Anthony's Film Review - George of the Jungle (1997)

This live-action version of a funny cartoon still manages to be funny...

George of the Jungle, both the cartoon and the 1997 live-action movie, is a spoof of Tarzan. He is a man who lives in a jungle and tries to be courageous. However, he is clumsy and unlucky. As the famous theme song suggests, George keeps hitting trees when he is swinging on vines. That alone sounds funny. Of course, the movie still has to be executed well to make us laugh. I thought the George of the Jungle movie would be forgettable, but to my surprise, it made me laugh.

Brendan Fraser plays the title character of George. It's rather interesting to see a handsome, buff actor like Fraser in this role. I would think that a spoof of Tarzan would center on an ugly buffoon, not someone as good-looking as Tarzan. Then again, the character's behavior is probably a lot more important than his looks. It's true. When you see Fraser doing the goofy things he does, it's easy to find it amusing.

The story does not need any mention. It simply involves George meeting a woman from civilization in his jungle turf before stepping into modern civilization itself. This is followed by a trip back to the jungle where it really gets fun. In other words, it's a standard predictable plot. Same for the characters. There's nothing special about them, but they're interesting enough to be on screen.

Basically, I just want to talk about the humor in the movie. There are plenty of jokes here, some of which are funny because I had not initially expected them. And I'm not just talking about George swinging into trees. For one thing, there's a narrator in this movie, so expect to see a joke with characters talking to the narrator. There are also gags involving a flatulent ape and a UPS delivery truck in a jungle. If you think that's funny, wait until the final shot of the movie that spoofs a certain Disney animated film.

Simply put, I found this movie to be entertaining. It was funnier than I thought. At times, it generated a good chuckle or a big laugh. I especially enjoyed the climax because that was where many good jokes were quickly thrown out at once. Just for that, I'm giving this movie a 7 out of 10, not the 6/10 rating I originally predicted when I started watching the movie. Believe me. It's definitely fun to watch George of the Jungle. But whatever you do, watch out for that tree.

Anthony's Rating:

For more information about George of the Jungle, visit the Internet Movie Database.