This movie came out nearly 20 years ago and I’m only just getting around to watching it. I have missed a lot!

Tarzan is about a man called Tarzan whose parents are shipwrecked on an island. They are sadly killed by a cheetah and an ape who recently lost her own child to the same cheetah finds baby Tarzan and makes him her son. She raises him as one of the apes but Tarzan knows he is different. He realises he is human when Jane, her father, and Clayton come to see the gorillas. Clayton has other ideas though and wants to take the gorillas back on the ship with them to sell. Tarzan must decide who he truly is and where he truly belongs, whether it is with his own kind and with Jane, or whether it is with his family, the gorillas. 

This movie is absolutely beautiful. The animation is stunning (even though I did find Tarzan’s body a bit disproportionate at times) and the storyline is great. The music is fantastic and really adds to the whole thing. It may be one of my favourite Disney movie soundtracks.

What I loved was the growth in Tarzan and the twists and turns this movie takes you on. Where you think for one moment he may decide this then he decides that it definitely keeps you engaged. Clayton is an absolutely horrific human being and one of the truest villains I can think of. So many humans are like him, doing things for greed and not for the right reasons. This movie definitely has a beautiful moral that is not obvious or on the nose at all. 

What I found hard to get my head round though, and yes it’s probably because I watched it as an adult but, *spoiler* Jane and her father decide to stay on the island and it’s all well and good but they have no survival skills. They bought a goddamn Grandfather Clock to the jungle for Christ sake! And then they’re just expected to be OK living as primitive beings? Goodbye their London home with electricity and running water and supermarkets. Nope, it’s easy to change and completely restart your life.

And don’t even get me started on how horrible it must be for Jane when she’s on her period! 

This is a great and fun movie to watch. It is quite jumpy and tense at parts and I know kid me would’ve hated it (I was a huge scaredy cat) but as an adult I would definitely watch again and enjoy it.

Now time to get that soundtrack out of my head!

What do you think of Tarzan?

Until next time.

Published by shonaharding

Media graduate with a passion for reviewing film and TV. View all posts by shonaharding