As far as I can tell, no other character, fictional or otherwise, has been the subject of more movies than Tarzan. This is the 53rd film starring Edgar Rice Burroughs epic hero, each story different from the others, but of course with lots of commonalities. Eight of the movies were from the silent era, forty of them since then, and an additional four were animated. Literally dozens of actors have played the role; some multiple times, others only once. Johnny Weissmuller the great Olympic swimming champion starred in twelve Tarzan films during the 1930s and 40s, and those of us with memories stretching back a few years, regard him as the prototype for all time.
The common denominator in all of these movies is DON’T MESS WITH TARZAN, especially when Jane is involved. Alexander Skarsgard does a workmanlike job as our hero, Margot Robbie as the lovely and loyal Jane. The story has some ups and some downs, so let’s start with the positive first. A smattering of applause at the end made it clear that some folks really enjoyed it. There are some spectacular shots of the African landscape, filmed from the air in Gabon, right next to the Congo where the story takes place. All of the jungle scenes and those involving animals, of which there are plenty, were computerized, just like The Jungle Book, the realism is amazing. The bulk of the story was shot in sound studios throughout the United Kingdom.
The Legend of Tarzan
Entertainment Rating: ★★1/2
Rating: PG-13: only one profanity I can recall, lots of violent action.
Possible Oscar Nominations: None
There is plenty of action to go around, which you would expect. Some of those scenes are spectacular, the best when the animals are involved. Christopher Walz is perfect as the villain, and even Samuel L. Jackson (without the eye patch) is acceptable as an American Diplomat. Set in the late 1800s, Tarzan, whose real name is John Clayton, is a respectable, refined Englishman residing in his comfortable estate. Some nasty stuff going on in his Congo homeland, forces him to go back and confront the evil, and of course against his wishes, Jane comes along.
On the downside, the storyline is frequently interrupted by flashbacks, some necessary to set the stage, but too many seem like a waste of time. The (real) photography, as mentioned earlier had some great moments, but much of the film is shaded, casting a dull look over many of the scenes, reminiscent of the film The Revenant. The script is loosely written, jumping around a little too much and leaves huge holes as we move from one scene to another, a portion of that blame resting on the shoulders of the film editors. In conclusion this is an OK film, not a great one, but if you like this kind of story, you will most likely enjoy it.
Watching the previews before any movie is becoming a task. So much junk to wade through while looking for something worthwhile. A couple of rays of sunshine: the new Jason Bourne film with Matt Damon is out in late July, and the upcoming Tom Hanks film due in September. In this one he plays Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger, the pilot who landed U.S. Airways flight 1549 in the Hudson River in January 2009. Based on the limited view, it already looks like an Oscar contender.
