"The Legend of Tarzan" Review

Eric from True Blood stars in this very non-Disney, hard PG-13 version of Edgar Rice Burroughs' "Tarzan."

Seriously, if you were expecting Phil Collins and Rosie O'Donnell, don't bother reading this review. You'll already be let down by this movie. Shame on you.

David Yates, the director of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows invites audiences to experience one of the summer's biggest surprises. The first smart move this film makes is that it doesn't focus on Tarzan's origin. It's smartly dispensed through short flashbacks. We've all seen the Disney version. The past obviously influences the actions and motivations of the characters, but the film spends little time dwelling on what we pretty much already know. The Legend of Tarzan picks up in the late 19th century with John Clayton/"Tarzan" (Alexander Skarsgard) married to Jane (Margot Robbie) and serving as an active member in England's House of Lords. Lord Clayton is called upon when the Crown sets its sights on an advantageous pact with Belgium in the African Congo - Tarzan's original home. Tarzan, Jane, and American emissary George Washington Williams (Samuel L. Jackson) are sent to Africa to visit the natives and investigate activity at a nearby diamond mine. The indigenous peoples are thrilled for Tarzan and Jane's return. Meanwhile, Tarzan experiences tough love when he's reunited with his ape brother who sees the white man as a deserter. When Tarzan learns that the head of the Belgian Force Publique, Leon Rom (Christoph Waltz), plans to oppress and exploit the natives for profit, vine-swinging mayhem ensues.

This film turned out to be precisely the action-packed shot in the arm my summer needed. The Conjuring 2 is still my favorite Hollywood flick of the season, even though summer isn't really for horror movies. Tarzan is arguably the best big-budget Hollywood action blockbuster in theaters right now.

It has everything a great summer movie should - a good-looking cast that can truly act, punchy dialogue, thrilling set pieces, and a ruthless villain. It's all evocatively shot with a green hue by cinematographer Henry Braham (The Golden Compass, Guardians of the Galaxy 2). For every moment the film uses extremely corny "slo-mo" shots, there are at least two others that would make Chivo proud.

As for the players, Skarsgard is perfectly cast as Tarzan. He has the physique and pulls off the brooding-in-a-tree thing with ease. I'm disappointed that an actress as talented as Margot Robbie is pigeonholed into a damsel-in-distress role. The chemistry between these two stars is satisfactory but nothing to write home about. It serves its purpose for a summer movie. Jackson is a welcome addition as the comic relief who huffs and puffs across the jungle as he struggles to keep up with the nimble Tarzan. It's sort of refreshing to see Jackson in a less intense, less serious role. I'm sitting here laughing to myself at the thought of that joke about the ape's anatomy. Rounding out the cast is Waltz at his dastardly best again as the wicked Captain Rom. The film takes many cues from Werner Herzog's classic adventure film Fitzcarraldo, with Waltz essentially elevating Klaus Kinski's shtick to supervillain status.

He'll need it since Tarzan swings onto the screen in 2016 as an anti-colonial superhero of sorts. In a season where movies are best enjoyed at face value, The Legend of Tarzan proves a satisfying yarn.

B+