A 2016 Alexander Skarsgård And Margot Robbie Film Is Winning On Netflix Right Now

It's a fine time to be Alexander Skarsgård and Margot Robbie (not that there's ever been a bad time to be either of these extremely good-looking, successful actors). The former is coming off starring in Brandon Cronenberg's well-received sci-fi horror movie "Infinity Pool" and reprised his role as the detestable slimeball Lukas Matsson in the final season of "Succession" to great effect. Meanwhile, Robbie anchored last year's "Barbie" — which is now a Best Picture Oscar nominee in addition to being the top-grossing film of 2023 — and produced Emerald Fennell's internet-breaking "Saltburn" after nearly stealing Wes Anderson's "Asteroid City" with her moving single-scene appearance. Someone should really cast those two in a movie together!

Well, what, dear reader, if I was to tell you that somebody already did?

While Robbie may have been unduly snubbed for her performance in "Barbie," she can take solace in knowing she's currently topping the charts on Netflix thanks to her and Skarsgård's 2016 vehicle "The Legend of Tarzan." I'm fairly confident the majority of moviegoers have forgotten that film even exists, which makes it the perfect candidate to be rediscovered by folks casually scrolling through the streamer's homepage and immediately perking up at the sight of a shirtless, extra-muscular Skarsgård romping through the jungle. According to Netflix viewership aggregator FlixPatrol, "The Legend of Tarzan" shot up to the platform's number one spot in the U.S. on January 19 and stayed there for several days, before dropping to number two on January 23.

Now, here comes the million-dollar question: Is "The Legend of Tarzan" — the latest in a long, long line of live-action films inspired by Edgar Rice Burroughs' Tarzan novels, dating back to the silent era — an underappreciated gem that's deservedly gaining a second life on streaming? Yeah, so, about that...

Directed by "Harry Potter" alum David Yates, "The Legend of Tarzan" finds Skarsgård's Lord of the Jungle and his now-wife Jane Clayton (Robbie) living as nobles in England in the late 19th century, their adventuring days far behind them. When George Washington Williams (Samuel L. Jackson), a real-life Civil War veteran and politician, tells Tarzan he believes King Leopold II of Belgium is enslaving people and exploiting the resources of Tarzan's old home in the Congo, Jane and Tarzan team up with Williams to expose the truth, pitting them against the deplorable Belgian Captain Léon Rom (Christoph Waltz) and his forces.

If making Tarzan a white savior and giving him credit for something the actual Williams did all by himself sounds like a bad idea, rest assured, it is. But even setting its problematic elements aside, "The Legend of Tarzan" is mostly just a stilted would-be crowd-pleaser. Skarsgård and Robbie have little chemistry (their big love scene has all the heat of a literal Barbie and Ken doll being rubbed together), the action is a clumsy mix of unconvincing CGI and majestic practical sets, and the central story is constantly being interrupted by far-less-compelling flashbacks to Tarzan's past, which includes a subplot involving the vengeful Chief Mbonga (Djimon Hounsou, going way harder than this movie warrants).

Although far from a total bomb, "The Legend of Tarzan" was definitely not the success Warner Bros. wanted, grossing $348.9 million at the box office against a $180 million budget. Easily the best thing to come out of it was Hozier's end credits single "Better Love," a true banger you would never associate with the film if you didn't know better. I'm sure someone can direct a great movie starring Skarsgård and Robbie, but this ain't it, folks.