Director: David Yates
Starring: Alexander Skarsgård, Christoph Waltz, Samuel L. Jackson, Margot Robbie
Synopsis: Tarzan, having acclimated to life in London, is called back to his former home in the jungle to investigate the activities at a mining encampment.
David Yates is best known for his work on the last four of the Harry Potter movies. He also directed the film coming up Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. He did those films wonderfully, with exception of the last one since it hasn’t released yet, but the trailers look great. Taken out of the magical world and into something a little more realistic, if Tarzan is believable at all, how did Yates do with this one? Let’s take a look.
I’d first like to mention that this film doesn’t follow the traditional vision of Tarzan (Skarsgård). He is not in the jungle at first; he is a well-rounded adult who inherited his family’s fortune. Proud of his family name, being called Tarzan wherever he goes doesn’t sit well with him. His name is John Clayton in the civilized world. He even shows little to no interest in returning to the jungle when he is asked to. I found that a little strange at first. Almost as if the words of protest coming out of his mouth didn’t belong to the character, but to the writers trying to convince the audience that this is something different than the Tarzan we’re used to.
Tarzan does return to the jungle, reluctantly, after George Washington Williams (Jackson) tells him of the unethical treatment of the tribes people there, as they are being taken into slavery. The Congo is about to be up for grabs as King Leopold defaults on the loans he was given to make that bit of land profitable. More interested in the tribes people, that is the reason for his return. Jane comes with him, of course, and adventure awaits them all as they encounter the struggle between humans, and the rights of the animals that live there.
I enjoyed the camaraderie of Tarzan and Williams. Samuel L. Jackson has great comedic timing, though there were times when he was more of a distraction than an asset to the story. He was running everywhere and out of breath constantly. He couldn’t keep up, yet still ended up where he was supposed to be shortly after Tarzan arrived.
Since we’re talking about distractions, let’s talk about the CGI in this film. I found myself unable to stay emotionally invested during certain parts because the CGI wasn’t really what it should have been. It’s great in most parts, but there was one scene in particular that stands out in my mind. As this super tall actor is on his hands and knees snuggling with certain animals, I couldn’t help but imagine how weird he must have felt doing that out of context while it was being recorded.
Flashback scenes galore. Not usually a huge fan of it. Perfectly done for this story and how it was being used. It showcased raw emotion and how people remember things buried in their subconscious while they are experiencing major emotional or physical trauma. The relationship between Tarzan and Jane is really brought to life in this way, and it couldn’t have been done any better.
Overall, The Legend of Tarzan is full of action and Skarsgård plays Tarzan well. A bit slow in places, and a little distracting, but it was not childish like I expected it to be. The cast had great chemistry. I was happy to see this in theater. The scale of the scenes should be seen in that setting, though you may disagree if you are looking for something a little more plot specific and less about the travel.