Wild CGI-infested Kingdom

THE LEGEND OF TARZAN (2016)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

The last Tarzan film I ever saw in theaters was 1984's two-faced "Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes" directed no less than by Hugh Hudson ("Chariots of Fire"). The jungle scenes were terrifically intense and alive, whereas the manor scenes of a Tarzan being inducted into civilian life were not as cheery. I have vague memories of Johnny Weissmuller's "Tarzan" flicks, the most prominent in my mind being "Tarzan's New York Adventure" which I remember we all loved watching as kids in a Montevideo, Uruguayan theater. This new "Tarzan" flick starring Alexander Skarsgard as the vine-swinging hero raised by apes has some awe-inspiring moments but it lacks bite and urgency.

Tarzan is now an articulate man of the Greystoke Manor - he even drinks a small cup of tea. He is also a married to Jane (Margot Robbie, looking hot and bothered like any damsel in distress) and they like to sit on tree branches and embrace and kiss passionately. Before long, Tarzan is called back into action by George Washington Williams (Samuel L. Jackson), a Civil War vet who is determined to stop colonialists from making slaves out of West African tribes. The tribes and the savage wild apes and other animals can easily destroy these evil colonialists but hey, Tarzan, the white savior, is needed to help neutralize them. Oh, and dare I mention the obvious of how Jane is kidnapped?

Of course, this is all silly - Tarzan was always the white savior, Lord of the Apes. I would not expect less unless they recast the role with someone non-white. The issue I have is the film has no real sense of joy in being - it takes itself too seriously. The CGI effects of a stampede of wild animals in the climax just looks too computery for my tastes. Even when Tarzan fights a CGI ape, I sense that the damage to Tarzan's rather slender body would've necessitated more than a few shoulder stitches. To top it all off, Christoph Walz is the villain du jour, wearing a vanilla ice cream suit and hat, and he is a disappointment - a man of few words as he hopes to scourge the Congo in search of precious diamonds.

"The Legend of Tarzan" is reasonably okay entertainment but it is so overstuffed and overcooked that I wanted more of the intimacy between Tarzan and Jane, and even the criminally underused Walz. Samuel L. Jackson is the bright spot, the comic relief of a war vet who has a hard time keeping up with the vine-swinging Jungle Jim. It is the only real surprise in this vastly underwhelming jungle adventure.