong and caring. His relationship with Jane furthers the stereotype that hero’s “get the girl” and villains always end up alone.

 

By the end of Tarzan, I was sure that they based Jane off of Jane Goodall. Since she was there to study gorillas and her sweet yet resolute demeanor reminded me of the Jane Goodall documentary I had seen. Unfortunately, I was wrong. Tarzan (the film) is based off of a novel written by Edgar Rice Burroughs in 1912.

Overall, the film was entertaining and lacked the racism I thought was going to be present. The songs were absolutely amazing (I just downloaded the album). They really made the film something special.