Review of The Legend of Tarzan (2016) by Leanne L — 09 Aug 2016

THE LEGEND OF TARZAN (director David Yates / producer David Barron) Interview excerpts from Den of Geek :

David Yates: Well, I was reading dozens and dozens of scripts, and trying to find something after [Harry] Potter that felt really fun, immersive, and had lots and lots of colours... None of these Hollywood scripts that they kept sending me, had that. They were all very one-note...then this script turned up and it said Tarzan on the front, and I said 'I don't think I'm going to read that, because I know what that is.... Reluctantly, I opened the page, and then I couldn't stop turning the pages, there was something about this human being who didn't really know where home was. He didn't know if it was in the jungle, or in his country estate in England, and he was stuck between the two, which I found really compelling.

David Baron: It's also a very different Tarzan to all the other movies that we've seen in the past. For a start, it's not the story of the foundling in the forest who gets taken back to England by the end, it's quite the reverse. The character starts in England and goes back to Africa, which is a very refreshing point of view for Tarzan.

Where does Samuel L. Jackson come into it?

DY: He's a real character. Sam's character is based on this extraordinary man, George Washington Williams, a preacher-lawyer-soldier, and one of the first people to draw people's attention to what was happening in the Congo. There's a level of politics in the movie, with a very small "p", we didn't want to dwell on it too much but it does give context for what's happening in our story. So George Washington Williams, played by Sam, wants to try and get to the bottom of what King Leopold is up to in the Congo, which is basically enslaving a good portion of the population. So Sam persuades John, Tarzan, to take him back to the Congo, where they can work together to uncover what Leopold's up to...READ MORE.

Bottom Line: I saw most of this movie regular, but missed the beginning, so I then saw the full screening in 3D. There's really very little difference, so don't waste the money on 3D if you still decide to see The Legend of Tarzan while it's in the theater. I love Margo Robbie as I've said before, and look forward to Suicide Squad (Subscribe to T&T Newsletter for a chance to see it in preview). However, I hope that's it for her for a while, she's getting over exposed. Remember when that happened to Jessica Chastain? Anyway, the movie in general is eh, something to watch, nothing to remember.