Tarzan swings again in screen tale of rescue and revenge

Banking on our continued interest, Warner Bros.is releasing a new version, The Legend of Tarzan, in theaters for the July 4 holiday weekend. So with Jane insisting on accompanying Tarzan and joined by the omnipresent actor in most superhero films, Samuel Jackson as another true historical figure George Washington Williams; Tarzan is, in fact, ensnared by Rom to serve his own goal, in the name of King Leopold. How could this go wrong? But the story really begins with a lately refined Tarzan living as nobleman John Clayton, Lord Greystoke, with his beloved Jane (Margot Robbie) in England. Tarzan reluctantly returns to the jungle accompanied by Jane, whereupon he meets Belgian envoy Leon Rom (Christoph Waltz), a bad guy in a white suit who kidnaps Jane in order to try to persuade Tarzan to bend to his colonial will. The local tribal chief Mbonga (Djimon Hounsou) agrees on one condition: Rom must bring him Tarzan.

But an American diplomat named George Washington Williams (Samuel L. Jackson) suspects that King Leopold is trying to turn the local population into slaves and convinces Clayton to join him on principle.

The issues for Tarzan start with the African tribe/slavery backdrop in the story. Tarzan possesses great strength; Williams is a crack shot with a rifle. Skarsgard looked tortured every time he looked at artifacts from his birth parents, implying that he was staying out of guilt and obligation to them, but it would have been an huge help if the script had actually let him talk about that. The most famous fictional character is brought to screen for the 49th time and with all the modern technology does sizzle but only in parts. He didn’t look too hard to look wild. The opening of the film explores what it would be like if Tarzan became a celebrity and tried to enter high society.

That this is merely another naked attempt to profit from a well-known property is visible even in the film’s title.

This Tarzan has psychological depth – he’s an intellectual, not a jungle creature.

The lions, elephants and especially gorillas appear phenomenal up close. This is a story about a man who was raised by apes and swings through the jungle, and yet it’s surprisingly boring. You don’t exit the theatre with Tarzan’s chest-thumping yodel ringing in your ears, and the African jungle, largely recreated in a British studio, does not wow you. It would be cool if it didn’t look absolutely ridiculous every time he did it. All of Tarzan’s animal interactions are insane. My favorite part was when Jane told Captain Rom his mustache was uneven. It’s apparently been ages since Tarzan has even set foot on the dark continent. That’s the only thing that makes sense. I’m not making this up. The Legend of Tarzan, however, is not. The great action heroes are human enough to identify with. It tries to be amusing, but there are odd jokes like the mustache bit and the priest joke. It’s oddly serious too. Samuel L Jackson stole a good chunk of the show and you will thank him for it.

As Tarzan movies go, this one ranks up there with the better ones that have preceded it.