Sheena



Sheena is a 1984 Columbia Pictures film based on the comic book character Sheena, Queen of the Jungle, starring Tanya Roberts as Janet Ames: as a child, she came to Africa with her geologist parents, who were killed in a cave-in. She was raised by the shaman of the local Zambuli tribe and named Sheena, Queen of the Jungle. She grows up and has to protect the Zambuli lands from an evil prince who wants to strip mine the tribal lands. She is assisted by an American reporter, Vic Casey, who of course falls madly in love with her.

The film is generally considered to be somewhat of a bomb, with an overlong running time unjustified by the bare-bones plot and the awkward acting, especially from lead Tanya Roberts.


 * The Alleged Car: Vic and Fletch's rented Range Rover tends to stall out, although this is strange given the car's fairly solid reputation as a hardy offroader.
 * Battle Couple: Sheena and Vic become this near the end.
 * Disney Villain Death: Zanda.
 * The Dragon: Colonel Jorgensen.
 * Eagle Land: The Americans, particularly Vic. He certainly means well, but tends to come across as condescending.
 * Evil Albino: Colonel Jorgensen.
 * Eye Scream: Happens to the soldiers' helicopter pilot.
 * The Evil Prince: Prince Otwani.
 * Faux Action Girl: While Sheena certainly knows how to use a bow and arrow, the film's insistence upon having Vic come to her rescue at the end is a little disconcerting. Likewise, less emphasis is placed on Sheena's fighting prowess and more on her psychic abilities.
 * Foot Focus: Sheena goes barefoot for the entire movie. Also, at one point when she and Vic are climbing a tree to evade and hide from pursuers, she tries to reach down with her hand to aid him up, but her reach isn't far enough...so she offers him her foot to hold on to instead.
 * Friend to All Living Things: Sheena. Every animal is her friend, without exception, even normally-vilified snakes.
 * Hellish Copter: The soldiers' helicopter is brought down by a flock of killer flamingoes who peck out the pilot's eyes.
 * Hey, It's That Guy!: Stacey Sutton is Sheena. Little John appears in a supporting role as the soldiers' tracker. Also Sheena's dad was the president's adviser in Superman II.
 * Kick the Dog: The helicopter pilot gets angry that Sheena has evaded him, so he vents his frustration by strafing a nearby herd of antelope.
 * Mighty Whitey: The tribe's prophecy specifically states a "golden god child" will save them. Janet Ames (later Sheena) is a white, blonde American.
 * Private Military Contractors: Prince Otwani's army is made by this.
 * Scenery Porn: Besides the score, the film's main saving grace is the stunningly beautiful cinematography showing off the African countryside in all its splendor.
 * Too Dumb to Live: Sheena's mother, Betsy Ames, screams out her daughter's name in the middle of an unstable cave, resulting in a massive cave-in that kills her and her husband.
 * Waterfall Shower: Tanya Roberts took two.