The newly released film The Legend of Tarzan embraces the old story with the new, offering a well-judged balance of nature and humanity, action and engaging drama.

It opens in England, years after Tarzan moved out of the jungle. Tarzan, now John Clayton III (Alexander Skarsgard) and a member of the House of Lords, is living in London with his wife, Jane (Margot Robbie); how they meet and fall in love will be told in a flashback.

A scene featuring Alexander Skarsgard as Tarzan

One day George Washington Williams (Samuel L. Jackson), an American Civil War veteran, approaches Tarzan. Williams wants Tarzan to accompany him to Congo to investigate Belgian King Leopold's enslavement of locals and its exploitation of the African colony.

Reluctantly Tarzan brings along Jane, who grew up there as the daughter of an American professor, as she wishes to revisit her old friends in the tribe.

In Africa, Clayton immediately demonstrates his true ego as Tarzan, the king of the jungle. In one scene, the three meet a pride of lions. Tarzan approaches them boldly, and it turns out that they've known each other since youth. Tarzan greets them by rubbing faces, and they soon return the favor.

Soon they find the whole thing is a trap set by Belgium's envoy, Leon Rom, well-played by Christoph Waltz, with his sneering and smirky style.

He takes Jane hostage and plans to lure Tarzan and trade him to tribal chief (Djimon Hounsou) for a vast cache of diamonds to help finance Leopold's African exploits. Tarzan's mission is then to rescue his wife, swinging through the jungles with Williams.

During the middle stretch, there are numerous lovely animal moments, including in the back story of how Tarzan was orphaned and raised by a mother ape to be the king of the jungle, a well-matched fight with his ape brother, and touching interaction with a herd of elephants who looked at their old acquaintance Tarzan in dismay. All the scenes were computer-generated, seamlessly and naturalistically matching reality.

Apart from the CGI, the history embedded in the film also gives it depth. Williams is new to the Tarzan story, but is based on a real historical figure. An American Civil War soldier, journalist and writer on African-American history, he traveled to King Leopold II's Congo Free State.

Shocked by what he saw, he wrote an open letter to Leopold in 1890 about the situation of the region's suffering people that spurred the first public outcry against the regime running the Congo.

Jackson's presence as Williams gives the film some funny moments. He loves babbling about being a sharpshooter, but is also at times comical swinging across the jungle or when exhausted catching up with his friends. Jackson is sharp, funny and expressive, especially when questioning things.

With his muscles, Skarsgard is pleasant to look at, especially shirtless. His Tarzan is a tough and silent type who is quick-witted in the jungle.

But he's not just a simpleton like the leads in most action films. Skarsgard plays a complicated Tarzan who often gets tangled up in his former life as the drama mixes, continuing the main story line of saving his wife from the hands of Rom. Skarsgard handles it well.

There is also a breakthrough in the character Jane, who is seen as an ornament in earlier versions. Robbie's Jane, however, is an adorable, liberal-minded woman in the 19th century.

She initially approaches Tarzan boldly and is attracted by him. Tarzan picks up on her scent, but she says no, and no means no. Her Jane is a fighter.

A poster for the film Photos: mtime.com

Everyone's a critic

GT: Do you like this version of Tarzan?

Leo, 30, IT

"I am quite familiar with this story, and I enjoyed this newly updated version of Tarzan. I enjoyed how it begins with a grown-up Tarzan living with his wife at the beginning, and there are other original rewrites, which I find great. There is also wonderful acting and moments of greatness."

GT: How do you find the imagery of the film?

Cathy, 29, PR

"The animation was great. The computer-generated animals are definitely worth the price of the ticket. I strongly recommended seeing it in 3D or even 4D. I was deeply touched by Tarzan's love and respect for the animals. It is so different from how we kill and mistreat animals today."

GT: Do you like Alexander Skarsgard as Tarzan?

Christina, 23, student

"I went to the cinema because the lead is so hot. And I think he makes good Tarzan, a man who abandons his ape family to fit in with human society and returns to protect the family who raised him. All of it is fully displayed with textured, nuanced expression in the actor's face."