Cogill Reviews ‘The Legend of Tarzan'

More than fifty Tarzan movies have appeared over the years, from the first silent film in 1918, to eleven Tarzan films starring Johnny Weissmuller in the 1930s and 40s.

The latest, "The Legend Of Tarzan," plays like an old fashioned adventure, and is the first to use modern CGI technology to tell a familiar story.

"The Legend Of Tarzan" is fun to watch AND filled with problems. Alexander Skarsgard plays the vine swinging superhero, rescued and raised by apes.

After a stint in Britain as an aristocrat, Tarzan returns to the scene of his childhood with his wife, played-well by Margo Robbie, but also part of a deadly trap set by the bad guy, played by Christoph Waltz.

Throw in a post Civil War watch dog historian played by Samuel L. Jackson and you have a movie that spends half of it's time exposing the evils of colonialism and slavery, and the other half celebrating man and nature. Rarely do the two blend together effectively, but the visuals are impressive.

"The Legend Of Tarzan" is directed by, David Yates, he directed the final four Harry Potter movies, all of them much better.

One minute his movie features extras that look like they have been lifting weights, and a tribal chief speaking perfect English. The next minute, it's beautiful look at a gifted man working seamlessly with his environment.

Don't get me wrong, I liked watching this version of, "Tarzan," complete with a massive Lion King stampede, but it's far from perfect.

It's a movie of moments, some of them aggressive, heavy-handed, and cliched, some of them tender and generous and still worth the price of a ticket.

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