Review of The Legend of Tarzan (2016) by Severedsouls — 14 Dec 2016

OK first off if you have read any negative reviews for this film, disregard them. They are a persons opinion, don't make them yours until you have watched the film itself.

I have always read reviews for films, even the bad ones and I read many bad reviews for this film before I watched it and let me say I'm so glad I chose to watch Tarzan.

It's a quirky and enjoyable romp with a great cast of characters, yes I will admit sometimes the story is rather cliché with its typical damsel in distress theme being saved by the almost ridiculously ripped hero but... and don't jump ahead of me here, isn't that what Tarzan is all about?

The film starts quite slow with some brief flashbacks to Tarzan's youth and for those that haven't read the book or watched any of the older films, these flashbacks help flesh out the character, his attitude and his motivations.

It's quickly followed by a group of Lords trying to convince the now civilised Lord John Clayton of Greystoke manor (Tarzan) to return to the Congo to promote relations between England and the the ruling monarchy of the Congo. Tarzan being raised there and viewed as a hero by many.

Next thing you know he is traveling with Jane (margot robbie) and George Washington Williams (Samuel L Jackson) on a mission of his own to discover the truth of what is really transpiring in his old home.

Now I've heard a lot of complaints about the cgi for the animals not being the best... but I'd disagree, yes some off them are so blatantly computer generated that even a five year old would notice, most noticeably the lions we see early on or the thousands of wilderbeast we see in the later stages. But once again you find yourself believing they are real, not because of the way they look but because of the way they move and the way they interact with not just the main cast but the world around them. Some of the scenes with gorillas are brilliantly done, the cgi on par with and at times better than "rise of the planet of the apes" especially during a short fight scene between Tarzan and his Gorilla brother Akut.

And that's another point I'd like to add, Tarzan aside from the way he looks is not superhuman and the film goes to great lengths to prove this. In older iterations of tarzan we see him going toe to toe with all sorts of animals and winning by a landslide. Not so here! You see that he's just a man strong as he maybe, he is no match for a gorilla which is how it should be. In the times he does win against impossible odds it's by using intellect and cunning.

Samuel L Jackson's character is there for the comedy aspect while also being the cool headed words of wisdom.

Margot Robbie while being a damsel in distress, shows strength of character in the way she never gives up and tries to sabotage the villains plans every chance she gets. You'll see no tears or pitiable screaming here.

Alexander Skarsgard as Tarzan is both believable and quite profound. You don't see a savage and yet you also don't see the proper gentleman he tries to be. What you get is an interesting merging of the two with small doses of humour thrown in for good measure.

I've heard people shouting racism in their reviews and I'll hold my hands up now and say I'm against racism.

But let me tell you right now, there is not at any point racism in this film. Slavery happens to all colours and all creeds. Societal injustices affect all is what this film preaches in the background with its story. That is not racist, that is truth plain and simple. Now I immensely enjoyed this film, quirky and at times downright crazy as it may be.

And I hope that anyone who watches enjoys it aswell.