The Legend of Tarzan

Directed by David Yates (who's best known for directing a handful of Harry Potter films), The Legend of Tarzan was released in 2016. I didn't initially see this one in the theaters and I guess I'm not alone there, as the film lost the studio an estimated $40 million. However, it wasn't because of lack of interest, I just never got around to it until now. The film has a pretty impressive cast, starring the likes of Alexander Skarsgard, Margot Robbie, Christoph Waltz, and Samuel L. Jackson. Also, much like films about King Arthur or Robin Hood, Tarzan movies always seem to sucker me in. 

This one starts of with Tarzan (played by Skarsgard), now going by his birth name John Clayton, living in England with his wife Jane (played by Robbie). All of Clayton's back story about his parents being killed, being raised by apes, meeting Jane, etc. is told through flashbacks. Of course, a film about a civilized Englishman who used to be known as 'Tarzan' isn't all that interesting, so there has to be some contrived reason for him to go back to Africa. King Leopold of Belgium has gone bankrupt attempting to build infrastructure in the Congo and has sent Captain Leon Rom (played by Waltz) to Africa in search of diamonds. There is a tribe in the Congo that knows where these diamonds are and their Chief is willing to give them to Rom under one condition: Rom needs to bring back Tarzan to answer for the death of the chief's son. That's the setup, it's pretty straight forward, this movie doesn't really contain any exciting twists or surprises. 

While I do like the cast and think the movie is fairly entertaining, I wouldn't call it 'good'. A lot of the special effects are subpar for a 2016 film that cost an estimated $180 million, and both the plot and dialogue feel a bit clunky at times. It's a shame that there hasn't been a really good Tarzan movie since the Johnny Weissmuller films of the 30's, but I suppose hope springs eternal.
I give The Legend of Tarzan a 2 out of 5.