Famed novelist Edgar Rice Burroughs is responsible for some of the most iconic tales in science fiction. From the depths of the hollow Earth to the farthest reaches of space, Burroughs has entranced readers since All-Story Magazine began serially releasing A Princess of Mars in 1912. Among his most beloved characters, though, is one more grounded in reality. Again debuting in All-Story Magazine in 1912, Tarzan of the Apes followed the life of a feral boy taken in by Mangani apes and raised as one of them until the boy grew older and came face-to-face with civilization in the form of a young American woman named Jane.
Since his debut, Tarzan has starred in 24 books by Burroughs and dozens by other writers, and he has become one of the world's most recognizable and beloved characters. Starring in comics, short stories, television, film, and video games, Tarzan is a multimedia superstar, but some of his adventures are better than others. This list focuses on his cinematic adventures, honing in on the 10 best since his first movie appearance in 1918. From classic black-and-white classics to modern smash hits, these films showcase the lasting potential of this character and why Tarzan is one of the most important fictional characters in literature.
10 Tarzan and the Lost City (1998)
We start this list with Tarzan and the Lost City, a largely forgotten film from 1998 that explores Tarzan's return to his jungle home. Living amongst civilization as John Clayton with his fiancée Jane, Tarzan is drawn back home after receiving a vision of the jungle in flames. Teaming with the tribal shaman Mugambe, Tarzan learns that treasure hunter Nigel Ravens is searching for the lost city of Opar, plundering and destroying villages in his path.
Initially attempting to negotiate with ravens, Tarzan is forced into a race against the explorers in order to find the city. However, Jane arrives in the jungle, forcing Tarzan to divide his attention in order to protect her.
Tarzan and the Lost City Might Be Tarzan's Worst and Weirdest Adventure
Tarzan and the Lost City is far from the best film on this list. In fact, it is the only film to hold a single digit approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, landing at a measly 6%, and it crashed and burned at the box office. However, very few other films capture the pulpy magic of the original novels than this film. It is a Saturday afternoon, low-budget thrill ride, playing up the campy action-adventure to the extreme. It isn't a good film, but it is definitely among the highest tiers of so-bad-it's-good.
This is a film that all Tarzan fans need to watch, even if just once. It is peak '90s, providing some fun cheap thrills in less than 90 minutes.
9 Tarzan the Ape Man (1981)
Despite the title, Jane Parker is the primary focus of 1981's Tarzan the Ape Man. Traveling to Africa with her big game-hunting father James, the pair hope to find the mysterious, mythical "white ape." However, they soon discover that this white ape is a human man named Tarzan, but this doesn't deter James' hunt. Realizing that his life is in danger, Tarzan takes Jane hostage, disappearing into the jungle with the young woman, but as the pair adventure together, an uncanny affection forms between them. When a local tribe takes Jane hostage, though, Tarzan and James will have to work together to rescue her.
Tarzan the Ape Man Puts the Focus on Jane... but Does Little Else Well
Much like the previous entry, Tarzan the Ape Man is not a good film. It suffers from its forced oversexualization and depictions of native tribespeople, and its writing and acting have been panned by critics for decades. However, the reason that this film makes this list is its focus on the growing bond between Tarzan and Jane.
It isn't deep or well-constructed, but the chemistry between Bo Derek and Miles O'Keefe helped put the spotlight on these newfound lovers in a way previous films had only touched on. This alone isn't enough to save this objectively bad film, but some exciting action sequences do at least make it an entertaining getaway.
8 Tarzan’s New York Adventure (1942)
Tarzan, Jane, and their adopted son, Boy, take a trip to the big city in the MGM Studios' 1942 release, Tarzan's New York Adventure. After a group of poachers kidnaps Boy to perform in their New York City circus act, Tarzan and Jane make the long journey from Africa to New York City.
Forced to don clothes and learn how to operate basic machinery, Tarzan struggles to acclimate to this world of towering skyscrapers as he attempts to save his son. However, after an encounter with the New York legal system goes south, Tarzan will have to rely on his jungle-honed skills to find Boy and bring him home.
Tarzan's New York Adventure Introduces Tarzan to the Wider World
Firstly, it needs to be mentioned that Tarzan's New York Adventure features some problematic elements, largely in its discussions of Black Americans, and it hasn't aged well since its 1942 release. That said, this film is still one of the most fun entries in the MGM Tarzan series, especially as it sees Johnny Weissmuller's Tarzan getting to interact with modern (at the time) appliances in hilariously inept ways.
The film does a great job of introducing new challenges to Tarzan, giving viewers a lighthearted adventure that is entertaining from start to finish. It is far from the best story on this list, but it still captures the early magic of MGM's version of the character.
