Too much of everything

I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

This story has more twists and turns than a second-rate soap opera.

A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

Probably the most serious and realistic adaptation of Tarzan I've seen. The first act is great. The harshness and grittiness in the tone was a great way to set the mood. The second half is good and has some better moments, but it doesn't hold up as well as the first half and leaves the film a little anticlimactic.The development and exploration of John/Tarzan's character is well thought out and the performance was really believable. Ian Holm is fantastic in the film as his friend and the journey they make together should have been explored more. Going into the film i expected to see a film where Tarzan defends his animal friends from evil humans in the jungle, but I got a very grounded and simple film about a man trying to adapt into a life he naturally wasn't raised for. The duality and having to choose between the two lives is an interesting concept, but it leaves it unresolved in my opinion.There are some very dramatic and sad moments here too. The bond between the apes and the man is felt more than the bond between humans sometimes. The apes have their cheesy moments, but there's also really strong and emotional moments too. The detail in the costumes switches around a bit. The best compliment to the ape costumes I can give is that the eyes where done so well that I actually thought those were real ape ayes.There are even some scenes that deal with the human beings desire to kill and rip apart other animals, like dissecting, hunting and chaining them up. Seeing those things from Tarzan's perspective was a bit haunting and heartbreaking and you feel the conflict.Some great performances, great first half, gritty & grounded moments are all strong points, but it loses steam in the second half and drags on a bit for too long and leaves you feeling unresolved. The film also lacked more tension and intensity towards the end which would have picked the whole thing up and made up for the calmer moments. I like calmer films, but it really builds up to something exciting to happen, and it never does.Still, it's probably the best adaptation of Tarzan I've seen and the one who truly makes you feel the tragedy of this truly sad and haunting tale. It ain't as light as you might expect.

I saw this when I was 19 in the theaters when it came out in 1984, and have again many many times since. There are very few movies that are touchstones of my life and this is one of them. They gave it a realistic look with special effects unmatched at the time. This movie still holds up to this day, as all great movies do. It is the undoubted best Tarzan movie ever made. It is still strange to me why the first Tarzan book was never made except for this one. Interesting to know that this was Andie Macdowell's first film. Her beauty still holds up, 33 years later. Her daughter is an actress now. That kind of stuff freaks me out, as most of us don't want to confront age. This film is timeless though. Its a travesty that it only has 3 stars here on IMDb, considering the academy awards it was nominated for, and the great acting performances, including Sir Ralph Richardson's last performance before he passed away. It is clearly Lambert's best performance before or since. And Andie Macdowell is well, Andie Macdowell. This film evokes a sense of wonder, that very few films can. When I am feeling a little lost, I plug in and watch this film. It lifts your spirits. It makes you feel that your time hasn't passed you by, and that there is hope for the future. At least it has for me, from age 19 to 51. I have seen reviews where people have called it slow and boring. Then obviously they don't want a normal progressive story line. They should go to action and other genre, and not bother putting in their less than 2 cents worth. Tarzan decides to make a decision at the end, that few of us except the truly great ever can make. We should all be so lucky.

Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes (1984): Dir: Hugh Hudson / Cast: Christopher Lambert, Ralph Richardson, Ian Holm, Andie MacDowell, James Fox: Another attempt at a Tarzan adaptation although it might appeal better without its cheesecake title. It stars Christopher Lambert as Tarzan who grew up in the jungle and raised by apes. Ian Holm shipwrecks onto the island and is founded by Tarzan. Holm studies him closely and observes his authority amongst the apes. Soon he is shipped to England where he meets his grandfather at the Greystoke manor. Directed by Hugh Hudson whom gives the story an artistic approached never seen before but its more adult appeal strikes against the very audience it should fancy too. Hudson previously made the acclaim Chariots of Fire. The screenplay is predictable but detailed with terrific art direction. Lambert does a tremendous job with the mannerisms of Tarzan but his concluding decision is somewhat hopeless. Ralph Richardson as Tarzan's grandfather provides wisdom. Holm steals scenes early on with his introductory to Tarzan. Only Andie MacDowell as Jane is subdued in predictable drivel that render her more as a romantic fling than a personality. More adult oriented than fantasy adventure and that greatly works against it but it is unique in its presentation nonetheless. Score: 5 ½ / 10

While being a more faithful rendition of Tarzan, the ape lord created by Edgar Rice Burroughs turned into an endearing airhead in older films, the brooding saga, made by CHARIOTS OF FIRE director Hugh Hudson, ultimately misses the vine.The prologue introduces us to the gorillas in their African jungle habitat during a volcanic eruption, seeming like a creation of sorts. The simians (created by Rick Baker) are esthetically pleasing but all their screams get annoying, and they never feel like characters to invest time in.The humans in England are a bit more deserving our attention… Ralph Richardson, in his final screen role, plays the Earl of Greystoke: consisting of a giant mansion sprawled along a plush countryside. His son Jack, discontented with easy living, takes his wife to Africa where, after a shipwreck (that we unfortunately never witness) is stranding in the jungle and… Let's cut to the chase: the parents die and their infant is raised by apes. The scenes with the young Tarzan (who's never referred to as such) are wonderful looking, but the coming-of-ape montage cuts so sporadically we never feel he's in any danger, nor is an effective kinship established with his new parental figures.He grows to be Christopher Lambert, with narrowed eyes and swiftly cunning agility, but he seems more posing the role than performing it. And eventually Tarzan aka John Clayton is taken by Ian Holm, the surviving member of a massacred hunting party – after much too easy tutoring lessons to make him more human – to be with his grandfather in England.Here's where a real story could have sunk in... but the scenes skip around so much it's like half a film – and a long one at that. As Lambert makes noises like lions, and leaps around bedrooms like an ape, it often feels more parody than serious; and Andie McDowell's dubbed voice (by Glenn Close) is preposterously distracting.All in all, our titular hero's never successfully established as the lord of the jungle or a man trying to find his place in England. Even Ian Holm tells Clayton to realize he's human in order to fit into the jungle or civilization. Too bad for the audience he never really does.James M. Tate, For More Reviews: www.cultfilmfreaks.com