Tarzan

This does have some spoilers, but I’m assuming that most people know the story of Tarzan overall anyway. So, yes, there are spoilers, but I’ll keep them basic, in line with the assumption that you know some of the story. If you don’t want to learn anything about the film, then don’t read this any further.

Lately, as I watch films, I catch myself not only watching and enjoying the film, but critiquing from a social standpoint.

One of the things I have noticed, and many would agree with, is that Hollywood white washes everything. You have a role for an Asian Prince? That’s awesome, Brad Pitt makes an amazing Asian Prince. Get it?

Another factor is how people of color are always playing the help, or some otherwise unflattering roles. In this case, the minorities, namely the black folks, were of course, savages in the jungles of Africa. Now, the “I hate political correctness” folks would of course argue, what other race would you expect to find in Africa, in the jungles, in the 1800s?

This would be a somewhat fair statement, except for the fact that in addition to them, we find their savior, in this case, Tarzan, who happens to be a white dude, who has a white girlfriend named Jane. Which happened to be in the same place, and are both rich and scholarly, while still rugged and tough. Yup.

But hell, I didn’t mean to make this about the obvious issues in Hollywood with race. I’m sorry, but I just had to point it out. All that aside, I enjoyed the film. I’m a big fan of Eric Northman, I mean Alexander Skarsgard. I enjoy his presence, and think he’s a great actor. He’s also quite nice to look at, really an amazing specimen of a man.

The whole concept of the movie was rather weird to me. From the very beginning of the film I saw quite a few inconsistencies. For instance, if the gorillas were so territorial, and killed you on site, how the hell did Tarzan’s mom and dad manage to not only survive in the jungle, but build an apparent tree house there too? Why the hell was a pregnant woman in the damn jungle like that anyway? I mean, seriously, isn’t that weird as all heck? I know it’s fantasy, but that start was just weird to me.

Everything else goes in line with fantasy. A kid being raised by monkeys, him being really strong, agile, and being able to communicate with animals and all that. Definitely fantasy, but entertaining. Tarzan cares about his people, and the animals. We also get some Samuel L Jackson who does a great job being the sidekick. LOL, we ain’t gonna go back to that though. Then we have Jane, and a few villains.

Like I said, I won’t go in depth in the film, but will I recommend watching it? Sure, why not. If you can look past the obvious Hollywood issues, I think it’s an entertaining film overall. If you are a fan of Eric, I mean, Alexander, you will enjoy it. And no,  you don’t have to be gay to admit that he’s pretty damn hot. LOL.