7 The Legend of Tarzan (2016)
Released in 2016 and directed by Harry Potter alum David Yates, The Legend of Tarzan isn't a Tarzan origin story. John Clayton, Earl of Greystoke, is a wealthy nobleman in England, famed for his early years as Tarzan. After learning that King Leopold II has defaulted on his loans and that he may have enslaved the people of the Congo, John takes a trip to his former home in order to discover the truth.
However, Leon Rom, on orders from a local tribal chief, has hunted Tarzan deep into the jungle, capturing Jane. With Jane's life on the line, Tarzan must confront his adopted family to secure passage through the jungle and find Rom's steamship.
The Legend of Tarzan Bombed at the Box Office but Still Deserves Your Attention
The Legend of Tarzan isn't the strongest outing for the classic character, and its horrendous box office numbers are proof perfect of how critics felt about the film. However, the bones of this story are fascinating. Starting in the middle of Tarzan's adventures, without ruminating on his origins, helps keep the story fresh, and Alexander Skarsgaard, Margot Robbie, and Samuel L. Jackson do an incredible job with what they were given.
It is too slow paced and heady for its own good, but putting the focus on Tarzan's return to the wild gives the film a deeper thematic focus and brings it more in line with Burroughs' original novels.
The Legend of Tarzan
PG-13
- Release Date
- June 29, 2016
- Director
- David Yates
- Cast
- Margot Robbie , Christoph Waltz , Samuel L. Jackson , Alexander Skarsgard , Casper Crump , John Hurt
- Runtime
- 109
- Main Genre
- Adventure
6 Tarzan Finds a Son! (1939)
In Burroughs' novels, Tarzan and Jane have a son named Jack, who later plays a major role in the series, adventuring alongside his father as "Korak the Killer." While likely inspired by this, Tarzan Finds a Son! is a vast departure from Burroughs' lore. When a plane crashes in the jungle, killing all but a young boy, Tarzan and Jane adopt the infant, raising him for five years. However, when a search party arrives looking for Boy, they learn that Boy is actually the heir to the Greystoke lineage. Seeking Boy's inheritance, the group convinces Jane it is in his best interest to return him to society, forcing Tarzan to track them down and rescue them.
Tarzan Finds a Son! Is Only One of MGM's Great Tarzan Films
Really, any of the MGM Classic films starring Johnny Weissmuller could have been on this list. Weissmuller was Hollywood's Tarzan for many years, influencing many of the depictions of the character moving forward. The series deviates extensively from the source material, but it is still one of the most iconic portrayals of Burrough's characters.
Tarzan Finds a Son! makes this list because it represents a new development in Tarzan's lore, building on elements from the novels that had yet to be introduced. It forced Tarzan to take on a new role unlike any he had taken in previous films, and that led to some interesting story beats.
5 Tarzan of the Apes (1918)
Released just six years after the debut of Edgar Rice Burroughs' first Tarzan novel, 1918's Tarzan of the Apes was the character's first ever film. A black-and-white silent film, it starred Elmo Lincoln as the adult Tarzan and Enid Markey as Jane Porter. It is another take on the classic origin story. Abandoned on the African coast by pirates, Tarzan is orphaned and taken in by the local apes, but years later, a search party comes looking for the last Greystoke heir, though a young Jane Porter is quickly captured by tribesmen. Seeking revenge for the death of his adoptive mother, Tarzan goes to their village and rescues Jane, and a bond forms between them.
Tarzan of the Apes Made History as the First Tarzan Film
Given its place as the first Tarzan film ever made, Tarzan of the Apes needed to be on this list. It is an incredibly important piece of the character's history, and it helped cement Tarzan as an icon of popular culture. While the film faced censorship after its release (over half the film is unavailable for viewing), largely due to its early depiction of nude actors and violence, the film covers a lot of ground in its 60 minutes.
This film is the foundation for everything that would follow. While it can be a bit tame compared to the films we now have, taken in the context of its early showings, it was unlike anything viewers had ever seen before.
Stream on Prime Video
4 Tarzan’s Greatest Adventure (1959)
Gordon Scott portrays the titular ape-man in Tarzan's Greatest Adventure, a 1959 action film and only the third to be released in color. The film follows a more intelligent Tarzan, following the groundwork of Burroughs' novels, but deviates in its narrative. After two villagers are murdered in a nearby village, Tarzan is sent after a group of raiders led by his old foe Slade. Canoeing upriver, Tarzan is joined by a former American model named Angie, who was trapped in the jungle after a plane crash. As they journey to a secret diamond mine, Tarzan takes down Slade's accomplices one by one, leading to a final, deadly confrontation between the two.
