Review - The Legend of Tarzan

The Legend of Tarzan

Director : David Yates

Staring : Alexander Skarsgard, Margot Robbie, Christoph Waltz, Samuel L. Jackson, Djimon Hounsou and many other fine excellent people.

Writers : Adam Cozad and Craig Brewer.

Rating : 8/10.

 

Plot : King Leopold of Belgium is broke and wants to make the most of the colony he owns in Africa – The Congo. He sends his closest adviser to the Congo to make him rich by exploiting the diamonds in the area. The tribe controlling the diamonds are fierce and won’t give up the diamonds without some form of trade. They wish revenge on Tarzan, and so the advisor devises a plan to bring Tarzan back to The Congo and to deliver him to his most hated enemy...

 

     That is the basic outline and with all reviews here there will be no spoliers or in-depth plot breakdowns, why? Because you want to see the film. Hell, even if you don’t I still don’t want to tell you. I think the joy of film is in the experience of seeing it, not being told about it.

 

The Legend of Tarzan is set long after the Lord of the Jungle has left his birth home and returned to England to become Lord Greystoke. Alexander Skarsgard is the man they chose for the title role and for my money it was a great one. Physically he’s perfectly built for it, really, amazing stuff. He’s also a good actor with a great presence. Teamed with Lady Jane Greystoke, played by Margot Robbie, they make a formidable couple that, though they live in England, their hearts belong to Africa.

     In this Jane had lived in Africa and was completely at home there, we don’t see the scared and out of her depth Jane at all, she is a strong, caring woman that is at home in the jungle as well as the halls of Greystoke manor. That is one of the many great successes of the film, they understood the need a capable Jane that could complement Tarzan, and she does. Also, Robbie and Skarsgard have an easy chemistry that works for these roles. It’s effortless and it makes the rest of the film work too. You can see why Tarzan cares so deeply for her and she for him.

     As the plot to deliver Tarzan to the ‘bad guys’ starts to really take hold and the kidnappings and escapes roll hard and fast as the characters prove they are not victims too simply scream for the camera, they show you the pieces of the past you need to see, briefly, so that you know their version of the events, though they don’t bore you with a long, protracted origin story. Good plan, writers, you did a great job!

     The animals come and they go and though there is a clear amount of cgi cats and gorillas I didn’t mind that they were not actually there. The effects are good and the action good enough to keep the attention, and the pace? Excellent.

     Tarzan works on the many levels but, for me, the thing they really got right was the tone. This is a film that wants to look at the issues of slavery and exploitation in Africa by the Europeans. It wants to show that dark side of history and yet, it never becomes overly gory or uncomfortable. It isn’t gratuitous in its depiction of the events. It’s clear, but not in your face. Also, it is brooding and stark, and yet it romps at a great pace and feels like a traditional action/adventure, and that’s because it is.

     I really liked Samuel L. Jackson, as per usual, because he’s awesome, plays an older American investigating the breaches of anti slavery laws in the Congo and because he has so much charisma it makes it easy to watch anything he’s in.

     Same thing for Christoph Waltz. Great presence. Wonderful to watch. Not sure he plays many different characters, but I adore what he does.

     The Legend of Tarzan is well worth the time to watch it. Fast, impressive and fun. With enough drama and action to please the majority of summer going crowds.

Rating : 8/10