Legend of Tarzan. David Yates, dir. Wow, did the reviewers ever get this one wrong! This is the best Tarzan ever. I went in with few expectations, generated by the negative reviews, but the film was astonishing and entertaining. (Unlike book reviewers, you can’t use the “peek inside” to prove them wrong—movie trailers are so misleading.) The origins of Tarzan AKA John Clayton III, Lord Greystoke, well played by Alexander Skarsgård, are handled by easily understood flashbacks (I guess the reviewers who didn’t like them never read a serious book) and asides from Jane, Lady Greystoke (Margot Robbie), to Dr. George Washington Williams (Samuel L. Jackson). If you need more background, see Greystoke (it’s a good movie but lackluster in comparison) or read the Burroughs’s novels.

This movie had a cast of thousands (that’s only the humans); they all did a fantastic job. The weakest characters were the old Brits only because they were stereotypes—apparently they’d read too much Dickens, but they hadn’t seemed to get past Mr. Pickwick. (If that’s a bit obscure for you, think of Mr. Banks’s bosses in Mary Poppins.) Robbie and Jackson shine in their supporting roles, with GW providing both a lot of help to Tarzan and much humor, including some great lines. Christoph Waltz as Rom does a great job providing the villainous face of colonialism (you have to give the actors who make you hate their characters a lot of credit). The entire cast of Africans does well too, especially Sidney Ralisoele as Wasimbu.

The story is about 19^th century colonialism, slavery, racism, and the rape of a continent—crimes against Africa’s ecology, wild animals, and stealing of ores and jewels. Tarzan is a larger-than-life hero who leaves his comfortable life as Lord Greystoke to return to fight all those colonial sins. His legend has already been made; he returns to live up to it. British colonialism, responsible for many later problems in our world, plays second fiddle to Belgium’s in this film (hints of BREXIT?); King Leopold and his lackeys, led by Rom, are the bad guys as they try to enslave the Africans to further their evil agenda. The Africans are the victims here (as they were and are in real life). There are some nice twists in the story, although some of it is predictable (Tarzan and Jane wanting a kid, for example).

What’s interesting is that Tarzan isn’t a super hero in this movie (aren’t you tired of Ironman, Superman, Batman, and all their ilk yet?): he needs a lot of help from his friends, both humans and animals, although he’s reluctant to accept it sometimes, especially Jackson’s. Maybe he believes the legend his African buddies chant too much? Settings in London are appropriately brooding—this is the last half of the 19^th century after all, so the dirty Industrial Revolution was in full swing there and in America. GW was a survivor of the Civil War, but he didn’t look old enough (a bit of a makeup problem where they tried to make him look younger?), so he identifies with the African’s plight. He’s there in London among some lords from Britain’s upper house (one of the most antiquated institutions on the planet, rivaled only by the French Academy—by the way, wasn’t France mucking around in the Congo too?). The settings in Africa, in contrast, were a feast for the eye. And the animals! The same animation techniques from The Jungle Book were used; I can’t imagine the animals looking any more real.

To round out my list of kudos, let me say that the musical score isn’t just accompaniment but something to pay attention to. Parts reminded me of music from The Lion King, but quiet scenes are well handled too. A lot goes into making a good, exciting movie where the story on screen—kudos to the screenwriters on this one—plays out like an action-packed adventure filled with thrills and romance. I didn’t hear one negative comment from the audience, and it ranged from teens to ninety-year-olds with walkers. This is definitely the best movie of the summer, folks! A wild ride into deepest Africa one hundred times better than any theme park or real safari. Go see it, please. It’s the Tarzan movie you will always remember. (Note: in spite of the references to Mary Poppins and The Lion King, the only thing saving Disney’s cartoon version of Tarzan was Phil Collins’s great score. Like Greystoke, it provides background, though.)

In libris libertas!

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