'The Legend of Tarzan' Review
With over 100 years of countless renditions, the character, Tarzan has proved to be an enduring cultural icon. Different actors have played the role of Tarzan. Among them, Elmo Lincoln, Herman Brix, Lex Barker, Gordon Scott, and now, Alexander Skarsgård.
This summer, Tarzan is back, but with a slight twist. The film is not your average "Me, Tarzan King of the Jungle," but a fresh take on an action hero and throughout the film viewers will see different layers to the iconic figure.
From Warner Bros. Pictures and Village Roadshow Pictures comes the action adventure "The Legend of Tarzan," starring Alexander Skarsgård ("Diary of a Teenage Girl," HBO's "True Blood") as the legendary character created by Edgar Rice Burroughs.
The film also stars Oscar nominee Samuel L. Jackson ("Pulp Fiction," the "Captain America" films), Margot Robbie ("The Wolf of Wall Street," upcoming "Suicide Squad"), Oscar nominee Djimon Hounsou ("Blood Diamond," "Gladiator"), with Oscar winner Jim Broadbent ("Iris"), and two-time Oscar winner Christoph Waltz ("Inglorious Bastards," "Django Unchained")
Director, David Yates (the final four "Harry Potter" films, upcoming "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them", gave a different perspective to the Tarzan stories. In "The Legend of Tarzan", we enter the world of a gentrified Tarzan (Skarsgård) who goes by the name of John Clayton, also known as Lord Greytoke, with his beloved wife, Jane (Robbie), at his side. It has been years since Tarzan left the jungles of Africa. He has been invited back to the Congo to serve as a trade emissary of Parliament, unaware that he is a pawn in a deadly convergence of greed and revenge, masterminded by the King of Belgium's envoy, Leon Rom (Waltz), who intends to capture Tarzan and deliver him to an old enemy in exchange for diamonds.
"John grew up among the apes, but has been away from that world for almost a decade, so he is quite hesitant to go back. He has some enemies back in the Congo; there's definitely a dark history there. And I think, more interestingly, he is afraid of the man he was, so going back is quite scary for him," said Skarsgård.
The greatest part of the film was the array of magnificent creatures and spectacular landscapes. Every single animal in the film was computer generated and the visual effects were magically out of this world. All of the creatures—from the gorillas to lions to elephants and more— were entirely brought to life. 'The Legend of Tarzan' director, David Yates raised the bar by making sure movie goers were brought to a whole new world.
"'The Legend of Tarzan' takes us to a world of adventures in deepest Africa, which is as exotic and awe-inspiring as anywhere on this planet," says Yates. "We wanted to make a movie that was thrilling while touching on the themes of family and community and preserving the natural world. It celebrated the majesty of those landscapes, the dignity and grace of the people who live there, and the wonder of its animals. The story has so many facets that we think make it a rich and very exciting experience in the cinema."
Filled with action, violence and bits and pieces of comedy, the movie was greatly entertaining and depicted a side of Tarzan many people would not expect. 'The Legend of Tarzan', releases nationwide on July 1. For more on information on 'The Legend of Tarzan', visit http://legendoftarzan.com and use the hashtag #LegendofTarzan.