Hollywood seems to be busy with Childhood fantasies right now. After 'The Jungle Book', now it's time for Tarzan to rekindle our Childhood memories. But this is not the same comical Tarzan whom we loved. Legend of Tarzan starts where Tarzan is happy with his wife in London. But he is forced to come back to his home in the jungle to investigate the activities at a mining encampment. At that time, he realizes his mother (Gorilla) was killed by one among them. The story starts only after 8 years where Tarzan and Jane make a life at London. The entire plot is all about will Tarzan deliver Vengeance ? The Adventure begins.
We have three Tarzan's in this movie and Alexander Skarsgård is the main one. Rory J.Saper is one of the young Tarzan and Christian Stevens is 'Kid' Tarzan. Alexander Skarsgard as Tarzan has clearly toiled a lot hard and he fits the bill perfectly. In each frame, we can see his utter commitment. He shows his internal contradiction of a man and also as an aristocratic Englishman. Samuel.L.Jackson has done role of George Washington Williams who is a black American Journalist. He is the one who exposes crimes of King Leopold II of Belgium. Christoph Waltz, for his efforts does a fine job as the villain doing his best to channel the subtle mannerisms of Leon Rom.
The main issue with the movie is, the franchise begins form mid way. As everyone of us knew the basic plot, the story begins from mid way and it stretches to all sides and the David Yates has tried to cover new ground and generate new themes. Audience should understand that it is not the same Tarzan which you have seen in the past. That's a good thing, but the problem is, the director doesn't have faith in audience and he rehashes the Origin story too.
It was obvious when the director forces Samuel L. Jackson's character. Despite all those Visual effects, Vengeance, Sound effects, the impetus is still Tarzan saving Jane.. During Tarzan's journey we see lots of animals such as lions, primates, water buffalo, elephants, crocodiles and all of them are computer generated and they are so natural. Kudos to cinematographer Henry Braham and veteran production designer Stuart Craig for making this a reality. Editing is flawless and the movie keeps the same vigorous pace like a flow of river. But the final minutes becomes slow and sluggish. CGI wizardry is seamless, photo-realistic, and effective on all levels.
To be frank, this movie is just like Snow White and Huntsman. Completely unconventional and nothing belongs to the Original. However the CGI effects and casting can make this movie a one time watch. But if you expect, a 'Jungle Book', you might be disappointed. The Editing is good and the cinematography is exemplary. But still this is not the same Tarzan whom we cherished for a long time. Audience might be confused as the narration moves to and fro in a non-linear fashion at times.
