Review of The Legend of Tarzan (2016) by Spangle — 28 Aug 2016

The Legend of Tarzan was far better than I expected. While the dialogue is awkward and both Samuel L. Jackson and Christoph waltz left much to be desired in their roles, the film is still a breath of fresh air when it comes to Tarzan. Uniquely focusing on his days post-Tarzan and his return to the wild, The Legend of Tarzan was impressively greenlit by Warner Bros. Given that it largely does not provide what one wants from a Tarzan film, it was likely ill-advised. Fortunately for me, I liked this new take. I have no desire to see him exclusively in the wild and meeting people for the first time. That film has been done to death. While this film has been done before, it is new for Tarzan and that freshness is enough for me. Plus, Alexander Skarsgaard and Margot Robbie have absolutely sensual chemistry with one another that makes their epic romance all the more believable. From the phenomenal overhead shots of the Congo, the terrific set design, and beautiful costume/production design, The Legend of Tarzan is a true feast for the eyes. The film also tries to tackle the atrocities done to the Congo by Belgium and slavery in general, which is a noble task to try and tackle.

Unfortunately, the major problem for this one is the storytelling. While the dialogue is bad for most of the film, the constant flashbacks are unwanted. The flashbacks should have been the beginning, in which the film could briefly touch on Tarzan's time in the wild. Instead, they are interspersed throughout the film, which really messes with the overall flow. Plus, the poor acting from Jackson and Waltz as previously mentioned, though the writing had a lot to do with this. Finally, this last complaint can be applied to many popcorn flicks nowadays. The constant joke attempts that were swings and misses, while also being completely obvious were terrible. Why must every blockbuster have this nonsense now? Ugh.

As an overall film, The Legend of Tarzan is a bit messy. However, its fresh take and status as complete eye candy visually more than make this live action take on the classic story worthwhile.