When utilized properly, motion capture animation can be astonishing. Look at Andy Serkis in 'Rise of the Planet of the Apes' or the vast majority of James Cameron's 'Avatar,' which brought the technology to exciting and intimidating new places. Which brings us to 'Tarzan 3D,' a German production that aims to bring Edgar Rice Burroughs' classic character back to the big screen using the same tech that made the Na'vi and Pandora a reality. With the first trailer here, it's time to start making direct and unfair comparisons between this film and its American counterparts.

Like 'Avatar,' the footage from 'Tarzan 3D' showcases a character maneuvering through hostile jungle with relative ease. Unlike 'Avatar,' the whole things looks like a cutscene from a PlayStation 2 game, complete with dead facial expressions and animation that looks, at best, "wonky." Here's the trailer so you can see it for yourself:

The film doesn't open until next summer (although it doesn't have an American release date yet), so there is still plenty of time to fix it up, but this trailer does not provide a vote of confidence. At the risk of being a little too harsh, it's got the stink of 'Delgo' on it. In fact, we feel compelled to include this behind the scenes featurette on the making of 'Tarzan 3D' just so no one things this whole thing is some kind of joke.

So, here are the important questions: Can this film actually look like it was made in 2012 in time for 2013? If or when will get secure an American release date? Does anyone actually have any interest in a new 'Tarzan' movie? Chime in below.

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