Review of The Legend of Tarzan (2016) by Patrick L — 17 Aug 2016

"The Legend of Tarzan swings everything at us and yet it's still largely boring".

Movie Review: The Legend of Tarzan.

Date Viewed: July 1 2016.

Directed By David Yates (Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Parts 1 & 2).

Written By Adam Cozad and Craig Brewer, Based on the character "Tarzan" created by Edgar Rice Burroughs.

Starring: Alexander Skarsgard, Margot Robbie, Samuel L. Jackson, Christoph Waltz, Djimon Hounsou, Jim Broadbent, Hadley Fraser, Genevieve O'Reilly, Casper Crump and Simon Russell Beale.

The Legend of Tarzan? More like The Legend of Sluggish and Brooding Tarzan. This movie swings everything at us from stunning visual effects to beautiful jungles and to large action sequences and yet it's still largely boring. For the past several years, Hollywood seemed intent on reviving pretty much every classic character brought to life by their creative authors. First Dracula, Sherlock Holmes, The Three Musketeers (thankfully, it totally flopped), Robin Hood and of course Tarzan. Now they intend on bringing back King Kong for "Kong: Skull Island", King Arthur for "King Arthur: Legend of the Sword" and The Mummy for 2017's "The Mummy" which is starring Tom Cruise and Universal hopes it will awaken a new classic monster movie universe. Where are those original ideas Hollywood? Come on!

This new Tarzan movie has interesting characters but they are given no direction. Warner Bros. also decided to add some Christopher Nolan juice into Tarzan because... YEAH! It worked so well in the past! "The Legend of Tarzan" revolves around the man who used to be called by that title name, John Clayton III (Alexander Skarsgard) who is known in London as Lord Greystoke. He abandoned the jungles of the Congo years ago and now Clayton wants to build a new life with his wife, Jane Porter (Margot Robbie) who is an American aristocrat. Clayton left the jungles behind after a painful past, his ape mother, Kala by the son of an African tribe leader.

Kala and his ape brother, Akut raised Tarzan after his mother died from disease and his father was killed at the hands of Mangani apes. Now living in London, Clayton has been invited back to Africa by the British Prime Minister (Jim Broadbent) because a merciless Belgian envoy named Captain Leon Rom (Christoph Waltz) who wants to find rare diamonds and control the entire region.

At he declines to go back but since it's called "The Legend of Tarzan", Clayton decides to back to the jungles because there wouldn't be a "Tarzan" movie without any jungles, ape fights or swinging action sequences. With his wife and American envoy and Civil War veteran, George Washington Williams (Samuel L. Jackson) at his side, Tarzan visits the Congo where he suspects that it's village population is being enslaved by Leon Rom and his Belgian mercenaries.

After Rom and his henchmen kidnap Jane, Tarzan swings into the jungle to find her but Rom has a plan in case things go wrong, he bribes African tribe leader, Chief Mbonga (Djimon Hounsou) to kill Tarzan in exchange for the rare diamonds. Along the way, Tarzan encounters his ape brother after many years and Akut is not happy to see him. George Washington Williams (Gee, I wonder where Sam Jackson got that name from?) is a big admirer of Tarzan because he became engaged with his legendary stories.

Director David Yates (who made four of the "Harry Potter" films) has made a picture that's exceedingly well-made and the cinematography is lavishing to look at but he failed to capture the true Tarzan we know from Edgar Rice Burroughs' classic works. This new Tarzan is more vengeful than friendly and humorous. Alexander Skarsgard does not make a good Tarzan but at least he tries hard not to embarrass himself. Margot Robbie who has been pretty good in the movies lately is forced to become the typical damsel-in-distress she gets dragged into one dangerous situation after another.

Christoph Waltz (who has two Oscars under his belt) is one of the great character actors of our generation but he is not particularly menacing here as the main antagonist. His Captain Leon Rom is more Captain Barbossa than Col. Hans Landa. Waltz's fellow "Django Unchained" co-star, Samuel L. Jackson gets the comic relief role as the African-American envoy who helps Tarzan.

Rarely exciting and mostly dull, "The Legend of Tarzan" swings as a blockbuster bummer.