Tarzan and the Lost City
Tarzan returns to his homeland of Africa to save his home from destruction.
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- Cast:
- Casper Van Dien , Jane March , Steven Waddington , Winston Ntshona , Rapulana Seiphemo , Sean Taylor , Gys de Villiers
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Reviews
I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.
I like the storyline of this show,it attract me so much
Sick Product of a Sick System
Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.
Well, there've been worse versions of Edgar Rice Burroughs classic hero but Tarzan and the Lost City is certainly far from the best, whether you think that's Johnny Weissmuller or Ron Ely. This is a thoroughly wholesome and family-friendly version of the Lord of the Jungle, except for a disintegration at the end, and there's a decent amount of mostly G-rated action. There frankly haven't been a lot of great live-action versions of Tarzan since the TV show of the late 1960s, so this isn't a bad choice if you're looking to introduce your kids to the Ape Man and his lady love. Even if your children love it though, this is one of those movies they'll look back on as adults and say "Boy, that really wasn't that good, was it?"Picking things up after the character's origins, Tarzan (Casper Van Dien) has been restored to his hereditary roots in the landed gentry of England and is about to marry Jane (Jane March) when a magical vision summons him back to Africa. A ruthless explorer, or at least as ruthless as you get in something suitable for the littlest viewers, is rampaging through the jungle in search of the lost city of Opar. Ravens (Steve Waddington) and his abnormally large band of mercenaries are plundering villages and poaching animals to make enough money for their expedition. Tarzan starts mucking up their plans and Jane quickly arrives to join him. But he also has to try and protect a friendly tribe led by a mysterious shaman (Winston Ntshona) and a headstrong warrior (Rapulana Seiphemo) from being mowed down by Ravens' 20th century firepower. They all wind up in Opar, which turns out to be a giant pyramid instead of a city, some magic stuff happens and everybody gets what they deserve in the end.A Tarzan movie or TV show pretty much begins and ends with the quality of your Tarzan. On that score, I'm really not sure how to judge Casper Van Dien. That's mostly because his Tarzan spends most of this film running around Central Africa is what appears to be a fat guy's dress shirt and a pair of Capri pants. By the time Van Dien loincloths up, the story is essentially over except for a very, very extended chase scene. He has a noble countenance, is surely buff enough and seems comfortable with the more outlandish aspects of the character. But Van Dien is also a little young for Tarzan in this context and doesn't quite have the physical stature the role requires. A short Tarzan is a bit like a fat Sherlock Holmes. It just doesn't feel right. Van Dien is also trying to pull off an English accent here and it's one of those accents that is so bad, you wonder why they even bothered. I guess I'd call this a competent and relatively appealing Tarzan but not an exceptional one. Even if this is the first rendition of the Ape Man you encounter, you'll probably wind up preferring one of the others.The star of the cast is probably Steve Waddington. He plays the bad guy as someone whose motives aren't necessarily evil but who is totally indifferent to the damage he does to the world and others in the pursuit of his goals. Jane March is a very English-looking beauty and plays her part with all the resolve and composure a proper gentlewoman of the early 1900s would possess. Rapulana Seiphemo as the intractable tribal warrior and Ian Roberts as a riverboat captain and friend of Tarzan also manage to inject a little flavor into their small roles.The plot of this thing is okay and stuff mostly makes sense, except for the whole thing about why Ravens and his men getting to Opar would be such a bad thing. There's a line that references the discovery of the lost city bringing more rapacious whites to the Dark Continent to ravage its countryside, but when we get to Opar there's nothing there to justify that. And considering how much magic is used to zap the bad guys away at the end, it's also not clear why Tarzan and company ever needed to get involved.As an inoffensive adventure tale for the whole family, Tarzan and the Lost City mostly works. However, that's the only level it succeeds on and with a Lord of the Jungle who's only average, I'd hate for this to be the only exposure someone has to Tarzan and his world. Given the paucity of great or even good live-action Tarzans in the last 40 years, this isn't terrible. It does really make me wish that late 60s TV series was out on DVD.
I just love it when classic pulp-styled heroes get the big-budget treatment from Hollywood. The Phantom, The Rocketeer, and The Shadow are all personal favourites of mine.Now we have "Tarzan and The Lost City," and while it is nowhere near the quality of the other films mentioned above, it is a fun little Saturday movie.The acting is never terrible, but never above acceptable either. Also, a lot of the sets, special effects, and cinematography, while service the film well enough as it is, feel more suited for an above-average TV movie, and not the major blockbuster the filmmakers were hoping for.Also, a lot of the ending does not make sense: Why does the Snake god need Tarzan, or even helping him out? His warriors were useless! A very simple-minded and fun PG Adventure film for the kids, and those who grew up on Ron Ely, but not much else.6/10
*SPOILER ALERT* *SPOILER ALERT*I saw this one in the movie theater. Yeah, it was me, dad and about two other people. For some reason the filmmakers thought the world was ready for a new PG rated Tarzan flick. I am not a big Tarzan fan and the PG rating didn't thrill me but I thought I'd give Casper Van Dien the benefit of the doubt. Surely he could make a decent jungle action movie.I was wrong. So terribly wrong. This sucker is one goofy Tarzan movie. The Lost City needs to stay lost. The PG rating turns this flick into a lame kiddie adventure movie. Even B-movie king Van Dien couldn't save this one from the elephant compost heap. 2/10.
Yes!! In the age of so many films that slap you in the face with so many f/x, it was refreshing to watch a movie with real people and real actors. The new TARZAN and the LOST CITY brought the character to a new level for a whole new generation.Casper Van Dien was an excellent Tarzan and most important, Mr. Van Dien's performance was on target. I enjoyed the film and I am sure that you will too!