Oh the 90s, were such a fascinating period for cheesy fantasy shows. It was truly a time for the reincarnation of the 'sword-and-sandal' subgenre, which had once been popularized in the 50s-60s, into the 'sword-and-sorcery' subgenre for TV. Everything is cyclical after all.
That was the period which saw the rise of series such as Sorbo's Hercules, Lawless' Xena or Moeller's Conan. And there was an underrated one but nonetheless notable, if not, the most notable of all: 'Lara's Tarzan'.
In this (awfully familiar) version, Tarzan who was once raised by the great apes, got civilized and lived as the Earl of Greystoke in London for a while. However, he returned to his true homeland Africa, to become the Lord of the Jungle once again.
Starred with Joe Lara. Let me tell you, not only was he physically well-fitted for Tarzan's classic description: 'tall, athletic, handsome, and tanned with grey eyes and long dark hair' --but his portrayal was one of the closest, if not the closest portrayals of Tarzan of all time. The stoic nature of the Ape-man was on point.
I believe this was one of the closest interpretation of Burrough's pulps, there I said it.
The supernatural elements were no stranger to the good ol' Ape-man tales, only if it weren't for the 90s VFX, though the 90s mentality, practical effects, and make-up made up for it.
Oh and one thing is sure, back in the days they really did know how to choose such beautiful actresses.
Anyway, it's a recommend. I rated it a 7/10, it certainly had a great charm to it. It's a guilty pleasure of mine. Also, just a piece of advice: please don't judge it so quickly based on the pilot, it gets way better.
(RIP Joe Lara.)
PS: Regardless, you can't go wrong with reading Edgar Rice Burroughs' novels.
