The best has Tarzan battling a lion in what looks real, and we know it's not CGI. yikes), and Maureen O'Sullivan has great chemistry with him, so what's the trouble? I ask myself, does the movie hold up? The worst of the scenes has the explorers very noticeably standing in front of stock footage of African tribesmen in the background. Olympic champion Johnny Weissmuller was a great choice for Tarzan (my understanding is that Clark Gable was also considered. They want to bring him back to civilization, but here is it where it diverges: Tarzan has the choice, and declines, and Jane has fallen in love with him, and wants to stay. Tarzan, like Kong, has to fight and kill other wild creatures that threaten them. The young woman along for the adventure falls into the hands of a powerful being who can take care of her. The explorers have no qualms about blowing things away with their guns, in this case, hippopotamuses, not dinosaurs. The natives jump around and dance to sacrificial rites.
The white man goes to the unknown, forbidden jungle in search of treasure. The original Tarzan has some historical appeal and watching it can be fun in a campy way, but it just didn't click with me, despite reminding me of the classic 'King Kong' in a few ways.