The Legend of Tarzan Starring Alexander Skarsgård
Tarzan is a character I have been exposed to repeatedly over the years. His popularity has been constant for more than a century and the character has appeared in movies, on television and in books and comic books. Created by Edgar Rice Burroughs, the story of Tarzan has been tweaked over the years in various entertainment genres, but I prefer the more feral Tarzan as opposed to the cultured one. In any event, the 2016 action-adventure film The Legend of Tarzan combines the feral and the cultured man into one, with some success.
Alexander Skarsg�rd portrays the titular character whose real name is John Clayton III, the fifth Earl of Greystoke. As an adult, he lives in London with wife, Jane (Margot Robbie), and has seemingly left his old jungle life behind. For those unfamiliar with the origin of Tarzan, his parents perished in the African jungle when he was a baby and he was taken in by an ape mother, Kala, who raised him as her own, much to the chagrin of some of the male apes. As a result, Tarzan developed gifts that allowed him to co-exist with the animal kingdom and even summon them at will.
As John/Tarzan is enjoying his life in London, the Congo Basin is claimed by King Leopold of Belgium. He sends an envoy to the Congo to secure rare diamonds that could help bring Belgium out of financial turmoil. The envoy, Leon Rom (Christoph Waltz), and a group of soldiers encounter a tribe of fierce warriors, led by Chief Mbonga (Djimon Hounsou), who annihilate all of them except the resourceful Rom who promises to bring Tarzan to Mbonga in order to settle differences between the two men. Soon thereafter, Tarzan is invited to visit the Congo by British leaders, but he declines. However, Tarzan reconsiders when an American, George Washington Williams (Samuel L. Jackson), persuades him to take the trip because Williams suspects that the Belgians are turning the Congo into a slave colony. The two men, along with Jane, depart for Africa unaware of the grave danger that awaits them.
The Legend of Tarzan capitalizes on the special effects that have made the recent Planet of the Apes movies so successful. Indeed, the apes in this film looks realistic and imposing. In addition to the fine special effects, the jungle scenes boast excellent cinematography and superb lighting that captures the danger and ambiguity of the Dark Continent. The all-star cast deliver solid performances and Skarsg�rd is certainly battle ready with his ripped physique that enables him to fully become the legendary character. While there is nothing necessarily new or original about The Legend of Tarzan, I found the film to be enjoyable, if predictable. However, I may be a bit biased since the principal cast, including the aforementioned Robbie, Waltz and Jackson are a few of my favorite actors along with Simon Russell Beale (Penny Dreadful) who plays a supporting role. I am also a fan of Jim Broadbent, Djimon Hounsou (Blood Diamond) and Skarsg�rd (True Blood). Even with its shortcomings, The Legend of Tarzan is fine entertainment.
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