'The Legend of Tarzan' Review
The Legend of Tarzan picks up a decade after the classic tale of Tarzan written by Edgar Rice Burroughs (not to be confused with Disney's animated adaptation Tarzan as this film is in no way correlated to Disney's version since The Legend of Tarzan is a Warner Bros. production) where we find that Tarzan has adopted his official monicker of John Clayton III and grown accustomed to a lavish life in London. Tarzan must return to his true home to thwart imperial schemes threatening all life in the African Congo and that's where the adventure begins.
One thing that I think should be made expressly clear in this review is that The Legend of Tarzan is in no way, shape or form a retelling of Tarzan's origin, although there are some flashbacks intermitted that flesh out the backstory for this specific adaptation. However, I found myself wishing that the film did retell Tarzan's origin because I'd love to see a modern live-action take on it and especially with the talented cast amassed for the flick. **Psst** Disney, please make a live-action adaptation of the animated film and use the technology showcased in The Jungle Book because that would be terrific. Although with Disney's crowded slate of films, I'm not sure when a live-action Tarzan could feasibly happen.
David Yates, director of all Harry Potter films post-Goblet of Fire and even the upcoming spinoff Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, takes charge of The Legend of Tarzan and I must admit his direction and the other technical elements are a mixed bag, soaring in their heights and drowning in a sea of boring bleakness in their lowest points.
Yates tries one of the latest Hollywood tropes by bringing about a dreary reimagining of a classic character (ala Man Of Steel, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Snow White and the Huntsman, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles). I'm not knocking Yates' abilities as a director but rather commenting that he doesn't have a distinctive voice.
As for the cinematography, Yates and cinematographer Henry Braham in many instances captured gorgeous imagery of the lush African jungle shrouded by mist and natural light while also bringing some sloppy camera work, reminiscent of The Hunger Games, and the remaining portions of the film are lit in a grim grayscale that evokes a darker tone for the film reflected in the grittier more mature narrative and the grounded fight choreography.
Margot Robbie has proven herself to be quite the actress hitting the nail of role after role straight on the head, I can't wait to see her kick butt as Harley Quinn in Suicide Squad, and this film is no exception. Margot Robbie makes for a more capable Jane Porter, who although characterized as a damsel can certainly fend for herself if need be. Robbie like her other costars isn't given much to work with, but does the best she can with the lackluster material provided.
Samuel L. Jackson steals the show as the charming George Washington Williams, a real historic figure, bringing fun and levity to the proceedings. Jackson seems to be the only actor enjoying himself and was certainly the only one with a smile on his face for the entire runtime (I'm not qualifying any mischievous grins from Christoph Waltz).
Poor Djimon Hounsou is given another relatively small antagonistic role in yet another big budget franchise, similar in size to his roles in Furious 7 and Guardians of the Galaxy. Hounsou is great as Chief Mbongo, but is used in such a small capacity it may have been a better idea to just leave his character out of the story altogether.
With all that being said, there are some aspects that saved the film for me. For one, the third act finale is epic and full of grandeur adventure as Tarzan leads a wildebeest charge. Up to this point, I had found most of the first and second acts be sluggish and boring at times as it was very uneventful and a tad uninteresting till the characters reached Africa, and even then I didn't ever feel the raw energy that should be emulated from a Tarzan movie till the third act. Another saving grace was the score composed by Rupert Gregson-Williams. Greyson-Williams' score fit perfectly with ongoing events and when the action got going, African drums crescendoed instilling a more adventurous undercurrent, but unfortunately this daring fun tone wasn't carried forth into the entire film. Just another thing The Jungle Book did right.
The Legend of Tarzan is worth watching at some point and maybe when the film swings onto home media release will be a prime rental, but is just a so-so Tarzan movie that's too dark and gritty for it's own good.
The visual effects seem a bit mediocre in comparison to this year's The Jungle Book and Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, films reliant on computer generated animals that look exceptionally real in comparison to the gorillas here.
The screenplay is penned by Adam Cozad and Craig Brewer, and unfortunately neither saw it fitting to to explore the character of Tarzan or any character for that matter. The story's convoluted, the dialogue is cheesy, and the entire thing lacks energy (something a movie about a man swinging through the jungle hooping and hollering desperately needs).
The only charisma to be found in the flick comes from Samuel L. Jackson's George Washington Williams. The remaining cast members all give quality performances but aren't granted exciting material to work with.
Alexander Skarsgård brings the sheer impressive physicality of Tarzan, going the extra mile by even ensuring he has posture of a man raised by apes, and a more intellectual mind now that he's become the civilized Brit John Clayton III but doesn't get to do much beyond that with such a shallow lead role. He does provide a terrific trademark Tarzan yell, works well in action sequences, and sure can swing around.
Christoph Waltz's villainous role as Captain Leon Rom is all too reminiscent of his roles in Inglorious Basterds and Spectre, a refined wacko in charge of some malicious organization, but he's done it better in those films. I seriously hope that Waltz isn't headed in the direction of Johnny Depp where he will play a single caricature in upcoming films because I'd prefer to see something new from Waltz, and it's not to be found in The Legend of Tarzan.
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