Sheena, reine de la jungle

Sheena has been entertaining us for close to 70 years now, but you sure wouldn't know it to look at her. She still looks as beautiful and sexy as ever. I've had a ball following Sheena's adventures in the pulps, comic books, on TV, and in this Sheena movie from 1984. My favorite actress in the role of Sheena is Irish McCalla, but I've enjoyed Tanya Roberts and Gina Lee Nolan too. Roberts is stunningly beautiful and she conveys a wonderful sense of innocence as Sheena. This 1984 Sheena movie is a blast of cheesy fun that provides plenty of entertaining moments that make for great escapism. Enjoy this one with good friends, beverages, and lots of popcorn. Sheena is fun!

I will admit this is not a masterpiece of cinema but as for jungle adventures go this is very good and entertaining. It moves along at a swift pace, lots of action plus a very likeable and sexy heroine. There is quite some nudity (but no sex) from Tanya Roberts ofcourse but also from the evil black princess. Director John Guillermin makes sure you get a good look at their (great) bodies.

Guillermin is familiar with the topic because in the early sixties he made some excellent Tarzan movies starring Gordon Scott. In my mind he is also an undeserved neglected director who had his fair share of flops ("Shaft in Afrika","King Kong lives",etc...)but who almost always succeeds in delivering an entertaining movie, not great art, but rousing actioners as "The Blue Max", "Guns at Batasi", "The Bridge at Remagen" or even the 1976 "King Kong". Whatever the topic, you won't get easily bored by a Guillermindirected movie.

Just compare "Sheena" with other so-called jungle movies from the early eighties : "Tarzan the Ape Man" with Bo Derek, one the true worst movies of all time or the two abysmal Allan Quartermain movies starring Richard Chamberlain and Sharon Stone.

Sheena comes off quite nicely.

I gave it 7/10.

I just have to say now that this film has aged rather well. What with "Charlie Angels" up on the big screen audiences are a little less politically correct with regards to heroines. As long as the lead is smart, strong, and independent, it is okay that she is beautiful too. "Sheena" shares the same orb as "Wonder Woman," "Supergirl," Emma Peel of "The Avengers," "Le Femme Nikita," and most obviously, "Xena." This is a family adventure film that is most of all fun where the children seem to enjoy it equally as well as the adults. Children like things that are pretty, and this includes people, so Tanya Robert's natural beauty is appealing to children too on a more simpler level. Yes, there is a little violence (of the adventure film variety) but not grotesquely, frightenly, or sickenly so. The same can be said about the display of skin which is never shown to be associated with sex or violence. What a concept! Thank you! Yes, there are two scenes where Tanya Roberts is fully nude, one of Sheena showering under a waterfall, and another of Sheena walking across the screen to bathe in a pond. But, they are so natural and appropriate (especially for children) that I have to applaud the screenwriter for creating these two scenes in lieu of the usual stupid reasons movie makers have to include nude scenes. Roberts does a terrific job as Sheena.

I could watch the wonderfully appealing Tanya Roberts all day in slow motion riding that horse… Ah I mean zebra and swinging through the jungle. Who wouldn't? She looked great. However with the acting, I just don't know if that was her natural abilities shinning through because it seemed to be taking a lot out of her with her constant head grabbing. No that's right, she's telepathically communicating with the animals ala "The Beastmaster". As for the film itself… of epic proportions. Director John Guillermin kind of shoots himself in the foot. The material tries to be fashionable with it's comic-book origins that's based upon S.M. Eiger and Will Eisner's comic strip books "Sheena, Queen of the Jungle", but transcends into campy goofiness and lazy story-telling with an awkward sexual allurement. I don't know who this was aimed at. It pushes the boundaries of juvenile silliness that seems to be aimed at children, but its free flowing t&a (thankyou to a nekid Tanya) rules out that possibility. But how, this one has a family feel to it. The action set-pieces are often poorly staged and eye-boggling, with a rough around the edges quality coming through. Other than Roberts being pretty much eye-candy, the stunning Kenya locations managed to give the film a sense of place with Pasqualino De Santis' handsome widescreen photography being smoothly protracted. On the other side of the coin Richard Hartley's music score was relatively ham-fisted and out-of-place. Even the script tackles many issues in a tacky, forced one-note mode that's quite rib-tickling or pain-staking depending on the mood of the viewer. The romance between Roberts and Wass is pitiful. Starring opposite of Roberts is Ted Wass, who's capably charming in his role. Donovan Scott is given free reign in the comic part. I don't think this film is that awful, as its made out to be, but it has quite a few bad elements that'll give it a hard time in trying to fight off that stinker tag. At least the laughs keep on coming. Unintentional or not, is the question?

Tanya Roberts certainly got the best part of her career (alongside the Roger Moore Bond movie, of course) in "Sheena". It's hard to pretend so much innocence and naivete after a life spent in NY and Hollywood, of all places. That's acting... I'd like to point out many scenes with the animals, arranged better than in many Tarzan competitors, and I am not afraid to admit I still am fascinated by this fairy tale that was kindalike the last survivor in 1984 - before digital FX took control. Seen the OTT animal scenes in Jumanji? Maybe you feel the same then.