Tarzan's Greatest Adventure Provides Viewers With a Thrilling Adventure
At its release, critics called Tarzan's Greatest Adventure... well, Tarzan's greatest adventure. After ten years of campy heroics and silly comedy, the film focused on telling a more serious, action-focused narrative, and it was a thrilling exploration of Tarzan's world. It is far from the most accurate to the source material.
The absence of Jane seems a bit forced, and though we do get Burroughs' original, literate Tarzan, the lack of any real focus on developing this version leaves a bit to be desired. However, what it lacks in character development it easily makes up for in action, giving viewers one of the most suspenseful Tarzan plots in cinema history.
Related: 10 Great Movies Based on World Mythology
3 Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan (1984)
Despite releasing only three years after Tarzan the Ape Man, Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan managed to rectify its predecessor's many mistakes to create one of the best Tarzan stories in the character's history. Taking an in-depth look at Tarzan's origins, the story follows John Clayton after the death of his parents. Taken in by Mangani apes, the boy is raised as one of them, but he always felt out of place. After rescuing a Belgian explorer named Phillipe, John's identity is revealed, and Phillipe brings him to Scotland. However, despite his growing relationship with his grandfather's American ward, Jane, John still struggles to find his place in his new home.
Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan is a Stunning Adaptation of Burroughs' Novels
The filmmakers did something amazing with Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan. The film is one of the more accurate retellings of the original novel (at least in the first half), focusing intently on its themes of Tarzan as an outsider and taking a truly serious and bleak look at the original tale. There is no camp or fluff here, only hard-hitting adventure and methodical storytelling.
The ape costumes and puppetry leave a little to be desired, but they do a great job of capturing the somewhat alien look of the fictional Mangani apes. This is an incredible film, and for fans of Burroughs' novels, there are few better adaptations of the classic character.
2 Tarzan the Ape Man (1932)
Acting as Olympian Johnny Weissmuller's first appearance as the titular lead, Tarzan the Ape Man released in 1932, acting as the beginning of one of MGM's biggest franchises. Jane Parker joins her father James and his business associate Harry Holt on an expedition to find the elephant burial grounds and its stockpile of ivory.
On the journey, Jane is kidnapped by a mysterious man from the jungle. As she grows closer to Tarzan, a startling affection develops between them. However, after Tarzan returns Jane to her father, his hunting party is taken captive by a tribe of dwarfs, sending Tarzan on a dangerous rescue mission.
Tarzan the Ape Man Helped Make Tarzan into an Icon
Tarzan the Ape Man is one of the true great classics of early cinema, showing the storytelling potential of the medium to viewers around the world. It inspired filmmakers to include Johnny Weissmuller in eleven more films, while Maureen O'Sullivan starred in the remaining five MGM films. While it is a bit tame by today's standards, it was groundbreaking during its release, astounding viewers with thrilling adventures and an entire zoo's worth of animal actors. While it wasn't the first Tarzan film, this was the movie that made the character a household name, helping to transform him into one of the most recognizable characters in the world.
Related: 10 Movies and TV Shows That Perfectly Encompass King Arthur's Tales and Characters
1 Disney’s Tarzan (1991)
Disney is known for their stunning adaptations of classic fairy tales and novels, and Tarzan is one of their best. The film follows the origins we know so well by now. A pair of explorers are shipwrecked, but after building themselves a home among the trees, they are killed by a wild cheetah, leaving their son to be raised by gorillas. Now an adult, Tarzan discovers other humans within the jungle, explorers looking to study the gorillas. Bonding with the young Jane Porter, who takes it upon herself to educate the man, Tarzan comes to trust the expedition, but a betrayal by their hunter-guide Clayton will shake the foundations of this trust.
Disney's Tarzan is the Definitive Take on Burroughs' Classic Character
Disney's Tarzan was always going to be at the top of this list. Phil Collins' epic soundtrack alone would earn it the top spot, but it also needs to be said that this film is peak Tarzan storytelling. It takes all of the best aspects of the films that came before it, combining them into one of Disney's best films. The development of the friendship and relationship between Jane and Tarzan feels far more natural in this version.
The comedy hits in nearly every instance. Most importantly, it never sacrifices story, crafting one of the best Disney Renaissance classics even if it does deviate quite a bit from Burroughs' novel.
Disney's Tarzan
G
- Release Date
- June 18, 1999
- Director
- Chris Buck , Kevin Lima
- Cast
- Tony Goldwyn , Minnie Driver , Brian Blessed , Glenn Close , Nigel Hawthorne , Lance Henriksen , Wayne Knight , Rosie O'Donnell
- Runtime
- 1hr 28min
- Main Genre
- Animation
