Buff men running through jungles, sarcastic side-kicks, and damsels in distress, The Legend of Tarzan pulls out all the stops.

The movie takes place after the story of Tarzan that we’re all familiar with. Almost a decade after leaving Africa and marrying his love, Jane, John Clayton (Tarzan) is asked by the Belgian King Leopold to return to Africa to assess what the king has done there to help.

At first, John refuses, but an American, George Washington Williams, pushes him to accept; George says that Leopold may be committing treacherous acts, such as slavery, to help him gain more wealth, but he doesn’t have any proof. Eventually, John decides to go back to Africa, and Jane insists on accompanying him.

Here, Leon Rom enters, a dangerous enemy. He works for King Leopold, and has a deal to bring Tarzan to an African chief. Rom manages to intercept George, John and Jane at the village where Jane grew up, and takes Jane captive along with several natives. John and George head out to save Jane and the tribe’s family, risking the dangerous jungle to complete their goal.

There were quite a few moments of suspense throughout the film. I didn’t know what was going to happen, and was watching the screen eagerly, waiting for Tarzan to beat someone up, or for the gorillas to rip someone apart. The CGI animals actually looked genuine. The gorillas especially were well-done and detailed, and the lions looked amazing. It made me want to step into the movie and cuddle with them, even though they’d probably eat me.

One of the only things I disliked is that the only main female character was tied up and dragged around most of the movie. She was made to be a head-strong character who did what she wanted, but it wasn’t very long after the movie started that she became a hostage for 80% of the film.

Alexander, who plays John Clayton, is a Swedish actor who has been in a variety of movies: Zoolander, Generation Kill, True Blood, and a few theatrical productions. He’s joined by Samuel L. Jackson, a very well-known actor, who portrays George Washington Williams, a man who was trying to free slaves in Africa. Margot Robbie also co-stars as Jane, and for Harry Potter fans, our very own Professor Slughorn joins us as the Prime Minister (Jim Broadbent). It’s rated PG-13-mostly for violence; there’s not very many “intimate” or “sensual” moments.

I was anticipating this movie from the moment I heard about it, and I wasn’t disappointed. It was suspenseful, interesting, and action-filled. I thought that the castors did a great job choosing people to fill these rolls, and there was new plot twists and takes on the classic tale that I never expected. It wasn’t just an almost naked guy swinging through vines and saying “Me Tarzan, you Jane.” There was romance, action, violence, and moments where I almost cried. I would recommend this movie to anyone who wants a new take on Tarzan, or who enjoys action-full and suspenseful movies. If you are even slightly interested, you should check out the IMDb or trailer.