Lord John Clayton III aka Tarzan is lured back to the Congo by a greedy Belgium businessman who wants the diamonds of the Congo to save a bankrupt Belgium.   John comes along with his wife Jane (Margot Robbie) and George Washington Williams (Samuel L. Jackson) as he senses something may not be right with the invitation by the King of Belgium to visit the Congo as an emissary of the British Empire.   Jane is captured with a few tribesmen by Captain Leon Rom (the Belgian King’s representative) and the race is on to rescue Jane and save the Congo from greed and slavery.

 

THE LEGEND OF TARZAN is an origin story (through flashbacks) mixed in with a tale of greed, slavery, colonialism, and revenge.  It is an ambitious retelling of the Tarzan saga on the same level as what THE MASK OF ZORRO did to revive Zorro for a new generation.   It is a well cast film with sweeping African landscapes and steady camera work (thankfully not much shaky cam in this movie so you can clearly see what is going on with the action).  Samuel L. Jackson is great sidekick for Tarzan/ John while Jane comes off as a strong woman for John’s mate.   Margot Robbie is a no shrinking violet as Jane where Christoph Waltz avoids making his role a cliché (but it seems he isn’t stretching himself in this role as he just glides through it).   Yes, there is plenty of male bonding whether it is through humor or violence.  You see Jane as a strong willed woman (and not the frail woman in Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan) who really doesn’t like being pushed around by Leon Rum or told to stay behind by Tarzan.

 

There is room for a sequel, but I think they might have to scale down the budget since THE LEGEND OF TARZAN cost $180 million to make (not including marketing costs).  I just hope they don’t fall into the trap of having a bad story involving Tarzan’s son as comic relief.   THE LEGEND OF TARZAN is a crowd pleaser popcorn movie that could have been as great a movie without the big cost (I’m thinking all of the CGI probably led to the budget to be so much). Whether you are a Tarzan fan or want to see the muscles of Alexander Skarsgard (talking to the female crowd), this movie is better than some of the remakes and sequels that have been out so far this year.

 

This review is 7-4-2016 David Blackwell and cannot be reprinted without permission.  Send all comments to feedback@enterline-media.com

 

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