`Tarzan’ a streamlined technical marvel

TARZAN. Directed by Kevin Lima and Chris Buck. Written by Tab Murphy, Bob Tzudiker and Noni White. Running time: 88 minutes. Rated G.

Where Tarzan is concerned, the adage certainly proves true: It don’t mean a thing if it ain’t got that swing.

Thankfully, the folks at Disney know this. Their 37th animated feature film, “Tarzan,” has so much swing, Austin Powers must be applauding.

The film is a technical marvel that shrewdly compresses and streamlines the Disney formula into a more efficient whole — the script is light on messages and there are fewer song-and-dance numbers to stop the action.

The result is a gorgeous-looking film that utilizes computer-generated imagery to give the stunning landscapes and vistas added depth and texture. The story is a bit too pat and lacks a sufficiently evil character to truly stir the emotions, but the film is nevertheless uninhibited, featuring a vibrantly reborn Tarzan who swings through Disney’s roller coaster of a jungle less like Johnny Weissmuller, and more like Peter Pan. Grade: B+

THE GENERAL’S DAUGHTER. Directed by Simon West. Written by William Goldman and Christopher Bertolini. Based on the novel by Nelson DeMille. Running time: 115 minutes. Rated R.

Simon West’s “The General’s Daughter” earns its stars and stripes because it wisely respects its sourcebook, Nelson DeMille’s best-selling novel of the same name.

The film is dark and psychologically murky. It relies on kink to give its audience a jolt, but balances the ugly overtones with its characters’ sharp wit and sarcasm.

Director West further strikes that balance with a top-notch cast that perfectly suits the plot: A general’s daughter has been found naked and strangled in the middle of a training field on her father’s command post. Who’s responsible? Take your pick of any number of commanding officers.

In spite of an ending that works better within the pages of the book (it comes off as preposterous here), the film is a standout because of its consistently strong dialogue and the electric chemistry among its characters, led here by John Travolta, Madeleine Stowe, James Woods, Timothy Hutton and James Cromwell. Grade: B

Christopher Smith’s “The Week in Rewind” appears each Thursday in The Scene. Tuesday on WLBZ’s “News Center 5:30 Today” and “News Center Tonight,” he appears in Cinema Center.