Tarzan is one of the most iconic characters in the history of film, from the pages of Edgar Rice Burroughs novels to the big screen, there have been hundreds of different renditions. When Warner Bros. Pictures announced they were next in line to bring Tarzan back to theatres, I was more than a little skeptical. I was lucky enough to be invited to visit the set in London while they were filming “The Legend Of Tarzan”, and while I was blown away by the gigantic and breathtaking sets I still wasn’t sure how they were going to make the story fresh and exciting. As I watched Director David Yates work and listened to the way he spoke about the film, I quickly became enamoured. To find out if the man behind so much of the world of “Harry Potter” could make Tarzan magical, I took a trip to the TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood for a screening of “The Legend Of Tarzan.”
Directed by David Yates and written by Adam Cozad, “The Legend Of Tarzan” sheds a new light on the iconic character we know so well. It’s been nearly a decade since John Clayton/Tarzan (Alexander Skarsgard) has left the jungle to head his rightful home in London, Greystoke Manor, with his wife Jane (Margot Robbie) by his side. He has become accustomed to his new life and doesn’t seem to be looking back, that is until he is invited back to the jungle to lead an expedition by the King. After a little persuasion, John agrees to head back to the land and life he left behind having no idea the danger that lurks ahead. I loved that the film had an old fashioned feel without feeling dated and gives you a bit of a history lesson by having real-life historical characters woven into the story. It also helped rid the story of the old stereotypes and give it present world values.
Here are the three life lessons I learned from “The Legend Of Tarzan.”
Never Forget Your Roots
When John Clayton left the jungle, he left Tarzan there as well. He moved to London with his wife and became a civilized man and an English Lord. Trading in swinging from vines in the jungle to living in a Manor, he may have been dignified, but he had lost touch with his roots. Going back to the jungle and losing the one thing that meant the world to him meant revisiting his past and becoming the person he let go of so long ago. This fresh new take on the character was exciting; watching him return to his home and family swept you away. It was a beautiful lesson to never forget where you came from because it is what made you who you are today.
There Is So Much Strength In Love
Tarzan returning home to the man he once was in itself is a bit of a love story but at the heart of the film is another love story between two people who ultimately save each other in many different ways. When Jane meets Tarzan in the jungle, he knew nothing of the world outside the Congo, she essentially saves him and teaches him how to be a man. When the two return to the jungle she is captured and Tarzan now has to save the woman he loves, but she is no damsel in distress. Both Tarzan and Jane are shown as very capable and smart, while his fight is physical, hers is mental with her captor, but it is their love that gives them the strength to find their way back to one another fighting their way through whatever gets in the way. It was as if apart they were incomplete and showed us that there is so much strength in love.
Sometimes You Have To Face Your Fears To Do What’s Right
Going back to Africa is the last thing John wants to do, he has been gone for almost a decade, and he left everything behind including some enemies. He also seems to be almost afraid of the man he once was. But going back isn’t just about the invitation from the King, there is much more at stake. John is forced to face his fears for the greater good and look past himself to the bigger picture.
With sweeping landscapes, epic adventure, deceit, greed, and romance, “The Legend Of Tarzan” is in theatres everywhere now!
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