'THE LEGEND OF TARZAN' which I saw on Friday sees a tree swinging, loin cloth wearing, jungle dwelling raised by apes hero who turned 100 years old in 2012 - having first emerged as the subject of a novel 'Tarzan of the Apes' immortalised by Edgar Rice Burroughs in 1912. The first full length feature film appeared in 1918 with 51 subsequent live action and animated films since then right up to 2005. Perhaps the most memorable and loved Tarzan was played by Johnny Weissmuller - a record breaking swimmer and winner of five Olympic Gold medals at the 1924 and 1928 Olympics in Paris and Amsterdam respectively. His first film 'Tarzan the Ape Man' was released in 1932 and all up he made twelve appearances as the jungle hero. Buster Crabbe, another Olympic Swimmer of the 1928 and 1932 Olympics appeared in 1933's 'Tarzan the Fearless' with Lex Barker starring in five films and Gordon Scott in six. By the 1970's Tarzan had largely had his time, albeit John Derrick's 'Tarzan the Ape Man' in 1981 with Miles O'Keefe; 'Greystoke : The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes' in 1984 with Christopher Lambert; 'Tarzan in Manhattan' and 'Tarzan Returns' in 1987 and 1996 both with Joe Lara, and then 'Tarzan and the Lost City' with Casper Van Dien in 1998 saw the last of the live action offerings on the big screen. There have been four animated features since then - three from Disney Studios and as recently as 2005 with Warner Bros. releasing a short-lived television series in 2003 with Travis Fimmel in the title role. Tarzan has a rich and colourful history taking in a multitude of films, television series, radio shows, theatre productions, novels, comic books, video games and action figures. And, there is a San Fernando Valley neighbourhood named 'Tarzana' established around a former ranch previously owned by the characters creator.
With the history lesson over how will this latest live action offering go in an era of Marvel dominated Superheroes, hi-technology, advanced gadgetry and otherworldly enemies when our hero is not super but just a mere mortal dependant upon his brute strength, animal instincts and the laws of the jungle, and, lives in the late 19th Century? Directed by David Yates (he of the last four 'Harry Potter' films and the upcoming 'Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them' and made for US$180M the film has so far recovered US$136M, and stars a well known principle cast, with Alexander Skarsgard as our planet of the apes man John Clayton III, Lord Greystoke (aka Tarzan) whom we meet initially in company with the British Prime Minister (Jim Broadbent) at 10, Downing Street. Also in the room are the PM's aides, advisors and members of his Cabinet and a George Washington Williams (Samuel L. Jackson), an American Envoy. The discussion surrounds the recent Berlin Conference, and how the African Congo has been split up between Belgium and the United Kingdom. As a result Lord Greystoke has been invited by King Leopold II of Belgium to visit Boma, and report back on Belgium's development of the country and infrastructure.
Greystoke turns down the invitation, but Williams is insistent and knows that he is the legendary Tarzan and he should return to investigate claims of rumours that the Belgians are enslaving the locals to build rail road tracks, bridges, forts and infrastructure. Having done so King Leopold has gone very heavily into debt, and so he sends his own Envoy out to the Congo, Leon Rom (Christoph Waltz) to pillage the land of all its mineral wealth, but most notably the fabled diamonds of Opar, which when in his possession will make him the worlds wealthiest monarch.
As Rom and his small army approach Opar they are attacked and overcome by Chief Mbonga (Djimon Hounsou), leaving all dead, except for Rom, who strikes up a deal with the Chief in exchange for his life and all the diamonds he can carry. That deal is to bring Tarzan to the Chief, for the Chief wants Tarzan dead for killing his only son years before, although the son killed Tarzan's ape mother. Greystoke doesn't know what he is walking into as he reluctantly agrees to go on a fact finding and observation mission accompanied by Williams and Jane, his wife (Margot Robbie).
And so, we join Greystoke, Jane and Williams on foot traipsing through the wide sweeping lands of the African Congo plains, where they settle with a tribe formally known to Tarzan and Jane and they are greeted with much celebration for their homecoming. However, Rom has tracked them down and early one morning he and his men ambush the village, burning down the huts, killing the tribal Chief and taking Greystoke and Jane prisoner, although their plans are thwarted somewhat by Williams and his deft touch with a hunting rifle. As a consequence, Tarzan escapes but Jane is taken captive by Rom and they disappear after a fierce gun fight down river on a paddle steamer.
And so the search is on now for Jane. With Williams and a few trusted tribesmen in tow, Tarzan makes across the jungle on foot to intercept a train that will get them fast to where the paddle steamer carrying a captive Jane is believed to be travelling to. The train is of Belgian origin carrying a compartment load of soldiers and two trailer loads of slaves. Dispensing with the soldiers single handedly, Tarzan learns from an engineer of Rom's plan to bring 20,000 mercenaries into the Congo four days from now and currently en route to Boma via a fleet of ships. The slaves have been used to build forts located strategically along a newly constructed railway line, that will accommodate the newly amassed army from which they will rape and pillage the Congo of all its mineral wealth, led by Rom.
Along the way though Tarzan and Williams encounter several challenges as they follow their path to free Jane and thwart Rom's dastardly plan. This includes a fierce battle with Akut - his ape brother whom Tarzan grew up with, but now considers him a deserter and as the leader now of the apes must be fought with. Akut wins the fight but allows Tarzan to live - and having proven his point he retreats back into the jungle with his family, allowing Tarzan and Williams to continue their journey, albeit Tarzan is badly battered and bruised.
Continuing his journey into Opar, Tarzan is greeted by Chief Mbonga and his tribe, and the two fight in hand to hand combat with Tarzan overcoming his adversary, and about to slit his throat when halted from doing so by Williams, who makes Tarzan see sense. Rom by now is in possession of a chest full of diamonds and Jane, having recaptured her after a failed escape plan, and are returning to Boma. Back at Opar, Tarzan's ape family arrive with Akut to keep Mbonga's tribe at bay, so that he and Williams can make haste to Boma, before the fleet of mercenary ships arrives, Rom pays off his country's debts with the diamonds, and rescue Jane.
Tarzan summons the might of a wildebeest herd to stampede through Boma which they do with devastating effect, so creating enough of a distraction that he can rescue Jane. With the fleet approaching the harbour, Rom sets out to greet them on his paddle steamer and hand over the diamonds. With Williams on port side with a conveniently located machine gun and a full magazine, he fires repeatedly at the paddle steamer, eventually sinking it, but not before Tarzan has got to the engines boiler tank and manipulated the pressure valve. With Jane safe on dry land, left behind by Rom, a fight breaks out on the deck of the now rapidly sinking paddle steamer between Tarzan and Rom, with one of them succumbing to a gruesome watery grave . . . no guessing who that might be, before they paddle steamer explodes in a ball of fire.
-Steve, at Odeon Online-
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