Heroes Swinging From Ropes

Remember in

(2010) when Adam Sandler’s character finds a rope hanging from a tree by the water? His daughter isn’t impressed and he says, “Are you kidding me? You see a rope and a lake and that doesn’t make you wanna go nuts?!” He was right, wasn’t he? Swinging on a rope into water is such a great experience. At least it was for the first 35 years of my life. Maybe even better is swinging successfully from point A to point B over expanse C. I remember doing that in a hay mow with my friend as a kid, and just making it from one spot to another that were as little as three feet high could make you feel like a superhero.

Thinking about George of the Jungle this week, many movie heroes came to my mind who did this on screen. Not only do we love the feeling of doing a big swing like that, we also love to see scenes of it on the big screen. Here are the most notables: 

1. Bridge to Terabithia (2007) – They’re children, and not your traditional kind of “heroes,” but they are the protagonists. Plus, they swing over a river which is both symbolic and integral to the story for both the book and the movie. 

2. Black Sheep (1996) – Anytime this movie is brought up it is quickly described as “not as good as “ which is true. However, I found it a very funny movie and well worth the watch. And I’ve never forgotten seeing the great Chris Farley swinging from a rope and dropping into the lake while bellowing “Hellooooo Washington!”

3. F9 (2021) – I haven’t seen this movie, but I did see the scene. If you don’t want it spoiled, skip to the next. In short, you have a car that swings across a great chasm. Yes, a car. Carrying Vin Diesel and Michelle Rodriguez. It’s as realistic as Dumbo the flying elephant, only less entertaining for me. I think a lot of people liked it though. It’s the vibe of the series, so not meant to be taken too seriously.

4. Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996) – This is not the most popular Disney animated movie, but whatever level of like/love one would have for this movie likely is affected by this scene. Again, there’s a spoiler her, so skip to the next if you haven’t seen this. The animation of Quasimodo shows such strong emotion as he breaks from his chains, swings from a rope, and saves Esmerelda. Not only that, the 1939 version of this movie has almost the same scene and it’s pretty awesome itself!

5. The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938) – Sometimes the Robin Hood character is seen swinging like this, and Errol Flynn does it in this old classic. Although it’s pretty cheesy. And the vine he swings from is so ridiculous looking, it might as well have a visible “movie prop” tag hanging off it.

6. George of the Jungle (1997) – Although I have yet to see this movie, if you were to ask the average movie fan who is the most memorable hero swinging from a rope, vine or otherwise, it wouldn’t be long before his name is brought up.

7. Star Wars (1977) – Luke and Leia swing from a cable in the first Star Wars movie, and they do the same in Return of the Jedi (1983). Chewbacca also does it in Jedi as well as in . But as much as I like Chewie, his swings don’t compare to theirs.

8. Raiders of the Lost Ark

9. Spider-Man (2002) – This is definitely a hero who is depicted in tons of movies and in every one of them he swings with his webs, mostly from building to building in New York City. It’s hard to argue against him being in the top two of a list like this. 

10. Tarzan (1999) – Ok, so maybe not everyone would choose the Disney version, but this is the only Tarzan iteration I’ve watched. And I do like it a lot. Not only that, I’ve listed these in order of “most notable” and/or “most iconic.” And when it comes to heroes swinging from one spot to another, the ape man is pretty much the most recognizable.

Congratulations . This is your week.

Best Actress:

Rachel Weisz as Evelyn Carnahan in

Best Actor: Don Cheadle as Graham in

Best Quote: “Don’t worry. Nobody dies in this story. They just get really big boo-boos.” – Keith Scott as the Narrator in

Today I went to the movies twice. Once with my wife and once with my son. Now that’s a great day!