The Legend Of Tarzan (2016)

The Legend Of Tarzan - 2016

Coming up next is 2016's epic adventure "The Legend Of Tarzan", starring Alexander Skarsgaard.  It explores Africa after Tarzan, a.k.a. John Clayton, moves to England.  He returns to help it escape the terrors of slavery.

The film's supporting cast includes Margot Robbie, Christoph Waltz, Samuel L. Jackson, Sidney Ralitsoele, Djimon Hounsou, Jim Broadbent, and Ben Chaplin.

King Leopold II of Belgium controls the Congo.  He strips it bare of its natural resources and exploits the natives, using them as his personal slaves.  He uses the money from his African colony to fund railways and other ventures.  However, he's run out of capital.  He sends Leon Rom (Waltz) to collect the diamonds of Opar deep within the heart of the Congo.

He meets Chief Mbonga, who controls the diamonds.  Mbonga will give him the diamonds if he will deliver to him the one man whom he claims is his sworn enemy: Tarzan.  Leon Rom agrees.

Back in England, John Clayton is meeting with the Prime Minister to discuss a goodwill trip to Africa to put a stamp of approval on all of King Leopold's activities.  George Washington Williams (Jackson), however, wants to prove that there are atrocities being committed.  After initial misgivings, John agrees to go and allows George to accompany him.

He goes home to tell his wife Jane about the trip.  She's very excited until she realizes that John doesn't want her to go.

Eventually, John realizes that Jane needs to go to Africa as much as he does, and he reluctantly gives her his blessing to accompany him.

Instead of sailing to Boma as planned, John, Jane, and George disembark early and begin a trek inland.  They meet a pride of lions who recognize John from when they were cubs, and George is shocked to see such ferocious predators behaving tenderly towards a human.

In Boma, Leon Rom realizes that John has given them the slip.  In fact, it was Leon who arranged the "goodwill trip" in hopes of luring John to Africa so that he could turn him over to Chief Mbonga.  Leon vows to track him down.

John and company arrive at a native village that John and Jane know well.  They are greeted as returning family by the villagers.

Rom tracks them to the village.  He ambushes John and ties him up.  George, however, engineers a rescue.  Instead, Rom captures Jane and the son of the village chief and loads them onto a boat.

The next morning, John meets with some village warriors and plans a rescue operation to get Jane and the chief's son.  George wants in on the plan as well.  Rom is using Jane as bait.  He makes his way up the river to where Chief Mbonga is, knowing that John will follow.

Poor George is not used to the way John and the other villagers do things.  He has to jump off a very high cliff, maneuver his way on the enormous branches of a tree, and even hold onto John's back while they swing on vines as they try to catch up with a distant train.

Once they catch the train, John and George find out the terrible things going on in the Congo.  The uncover the truth about slave labor, a mercenary army, and the diamonds that King Leopold needs to complete his scandalous transactions.  George takes the ledger detailing all the slave labor as the proof he needs to expose the truth about King Leopold to the worldwide community.

Meanwhile, Rom finds out the reason that Chief Mbonga wants John so bad.  John killed the chief's only son.  Rom explains to Jane that she's the bait that will help him capture John.  "A normal man can do the impossible to save the woman he loves.  My husband is no normal man," Jane replies with a smile.

John and George had out on foot to intercept the steamship that holds Jane.  John tells George that they have to go through Mangani territory, an aggressive gorilla stronghold.

John realizes that he's going to have to fight Akut, his gorilla brother, who now views him as a deserter.

The fight is brutal, leaving John the loser.  However, the gorillas allow John and George to pass through their territory.

While stitching John up, George tells him about the atrocities he's seen in America and how he fought against the American Indians.  He feels badly about how they were massacred and wants to make things right in Africa.  A group of elephants quietly walks up to them.  "The Teke say an elephant's eyes speak the greatest language.  What else can make you feel so much without a word?," says John.

The steamship, meanwhile, keeps on traveling, this time through hippo territory.

Jane finds an opportunity to escape alongside the village chief's son.  They quickly swim through the water to the shoreline.

They have to swim fast, though, as the water is teeming with hippos and one of them is very interested in chasing them.

They make it, but Jane and the chief's son get separated in the jungle.

However, she runs straight into gorilla territory.  Rom arrives and his men create a diversion so they can escape.  Rom whisks Jane away to Chief Mbonga.

Chief Mbonga waits as John arrives.  John witnesses the diamonds being poured into a box.  The diamonds are put on board the steamship.  Jane is forcibly boarded as well.

John and George are attacked by Chief Mbonga and his men.  John succeeds in cornering the chief, but is quickly surrounded.

Akut and the other gorillas race to the rescue.  George is given the opportunity to explain that they are on the same side and must help each other.  Chief Mbonga calls off his men.

John rallies his animal friends, including a massive herd of wildebeest to assist in rescuing Jane.  They lay waste to the city of Boma.  Rom gets the diamonds on board a ship in the harbor and John follows him.

The boat runs into trouble and John is nearly killed by Rom.  However, the commotion attracts some nearby crocodiles.  At the right moment, John pushes Rom back towards the crocodiles and they attack.  John dives off the boat right before it blows up.

George finally has his story about the Congo, and John and Jane are together again.  George publishes an open letter to King Leopold II that brings attention to the plight of the Congo.

John's home in England stands empty.  It seems that he and Jane are no longer intent on living there.

We cut back to Africa and see John swinging through the trees with his gorilla family.  Jane sums it up nicely, "They're singing the legend of Tarzan.  For many moons, he was thought to be an evil spirit.  A ghost in the trees.  They speak of his power over the animals of the jungle.  Because his spirit came from them.  He understood them, and learned to be as one with them."

Cast rundown:

   Alexander Skarsgaard.............................John Clayton, Lord Greystoke

   Margot Robbie........................................Jane Clayton, Lady Greystoke

   Christoph Waltz......................................Leon Rom

   Samuel L. Jackson...................................George Washington Williams

   Sidney Ralitsoele.....................................Wasimbu

   Djimon Hounsou......................................Chief Mbonga

   Jim Broadbent.........................................Prime Minister

   Ben Chaplin.............................................Captain Moulle

And that's it for The Legend Of Tarzan.  The Congo parts of the story are entirely true.  George Washington Williams and Leon Rom were real people.  Williams actually did write an open letter to King Leopold II of Belgium, which exposed his treachery and the horrible conditions in the Congo.

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