THE LEGEND OF TARZAN (Rated PG-13)

There have been so many films and television shows about the legendary character of Tarzan created by Edgar Rice Burroughs that it might be a fool’s errand to catalog them all with a degree of certitude.

“The Legend of Tarzan,” though it begs the question of why this reincarnation should be necessary, is certainly much better than other recent creations. Aside from the palpable erotic charms of a young Bo Derek, “Tarzan, the Ape Man,” directed by John Derek, was just silly.

Did Travis Fimmel become a household name after remaking the titular role in the 2003 version of “Tarzan,” where he was loose in the urban jungle of New York City and Jane was an NYPD detective inexorably drawn in a primal passion to the dangerous Tarzan?

Alexander Skarsgard, now in the part of the man once known as Tarzan, is not likely to suffer the same fate as Fimmel.

The story begins with Tarzan having left the jungles of Africa behind for a gentrified life as John Clayton III, Fifth Earl of Greystoke, and a member of the House of Lords.

Skarsgard’s Lord Greystoke, as they call him in the rarefied circles of London society, is summoned to Number 10 Downing Street (an address in the news recently as the result of the political fallout of the “Brexit” vote in the United Kingdom).

The late 19th century version of the prime minister of England looks nothing like David Cameron, or any number of Tory members of Parliament likely soon to take his place. Instead, the British leader and his cabinet look like central casting’s idea of “Downton Abbey.”

The British government convinces Lord Greystoke to return to his homeland at the invitation of King Leopold II of Belgium to witness all the good and charitable works the king has ostensibly undertaken in the Congo.

In fact, the grand gesture is a ruse and, effectively, a trap. Tarzan is being lured back by the king’s treacherous envoy, Captain Leon Rom (Christoph Waltz, an evil schemer picking up, at least thematically, where he left off as the Bond villain in “Spectre”).

Rom’s nefarious plan is to capture Tarzan and deliver him to an old enemy in exchange for a fortune in diamonds found in the Opar region. The vengeful Mbonga (Djimon Hounsou) holds a grudge for something terrible that happened in the past.

Making a deal with Leon Rom to lure Tarzan back to Africa, the African tribal chief Mbonga is blinded by revenge and doesn’t realize he’s making a deal with the devil.

But Lord Greystoke, now married to the beautiful Jane (Margot Robbie) who also was raised in Africa by her missionary parents, is not so eager to return to the Dark Continent.

An American envoy of President Benjamin Harrison, Civil War veteran George Washington Williams (Samuel L. Jackson) entreats Lord Greystoke to accept King Leopold’s invitation, but his motive is entirely different than Rom’s.

Williams, who fought in the war to abolish slavery, suspects that the Belgian king is colonizing the Congo for more reasons than merely exploiting its natural resources. He wants proof that the Africans are being enslaved and used to generate wealth for the royal coffers.

Meanwhile, Jane proves to be a strong-willed, independent woman who has no intention of being left behind in England while her husband returns to the homeland. That she’s no damsel in distress becomes evident soon enough when Rom holds her hostage in order to get to Tarzan.

A backstory seems essential to establish the adult Lord Greystoke’s credentials as the once feral child and legend of the jungle, a man whose physique is not only impressive but the necessary product of being raised by gorillas.

To great effect, flashbacks are deliberately sprinkled through the story to show how Tarzan survived his time in the African jungle and came to know and love the strong-willed Jane after saving her life.

At first, the return to Africa is a thing of beauty, as Tarzan and Jane, joined by Williams on the journey, enjoy the panorama of mist-covered mountains and landscapes, and then reunite with their extended family, the Kuba tribe, who welcome their return in joy and song.

What unfolds in the story is something less than joyous when Tarzan is nearly killed and Jane abducted by Rom and held prisoner on steamboat headed to the coast.

Boiled down to the essentials, the story of this new “Tarzan” turns on a rescue mission and the climactic assault upon the Belgian army’s encampment on the African coast, where the King’s reinforcements must be stopped.

Looking fit for the role, Skarsgard’s Tarzan, full of primal passion, swings wildly on the jungle vines to great visual effect, before gathering his friends, including stampeding wildlife, to stop the coastal invasion.

This may not be a ringing endorsement, but “The Legend of Tarzan,” lifted by some good special effects, is smarter and more sophisticated than some recent superhero films. For that, we can thank a good cast and a decent story, even when it gets a little muddled.

Tim Riley writes film and television reviews for Lake County News.