Review #1,148: 'The Legend of Tarzan' (2016)

As one of the great iconic characters of cinema, it seems like Tarzan, Lord of Greystoke has been absent from our cinema screens for an incredibly long time. While the character may have seen his fair share of ups and downs over the last few decades - even Disney's 1999 effort is one of their least fondly-remembered films in what was a prosperous and defining era for the House of Mouse - the famous tale of the vine-swinging white man raised by apes in Africa seemed ripe for a re-imagining in our anything-is-possible times. It took 17 years for the Lord of the Apes to re-appear, but is the character still relevant? And is it possible to deliver a fresh, original take on such a familiar and old-fashioned story?

For the first 20 minutes of David Yates' film, it would seem yes. Wisely opting to begin with Tarzan - here played stoically by Alexander Skarsgard - already back in England and going by his birth name John Clayton, the film avoids having to repeat the old "me Tarzan, you Jane" shtick well all know so well. He's a bit of a legendary figure, famous for his huge hands that have been gradually restructured after so many years running on all limbs. He is also married to Jane (Margot Robbie), the fiery woman he fell in love with back in the jungle. Eager to leave the past behind him. Tarzan finds himself heading back to the Congo when the Prime Minister (Jim Broadbent) requests that he travel there to report on the actions of Belgium's King Leopold. After initially declining, he agrees when American envoy George Washington Williams (Samuel L. Jackson) voices his beliefs that the Belgians are in fact slaving the Congolese natives.

It's an interesting, topical start, and one that, at first at least, seems to be addressing the issue of how the tale of a white man swinging in to the save the day for his African friends would go down in our politically correct times. It's just a terrible shame that the movie becomes so incredibly dull and rather uncomfortable to watch after such a promising start. Scriptwriters Adam Cozad and Craig Brewer seem convinced that simply acknowledging the issues of race and the stereotypical, one-dimensional role of its female lead means that they can get away with it. Jane literally states that she's not some damsel-in-distress before being carried away in much distress. While The Legend of Tarzan can be commended for being brave enough to tackle the topic of slavery, entwining images of shackled, beaten black men with CGI-laden high jinks is just plain insensitive.

Still, the movie's main issue is that it's just so incredibly lifeless and uninspiring. After Tarzan arrives in Africa, Jane is kidnapped by Belgian envoy Leon Rom (Christoph Waltz), and the remainder of the plot revolves around rescuing her, with some animals in between. The fact that Jane spends most of her time trapped on a steamboat gives a decent impression of the film's pace. Perhaps we have been spoiled by the CGI mastery of Disney's The Jungle Book, but the special effects, especially involving the apes, simply aren't up to scratch, and even pale in comparison to 2011's Rise of the Planet of the Apes. One thing that certainly is real however, is Skarsgard's torso. Fair play to the guy, he's truly gone the whole nine yards, and does his best with a role that requires little other than physicality. I've enjoyed his work ever since I saw him in True Blood and later on Generation Kill, but if he is ever to become a star and allow his true charisma to shine through, he'll need better material than this.


Directed by: David Yates
Starring: Alexander Skarsgård, Margot Robbie, Samuel L. Jackson, Christoph Waltz, Djimon Hounsou, Jim Broadbent
Country: UK/Canada/USA

Rating: **

Tom Gillespie