Reviews Film / The Legend Of Tarzan

A great film, but definitely far from magnificent (Spoilers)

This movie is great, in all honesty. I'm not one to nitpick flaws. I advise you to see it. It has many problems, but it is also a very solid film with a good storyline, good acting by pretty much everybody, and some good twists and turns to the story.

Unfortunately, it definitely has issues. It doesn't try to juggle multiple subplots, which is good, but also makes the film rather bland. It uses two antagonists, both of which are good characters, although Mbonga, an African chief, is definitely the better of the two. Its special effects are great, but it still has several shades of a Mighty Whitey storyline. In general, it's a great movie, but there is literally nothing to make it stand out.

It plays out somewhat like a Romance Novel. This is not a bad thing. Effectively, Tarzan and Jane are already married, and Leon Rom, the main villain, plans to enslave non-whites in Africa. However, King Leopold, the Greater Scope Villain, is deep in debt, and needs jewels, jewels that Chief Mbonga has. So, he invites Tarzan to Africa, and, with some pushing from Black Best Friend and sidekick George Washington Williams, they head off to stop him, and he kidnaps Jane. Very straightforward. However, Jane is a great character in this version, snarking into his face, and almost escaping. In fact, she ends up indirectly saving the day. It's all a very good story, although Mbonga isn't given enough focus.

Being younger than many other Tropers, I am not inclined to get a sense of nostalgia, but this pulled it off. It really felt like a Darker and Edgier Tarzan, for a more modern era. It was a great movie, but that was all it was: A great movie. There was no draw. There was nothing special. It had a generic plot, an overuse of slow motion, and some very heavy Mighty Whitey slides, although it manages to significantly downplay them. I advise you to see it, but it's probably not winning any awards.

The special effects are great, by the way. I know it feels unnecessary to mention it, but they made the film a good bit cooler, especially the climactic fight against Rom that much more awesome, even though it was already pretty good.

7/10. A great time-spending romance/action film, but not on the same level as other great films of the genres.