I believe that I had the same reaction as everyone else upon hearing that 2016 would bring the world a new Tarzan movie – Huh? The vine-swinging character created by Edgar Rice Burroughs has been a staple of the cinema practically since the character’s inception and the ascendency of the medium. Yet for decades the character of Tarzan has become more and more antiquated – the expanding access of information about various corners of the world demystify the exotic locales that provide the setting for the tales of Tarzan. Returning to the big screen may not return to Tarzan to the iconic status of the past, but at least The Legend of Tarzan isn’t a total fiasco. It’s simply a muddled blockbuster with some fascinating ideas that elevate it above other mundane blockbusters.
David Yates’ film opens with title cards explaining the state of the African continent, with the various nations of Europe having divvied up the continent for their colonialist exploitation. The Belgian King Leopold has laid claim to the Congo and has bankrupt his kingdom in order to secure the vast diamond reserves. King Leopold’s chief officer in the Congo is Leon Rom (Christoph Waltz), who has an agreement with the tribal chief Mbonga (Djimon Hounsou) for the region’s diamonds. All Rom has to do is deliver Tarzan (Alexander Skarsgård) to the Mbonga so he can have revenge for Tarzan killing his son.
However, Tarzan isn’t in the jungles of Africa. Since The Legend of Tarzan wisely avoids being an origin story, the legendary man raised by gorillas has taken up his place in English society. Tarzan has inherited a fortune as well as the title of the Lord of Greystoke, living in an expansive mansion with his wife Jane (Margot Robbie). Soon Tarzan receives and invitation to examine the state of King Leopold’s excavations in the Congo, and is implored to travel back to Africa by George Washington Williams (Samuel L. Jackson), an American emissary in London who wants to ensure that Leopold and his subordinates aren’t using slavery. Tarzan, Jane, and George travel to the Congo where they’ll see old friends and new foes as their confronted with the ugly face of colonialism.
The Legend of Tarzan isn’t quite a good movie, but at the same time I have to respect a massive production such as this that is explicit in its anti-colonialist messaging, explicitly stating that European nations ravaged the African continent. But the biggest issue facing the film is that it’s casual in its pacing, which really becomes detrimental as the film tries to flesh out Tarzan’s backstory through a series of flashbacks that occur throughout the film. The screenplay by Adam Cozad and Craig Brewer sets a fairly straightforward foundation to work upon but the film is often derailed by the incessant flashbacks.
There’s no bigger problem facing The Legend of Tarzan as than the simple fact that the least charismatic actor of the cast as the lead. Alexander Skarsgård may have the chiseled physique for the role, and he certainly has no problem showing off his muscular upper torso, but in any given scene the leading man of this movie can be overshadowed by any number of his excellent co-stars. Luckily for Skarsgård, many of the CGI animals that populate the jungle are fairly shoddy and inconsistent, so at least he’s not overshadowed by his digital co-stars. It’s a terrible shame, though, that The Legend of Tarzan gives very little to do for Samuel L. Jackson, Margot Robbie, and Christoph Waltz – each supporting character is given extremely unimaginative story arcs. Though there’s care to make sure that Robbie’s Jane isn’t just a damsel in distress, she’s still relegated to be a damsel in distress. Meanwhile, Christoph Waltz and Samuel L. Jackson try their best to will the rest of the movie into another stratosphere of quality in this pseudo-Django Unchained reunion, but are consistently underserved by the underwhelming script.
The action scenes within the movie aren’t poor, with Yates employing a very clean visual style for the moments of physical conflict. But the problem is that the action scenes aren’t particularly dramatic nor do they contain anything new and exciting. Tarzan swinging from vine to vine and tree to tree has the look of a second rate Spider-Man. Things go off the rails at the film’s climactic battle as Tarzan basically organizes all of the beasts of the jungle to carry out a raid on Rom and his men at a port city. Wildebeests, lions, and gorillas assault the town and save the Congo from further destruction at the hands of crass colonialism.
The Legend of Tarzan is just a really expensive B-movie, one that really doesn’t have much of a place in the modern era. While it’s certainly not the outright fiasco that many expected, The Legend of Tarzan only works to emphasize the fact that there’s a reason this character has slowly drifted away from the public consciousness and isn’t due for a revival any time soon. The shadow of the past and the horrors of colonialism still loom over the African continent and the globe as a whole, but our collective understanding of these factors have changed as well, and a character from 1912 isn’t able to connect in a much more meaningful way. Flaws and all, I still have the utmost respect for the gumption of David Yates and company in making The Legend of Tarzan a brazen indictment of colonialism, a jungle bound piece of escapist fare that doesn’t want to sugar coat the darkest corners of history. Too bad that brazenness was put to use on a strikingly unremarkable story.
The Legend of Tarzan
- Overall Score
Summary
A somewhat sloppy reimagining of the legendary character, The Legend of Tarzan has some interesting aspects (avoiding an origin story, a strong anti-colonialism theme) that get lost in the muddled mythology.