Tarzan 2: The Legend Begins

Remember the 'Son of Man' sequence from the original Disney 'Tarzan' film? It showed Tarzan learning how to be an ape man, he grew up - it lasted a few minutes and it was fine. We used our imaginations to fill in the blanks.

Disney obviously felt that more of the blanks needed to be filled in, so we end up with 'Tarzan 2', a misleadingly titled film that is actually a midquel, fleshing out the 'Son of Man' sequence to over an hour.

It's fine, it's ok, it has its moments, but you can almost hear the cash cow being milked.

Tarzan II I would say is maybe the best looking of the direct-to- video sequels. I was pretty overwhelmed by the beautiful landscapes and how grand they were made.

To shortly sum up my impression of the idea of making a so-called midquel: I think it was a great idea, because we did not see that much of how Tarzan coped with his identity issues in the original. Is it handled perfectly, you ask? No, not exactly, but when the movie has that theme in its undivided focus it works out well without any need for words. George Carlin's role as Zugor did make a good impression on me, because I was a little skeptical to begin with. He and Tarzan share some heartfelt moments together, even if the pay-off of Tarzan's search for his identity comes off as underwhelming.

The harshest criticism I have towards Tarzan II is that these three apes, Mama Gunda, Kago and Uto were really unnecessary as bad-guys. They could have made the same impact on Tarzan's life with a smaller role. But it could have been awesome to see more of how Sabor thretened the gorillas, because he seemed like a real threat in the original.

Tarzan II is an okay watch, and kids can enjoy the adventure and the comedy while adults may find it pleasant to see the heartfelt moments. Again, this is a Disney sequel so therefore the original is by far a better movie, but with that said, this is not insulting to its predecessor.

I didn't know what to expect considering Disney's negative reputation with their direct-to-video sequels. So when I watched it I have to say it was pretty good. It was well animated, acted and paced. The story's about a young Tarzan (Harrison Chad) trying to find his place in the jungle. After trying to keep up with his pack during a storm he gets separated and decides to run away feeling he doesn't belong with him. This leads him to a grumpy gorilla named Zugor (George Carlin) who pretends to be a monster in order to scare off the other animals near his home including a grumpy gorilla named Mama Gunda (Estelle Harris) and her two sons the irritable, aggressive Kago (Ron Perlman) and the happy yet dimwitted Uto (Brad Garrett) who think they are trapped by the "monster".

In exchange for keeping his secret Zugor reluctantly agrees to help him find out who he is. The movie's not as good as the first one but it's still good in its own right. The animation's a slight downgrade as the characters aren't as fluid as the original but it's still pretty good by direct-to-video standards. The characters are well-defined and enjoyable to watch. What Tarzan goes through is relatable as there's been a point in our life where we were trying to find out our place in this world. Mama Gunda and her sons antics are fun to watch as well. They really have good chemistry which leads to some good laughs. The songs aren't as memorable as the first but they're still written and performed by Phil Collins so they're ok. The pacing's pretty good. While there're moments of bouncing around there're also quiet thoughtful moments and I think they're done pretty well.

Tarzen 2's definitely a diamond in the rough. It has something for both kids and adults. It may not be memorable but it's still enjoyable nonetheless. If you have kids I'd say check it out.

This was much better than I had originally anticipated. That's just the cold hard truth. This is the story of Tarzan as a young boy, with all of his young friends, having fun. This is a great movie for children, mostly those between the ages of about 5 and 12, who will enjoy it the most. And parents will like the story line too, it is a good thing to talk to your children about. What to do in the situation, and what NOT to do. It seems as though Disney is trying to put these movies out as fast as they can now, but I don't think this one was for the money. They did take time on this video to make sure it was WORTH buying, and believe me, it is. And if you want this title, you can find good, inexpensive ones at either HTTP://www.amazon.com ,or HTTP://www.ebay.com. Thats my story, and I'm sticking to it!! This was a good movie, and I gave it an 8 of 10.

Disney's "Tarzan II" is a fun family film to watch, and I must say that it is much, much better than "Tarzan and Jane." This sequel centers around Tarzan's childhood, and what he had to go through while seeking his real identity. All the lovely characters are back of course, with other new fun characters. The animation of this film was quite satisfying and the songs by Phil Collins were also lovely. I have to say, however, that this film is mostly for kids but it has some good laughs for adults though . Also, do not expect this sequel to be better than the original "Tarzan" but still, it is a good one compared to other sequels, and is worth watching.