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By Michael Lomax

I don’t remember seeing much hype surrounding the release of “The Legend of Tarzan,” and the reviews out there right now have not been kind. So when I made it to the theater Saturday afternoon, I bought my ticket and settled in for what I thought was going to be a humdrum two-hour time-burner. But what happened instead was nothing short of delightfully entertaining.

Shipwrecked in the Congo, a baby Tarzan is taken in by apes and over time becomes a local legend. Years later, Tarzan (Alexander Skarsgard) meets and falls in love with American Jane Porter (Margot Robbie), the daughter of a local English teacher. Tarzan then becomes John Clayton III and returns to England to take his seat as the rightful Lord Greystoke, though old rivalries and greedy Belgium colonials eventually lure him back.

Very different from the Disney animated film from the 1990s, “Legend” starts 10 years after Tarzan first left the jungle and uses flashbacks to clue us in to the backstory, which is decidedly grittier than the children’s adaptations we are used to seeing on screen. More aligned with the original 1912 novel, our latest Tarzan is confused and secretly homesick, and when Belgium forces start enslaving the countryside, he quickly sheds his gentlemanly veneer.

If I had to guess why critics are razing “Legend of Tarzan,” I would guess it has more to do with striking people the wrong way on a subconscious level. In other words, I don’t think having a single white couple saving an entirely black country is something that a lot of people are going to get behind in today’s age — especially not in historically liberal Hollywood. And if that’s really the reason why “Tarzan” is getting such bad reviews, I’m ashamed.

I’ve got no problem calling a crowd-pleasing blockbuster a bad movie if it is one. But at the same time, if the movie has merit, any merit whatsoever, it deserves to be acknowledged. Furthermore, just because a movie doesn’t match your political or moralistic sensibilities doesn’t mean there’s something wrong with it either.

Objectively speaking, “Legend of Tarzan” is a good movie. Director David Yates did a solid job with his shot selection and editing pace, and there are specific moments that rank up there as some of the prettier imagery I’ve seen recently. Throw in some solid (and at times hilarious) performances from supporting actors Samuel L. Jackson, Christoph Waltz and Djimon Hounsou, and you’ve got the recipe for a fine two hours.

But, of course, the movie isn’t perfect. You do find yourself questioning certain scenes, and, considering just how little screen time some characters get (notably Hounsou), perhaps more could’ve been done to prop up the accessory cast. And “Tarzan” is nothing if not a bit predictable.

All that being said, I saw no reason why this movie should be getting ripped apart as it is. “Legend of Tarzan” looks great, flows just fine and is entertaining. But if there’s one thing to stress, it’s that it really doesn’t matter what I or any of the critics think. You’ll want to go to the theater instead and decide for yourself.

Michael Lomax is a writer-filmmaker currently at work on a film script to be set and shot in Albany.