THE LEGEND OF TARZAN A SURPRISING PLEASURE

THE LEGEND OF TARZAN Blu-ray/DVD/Digital HD Warner Bros. ★★★ 1/2 out of 5

I admit to having had low expectations given that there have been more than 60 movies and TV shows about the fantasy character created by novelist Edgar Rice Burroughs in 1912, but this fresh take is fast-paced and quite entertaining.

Alexander Skarsgard takes on the role of the man raised by apes in the African jungle following the death of his parents. A decade after returning to his family’s English estate as Lord Greystoke, Tarzan reluctantly returns to the Congo at the invitation of the Belgian government.

But it’s a trap – evil Capt. Leon Rom (Christopher Waltz) plans to hand him over to a tribal leader who wants to kill Tarzan in revenge for a past encounter. In return, Rom will get a fortune in rare gems and help his government enslave the Africans.

While Tarzan manages to escape kidnap, his feisty American wife Jane (Margot Robbie) is taken away on a steamboat by Rom and his men. Knowing Tarzan will try to rescue Jane, Rom leads him straight to his old enemy.

But Tarzan isn’t alone — his allies include a droll American Civil War veteran (Samuel L. Jackson) and hordes of helpful wild animals.

Astonishingly, none of the cast set foot in Africa for this flick. Using the best computer effects I’ve ever seen, the whole thing was shot on a soundstage and backlot in deepest England.

Several featurettes explain how movie magic was achieved to bring Tarzan back to the big screen.

JONATHAN OLLEY Samuel L. Jackson, left, is George Washington Williams, who becomes an ally of Tarzan, played by Alexander Skarsgard, right, in The Legend of Tarzan. The film was shot on a sound stage in England.