The Legend Of Tarzan

As children, we all love to look up to different role models. Some kids look up to their parents, or a celebrity like Vince Neil ( the perfect role model ), or they simply get their role model after watching Danny McBride in action on the dancefloor. By the way, if you don´t own Eastbound & Down on dvd or blu ray, all seasons, you need to buy them right now. One of my biggest childhood role models was without a doubt Rutger Hauer. Loved his action films from the 80´s and 90´s. Flesh & Blood, The Hitcher, Wanted Dead Or Alive, Salute Of The Jugger, and many more. I still have some of the VHS tapes i bought with his films, but in recent years i got them on dvd and blu rays instead, because the film quality is much brighter. One of the films i do think you should see, that not many people talk about, is the 1987 film Wanted Dead Or Alive. Rutger Hauer as a bounty hunter, tracking down a muslim terrorist, played by Kiss member Gene Simmons. It may not be as good as The Hitcher, but i still see this film as an 80´s classic. There is an extended version on VHS, and i have myself a bought copy ( i must have bought this one back in the middle of the 90´s. So if you do get a chance to see the extended version, i suggest you do see it. Speaking of role models, don´t we all have our view on how a hero should be, or look like. If you ask a lot of older people, they will most likely mention Errol Flynn, or perhaps the Tarzan films as the perfect example. Tarzan ? Yeah, you know that muscle guy with the Fabio hair, flying around the jungle with apes ? The first film adaptation of Tarzan was released in 1918, a film called Tarzan Of The Apes, with Elmo Lincoln doing the lead role as Tarzan. He actually played Tarzan in 3 films, the last one was released in 1921. As films have not developed completely back in those days, a more modern take of Tarzan was made in 1932, with the film Tarzan The Ape Man. This time the role of Tarzan was given to actor Johnny Weissmuller, and he did a lot of Tarzan films, 12 of them, if i counted correctly. From the year 1955, to the year 1960, actor Gordon Scott did his portrait of Tarzan in cinema films. One of the best film adaptations of Tarzan, is in my mind Greystoke from 1984. Christopher Lambert in the lead role, as Tarzan, was simply one of the best performances of his acting career. And the film was really good also. This is one of those 80´s classics, that not many people talk about these days. But i suggest you get the blu ray, or the dvd, as long as you get yourself a copy. When i heard rumors that they were going to bring back Tarzan in a new film adaptation, i was not really surprised. What did surprise me was that they choosed swedish actor Alexander Skarsgård in the lead role. This was not the first actor i would have thought of doing this role. But in some ways, it did sound like fun. I decided to give this new film version a chance, and watch the 3D version in cinemas. Is Tarzan still a solid classic adventure even today, or should they have left the character alone instead ?

The Berlin Congress make the decision to divide Congo, between Belgium and the United Kingdom. The belgian government is on the verge of bankruptcy, and have gone into heavy debt. One of the biggest reasons, is because of the building of a national railway. King Leopold II decides to extract the Congo´s rich mineral deposits, sending his envoy Léon Rom ( Christoph Walz ) to take care of the fabled diamonds of Opal. A tribe attacks Léon´s crew, and kill everyone except for Léon. Tribal leader Chief Mbonga ( Djimon Honsou ) is ready to make an offer to Léon, he can have his diamonds, if Léon make sure to kill John Clayton III / Tarzan ( Alexander Skarsgård ). John have not lived in the jungle for many years, and is nowdays located in London. Here he settled down with his wife Jane Porter ( Margot Robbie ). John is trying to focus on his life in the ordinary world of humans, and leave his jungle years behind him in the past. One day, american envoy George Washington Williams ( Samuel L. Jackson ) is suspecting that the Belgians are enslaving the Congolese population. George convince John to go with him to Africa, knowing that he grew up in the jungle, that he could be the one to handle this mission. John is about to deal with his past, and continue his legacy in the jungle, and restore order in Congo.

If you were hoping for a romantic adventure, with less violence, this may not be the Tarzan film you should see. This is actually a pretty violent Tarzan film in some ways, and i think that was a good choice. If you are going to release a Tarzan film in 2016, better make sure you have action and fighting included. Why ? Because we don´t need a soft version, with sunset scenes and a lot of kissing. We already got that from Zac Efron in The Lucky One, and i felt asleep very quickly. So what do we have apart from action scenes ? We have Alexander Skarsgård as Tarzan, and i have to say he is not that bad. Also, he must have worked very hard to get those muscles. Remember how the frontman in the metal band Thor used to look like ? Now you know we are talking bad boys. Alexander´s version of Tarzan matches the story, and even though we know this story from many times before, i will say that it works thanks to the new adaptation ideas brought to us. The fighting scenes looks great, the CGI looks good ( except in a few scenes ), and the dialogue is not all bad. If you have seen other films, based on the story of Tarzan, you will still recognize yourself. We have the classic elements of apes, the jungle, and Tarzan flying around in the trees. Samuel L Jackson is here also, as George Washington Williams. Not one of his best performances, but still functional. The biggest strength of this film, is without a doubt the performance of legendary actor Christoph Walz. His evil performance as Captain Léon Rom, could be the best part of this film. The atmosphere of the late 1800´s, is captured well, including the costumes. So is there anything to complain about ? Some details, but i think most of all i would have liked a stronger plot. It feels way too simple, and that´s why i love the 1984 film Greystoke, it felt more majestic, where Christopher Lambert did one of his best performances in his career. Alexander Skarsgård can´t reach that high, so he have to deliver more in the action scenes instead. Director David Yates is perhaps mostly known for directing 4 Harry Potter films, and you can tell he have an eye for the adventure genre. He have done a pretty good job with The Legend Of Tarzan, it is not as bad as i thought it would be. Some details could have been improved, but if you just want a classic adventure story delivered, this one should work. If you can survive a pretty weak story, and just enjoy a action adventure, then i suggest you run down to your local cinema. One thing is for sure, i need to get myself some apes at home. That way i will train them to get rid of Jehova´s Witnesses at my door step, do they never stop ? I guess not.

Rating: DDD