It was a good popcorn film. A bit of fun but nothing really more than that. It was enjoyable, and as a follower of Alex all this time, it was nice to see him on the big screen.
Having said that, there are some things that were jarring with the movie. The CGI with the lions was off - not by much but enough where the suspension of disbelief was broken. Samuel L Jackson was definitely the comedy relief and while it was needed, that again was jarring - George Washington Williams is a character from history not some made up person they had a clean slate with, and to do with what they will. One of the first scenes in London, I was seriously waiting for SLJ to say "You are Tarzan, Lord of the MuthaF*cking Jungle".
Christoph Waltz was good, as he always is as the creepy Rom. But again, he was playing to a much-seen type from his plethora of roles.
Margot and Alex were really great together on the screen but there was not nearly enough scenes with the two of them alone to build this legendary romance. I would have liked to have seen some more tenderness and more passion in this telling of Tarzan and Jane. I think it may have suffered from acquiescing to the ratings board in a bid to find a larger audience.
Alex's accent was decent but it definitely slipped in some parts.
The depth in the film came from showing John Clayton's ties as Tarzan to both the native peoples and his jungle family of gorilla's and other beasts. That was where Alex really shone - his expressive face conveyed much more than his handful of lines did (and he really did only have a handful of lines - this Tarzan is definitely the strong, silent type)
I also liked the back story with Djimon Hounsou's character, and Tarzan's. That held a lot of pathos. And the final action section of the story leading to the ending was very well done.
If anything this film was slightly let down, not by the actors really but the editing and direction. They did really well with what they had.
Overall, if you go expecting a big, popcorn adventure film then you'll enjoy it.
Note: Oh and Alex's bod was insane
