Will The Real Tarzan Please Stand Up?

[white avenger]

I just found this, and, since the new Tarzan movie will soon be released, thought that some here might be interested

Will the Real Tarzan Please Stand Up? - Amazing Stories

As many of you know, I was an avid fan of the creations of Edgar Rice Burroughs' characters, Tarzan, Carson Napier, David Innes, and above all others, the immortal Virginian, John Carter, long before I discovered Buffy, or even Captain Kirk and his amazing crew. I had high hopes for Statham's "John Carter," which I still think is an excellent movie, despite it' less than spectacular financial success, but, sadly, not enough others shared that opinion. "The Legend Of Tarzan," however, shows real promise as the vehicle that will reintroduce the worlds of Burroughs to a new audience, and, hopefully, convince the Gods of Hollywood that his creations can be profitable movie material.

Do an old man a favor, and go see "The Legend Of Tarzan" when it comes to your town. It just might open up a whole new world of adventure and excitement for you.

 

[Skanky Vamp]

"It has been years since the man once known as Tarzan (Alexander Skarsgård) left the jungles of Africa behind for a gentrified life in London as John Clayton III, Lord Greystoke, with his beloved wife, Jane Porter (Margot Robbie) at his side. Now, he has been invited back to the Congo to serve as a trade emissary of Parliament, unaware that he is a pawn in a deadly convergence of greed and revenge, masterminded by the corrupt Belgian Captain Léon Rom (Christoph Waltz)."

I'll pass. Been there, done that. Don't care for a Pirates of the Caribbean-style Tarzan.

 

[Athena]

I thought John Carter was a good film. It was unfairly judged before it was even released though and was marketed terribly. It was like the studio didn't know what to do with it. They should have called it Princess of Mars. It sounds infinitely more interesting than "John Carter". Even John Carter of Mars sounds better. I heard they refrained from using Mars in the title because similar films with Mars in the name bombed at the box office. Silly mistake.

We went to see it on opening night (we see a lot of movies on opening night) and I'm not even kidding, there was six of us in the cinema screening in a city-based cinema at an 8pm Friday night showing for John Carter; me, my husband and four others. It was the lowest opening night turnout I have ever seen in my life.

I felt really sorry for the movie. It didn't deserve to bomb like it did. It wasn't amazing, but it wasn't as terrible as people made it out to be either.

 

[white avenger]

They should have called it Princess of Mars.

I sort of agree, if for no other reason, out of loyalty to the original series, since that actually is the title of the book that it was based on, but I can also see how that might be confusing to the average movie goer, seeing as how the story centers on John Carter, not Dejah Thoris. Besides which, Syfy made a grade Z version starring former porn star, Traci Lords, in the title role just the year before. Certainly, Disney Studios should have chosen a more descriptive title, but, far more importantly, they should have begun a hard core advertising campaign starting at least 6 months prior to the movie's release, informing the public of exactly who John Carter was and his significance to the last century's entire fantasy/science fiction/superhero genre, not to mention one helluva big toy and book line in time for the previous Christmas, aimed at the younger viewers AND adults. As it was, nobody even knew who John Carter was, and more than a few poor misguided people who actually did see it went away thinking that it was just a rip off of "Avatar."

 

[Washburne]

For the Tarzan movie I might check it out at some point. mostly due to the cast. I'm in no hurry unless it gets some great reviews.

As for John Carter I watched the movie for the first time a couple of weeks ago. It was ok. I can see how the books might be good since the story could be interesting. At a young age I would definitely had been interested in reading them but I never heard of them so I guess they didn't do to well here.

 

[white avenger]

I can see how the books might be good since the story could be interesting. At a young age I would definitely had been interested in reading (the John Carter Series) but I never heard of them so I guess they didn't do to well here.

Not just interesting. John Carter was, for the time that it was written, absolutely brilliant. Edgar Rice Burroughs and John Carter were probably the most imitated writer/character of the 20th century, inspiring everything from Flash Gordon to Jake Sully (Avatar). Michael Moorcock called Burroughs the single most influential writer in modern popular fiction, and his fans include everyone from writers to scientists to Presidents. Most of Burroughs' books were reprinted in the early 6o's (when I first discovered them) and interest in making a "John Carter" movie began to grow from there.

Stanton's interpretation was much closer to the original than any Tarzan movie or TV show ever had been, but, unfortunately, so many characters over the last century have been inspired by John Carter, anything depicting him now is going to seem to be a rip off of something earlier, when, in truth, exactly the opposite is the fact. Most significantly, Carter's literary origins were much different than depicted in the movies, or there would have been a public uproar that Stanton was trying to remake "Highlander."

(Sorry, this is one of my favorite topics, and I sometimes get carried away)

Hopefully, this new Tarzan movie actually will be able to strike a chord wit the audiences. It's been long enough, I think, since the last misinterpretation graced the big screen that people will be more open to a newer, more character accurate version. Don't get me wrong, as a child, I loved Johnny Weissmuller in the role, and I still do, to this day, but even with all that love, I can freely admit that he, and every actor before and after him, did a terrible injustice to Burroughs' character. Hopefully, this time, they'll finally come a bit closer to getting it right.

Let's just pretend that the phrases, "Me Tarzan, you Jane" and "Hungawa" never existed, and carry on from there.

 

[Skanky Vamp]

Hopefully, this time, they'll finally come a bit closer to getting it right.

I had hopes they would but I got discouraged when I read the writer said they wanted to make Tarzan like Pirates of the Caribbean in the jungle.