Sometimes when a movie is a big hit, the movie makers think, “Well, if we did so well with that one, how about a sequel?” They tried this with “Tarzan and Jane,” and I’m sorry to say, it just didn’t work.
Jane has been living in the jungle with Tarzan for a year now, and to celebrate their first wedding anniversary, she wants to plan a special surprise. She meets up with Tarzan’s best friends Tantor and Turk and they discuss ways to commemorate the day. Jane’s ideas all lean toward holding a fancy party, but Tarzan’s friends are quick to remind her that fancy just isn’t Tarzan’s thing. They reminisce about the year that has passed and relive all the bad things that have happened as Tarzan has learned to become more civilized.
What basically happens next is a long string of stories in which we see Tarzan being himself, Jane resenting him for it, and then Jane getting into some sort of trouble. Tarzan rescues her, she remembers why she fell in love with him, and then he apologizes for not being more civilized. This theme is repeated throughout the entire show. She doesn’t trust his instincts, she thinks he’s just being jealous when he warns her away from a dangerous man, and she makes him feel bad for keeping her away from her friends back in England. I was very disappointed in this message. If she didn’t want to live in the jungle, she didn’t have to. She could have gone back to England and had the life she wanted, but instead, she blames Tarzan for everything she gave up, and he lets her.
At the end of the movie, Jane has decided that she can’t have a dance, because Tarzan wouldn’t like it. They can’t exchange gifts because Tarzan wouldn’t know how. They can’t have a nice party because Tarzan wouldn’t know how to behave. She decides that they won’t have a nice anniversary after all, but then Tarzan surprises her with a party, and a diamond, and he dances with her. So – the girl’s all upset because she has to alter her plans, and then he bends over backwards to give her everything she had no right to expect.
If you haven’t guessed it, I really didn’t like this movie. It modeled martial disharmony, unrealistic expectations, jealousy, and the need to prove your worth over and over and over again to get respect from your spouse. I think Disney really dropped the ball on this one.
This film is rated G.
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