THE LEGEND OF TARZAN (2016) – My rating: 7.5/10

Just how many times is Hollywood going to remake Tarzan?  I can’t come up with what motivates one to take on a project that’s been done so many times.  The first Tarzan movie was a silent film called “Tarzan of the Apes” and was released in 1918.  The ninth was called “Tarzan the Ape Man” and was a motion picture released in 1932.  All in all, there were 57 Tarzan movies made between 1918 and 2013.  Several books were written, starting in 1912, by Edgar Rice Burroughs, who created the character.  There were also many Tarzan television series through the years.  Having said that, it seems Tarzan continues to be a fascinating subject that never grows old and never stops making money at the box office.  With a huge budget of $180M, The Legend of Tarzan finished #2 on the weekend box office behind “Finding Dory” grossing $46.5ååM after being released less than a week.  Go figure!  The story basically stays the same.  A young boy is brought up in the jungle by apes after his parents are killed.  Upon his return back to civilization, (England) Tarzan, who has fallen in love and married to Jane Porter, has acclimated to life in England having discovered his true identity as Lord Greystoke.  Under King Leopole’s rule, Tarzan is asked to scout out his old digs in the Congo for signs of the Kings improvements to the land.  Instead, something else is uncovered that includes a plan that Captain Rom intends to use the diamonds to pay for a massive army to subdue the Congo and allow Belgium to mine its wealth for Leopold’s benefit.  Of course Tarzan being ruthless and powerful, will stop at nothing to rescue his family, the Congo and the slaves, along with the right to live free.  The claim to fame in this version of Tarzan is eye-candy,  Alexander Skarsgård as Tarzan / John Clayton III / Lord Greystoke, the beautiful Margot Robbie as Tarzan’s wife / Jane Porter Clayton / Lady Greystoke, the charismatic and clever, Samuel L. Jackson as George Washington Williams, an American envoy who suspects the king of several atrocities, Academy award winner, Christoph Waltz as Captain Léon Rom, a corrupt merciless Belgian captain, sent by King Leopold of Belgium to find diamonds and control the region and the handsome hunk, Djimon Hounsou as Chief Mbonga, the leader of an African tribe who controls the diamond region, and wants revenge against Tarzan for the death of his son.

While The Legend of Tarzan was basically the same old story, I found it fun and interesting to watch.  Being a huge fan of Alexander Skarsgård from the days of True Blood and Christoph Waltz from Django Unchained and Inglorious Basterds and Djimon Hounsou from Countless movies like Gladiator and In America, I enjoyed their flawless performances, the absolutely beautiful scenery, the special effects, the countless animals and I loved seeing the bad guys get what was coming to them.  I think Tarzan is worth going to see on the big screen in 3D or standard.  It was an entertaining movie!

 

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CROSSBONES – My rating: 6/10

As an adventure, Crossbones drags a little, making it somewhat hard to get into.  I decided to watch this period piece because of John Malkovitch.  He is such a brilliant actor, I couldn’t see myself missing out on a series that features him.  Having said that, Crossbones is not as exciting or as entertaining as I expected.  The story takes place in the 18th century (1712) in the Bahamian island of New Providence.  It is said that who ever owns a device called the Longitude Chronometer, which can tell a sailor exactly where he is in the world, controls the seas.  When this device is stolen, Tom Lowe, an undercover assassin played by Richard Coyle is commissioned by the British to seek out and kill the infamous pirate, Edward Teach better known as Blackbeard.  Obviously, Blackbeard and his band of  pirates are suspected of stealing the device.  Upon finding Blackbeard, played by John Malkovich, Tom ends up joining forces with him to save England.  This may sound a little confusing but believe me it’s well explained in the series.  Just when Tom thinks he has completed his mission, something happens to keep him and his faithful assistant, Tim Fletch (Chris Perfetti), in the magical grip of Blackbeard’s charismatic character and irrefutable logic.  As I said, Crossbones is a little slow captivating it’s audience, but it’s getting better as it is aging with time.  Crossbones is definitely not the best of the Blackbeard stories.   Crossbones is currently airing on the NBC network,  Fridays and is not for everyone. Unfortunately, Crossbones has been cancelled!