The Legend of Tarzan

On Friday I had a Skarsgard movie marathon.  I saw Stellan in Our Kind of Traitor that afternoon and in the evening I saw Alexander in The Legend of Tarzan.  I actually liked this new adaptation of the Edgar Rice Burroughs classic more than I thought I would (and not just because Alexander Skarsgard looks pretty, which he does).  The film begins with Tarzan (Skarsgard) back in England as the fifth earl of Greystoke with flashbacks to his life in the jungle being raised by apes.  He is lured back to Africa because an envoy of King Leopold, Leon Rom (Christoph Waltz, the ultimate villain), has promised to deliver him to a tribal chief in return for diamonds which the bankrupt king desperately needs.  Tarzan is joined by his wife Jane (Margot Robbie) and a former American soldier, George Washington Williams (an ever-amusing Samuel L. Jackson), who suspects King Leopold of enslaving the African people.  The action sequences are great and I loved the scenes where Tarzan plays with a group of lions and communes with elephants, although I was a bit disappointed that the animals are very obviously digital (the animals are much more realistic in The Jungle Book). However, it is the message about colonialism and exploitation that I found to be particularly compelling (and completely unexpected).  The character Rom is so menacing that I spent much of the movie wondering how Tarzan was going to get revenge and I almost cheered out loud when it happened (a great scene).  I also really liked the character of Jane because she is so feisty and self-sufficient (having also been raised in the jungle) and doesn't necessarily need Tarzan to swoop in and rescue her.  To be sure, there are flaws but I enjoyed this movie.  I am always pleasantly surprised when a summer blockbuster has a compelling story so I would definitely recommend it.