The latest Tarzan reboot, installment, thing or....whatever stars Alexander Skarsgaard in the titular role, flanked by Margot Robbie, Samuel L. Jackson, and Christoph Waltz. Plagued by a confused narrative and an unbelievably drab performance from Skarsgaard, The Legend of Tarzan gets points for keeping the exposition light and actually taking storytelling risks., even if it doesn't amount to much. It avoids retelling the same story and makes its own way, while also making tidy references to the original story without force-feeding the audience information. However, the film's often tedious nature and muddled story, along with some lazy acting, make this film not really worth your time.
The movie starts off with Tarzan being a civilized, English lord, far removed from his days as a vine swinging, primal renegade. He is married to Jane, played by Margot Robbie, and lives a wealthy gentleman's life. However, he is forced to return to the sprawling jungles of Africa once he learns of a devious plot by Leon Rom, Christoph Waltz, to enslave the natives and cultivate the land for diamonds. The film is littered with flashbacks that paint the picture of Tarzan's past life and do a good job of setting up the plot. They provide insight into Tarzan's internal conflict and also his unusual upbringing. I found these to be much preferable to a complete re-hash of the old story and admired how efficient they were in getting across a point. They weren't meandering, they always played a vital role in adding to the current narrative, and were one of the better parts of the movie. These flashbacks, along with the performances of Robbie and Samuel L. Jackson, provide most of the positives for this film. In a movie that is so self serious and painfully melodramatic, Jackson's character was the only one who looked like he was having fun. While the film's central themes include that of slavery and imperialism, that doesn't mean that a movie about a man swinging on vines and screaming on the top of his lungs couldn't have a bit more of a sense of humor.
"No charisma and no heart, The Legend of Tarzan feels like an extension of its main character who the audience struggles to care about. "
On top of the self serious tone of the movie, The Legend of Tarzan is very rushed yet tedious at the same time. That's seriously hard to do, but this film accomplishes that rare feat of treading water incredibly fast against a strong current, essentially going nowhere, fast. There are prolonged stretches of this film where nothing noteworthy happens and the pace halts to a crawl. Then when moments of intrigue and compelling storytelling do occur, they are resolved swiftly and unsatisfyingly. There is a lot left to be desired with how the movie chooses to spend its time. Timing is a serious flaw in this movie. Moments of bore are fleshed out in detail while the times of actual excitement are quickly brushed aside. Perhaps the biggest flaw of all is Skarsgaard's lifeless portrayal as Tarzan. Having virtually no personality cannot be saved by his abs, and his lack of distinguishing traits or even visible emotion make him the prime reason why the film falters. No charisma and no heart, The Legend of Tarzan feels like an extension of its main character who the audience struggles to care about. There was simply something missing here, there was a void that couldn't be filled. Pacing issues and a disposable performance from Skarsgaard are likely the culprits for this lack of emotional connection, but there is something not exactly tangible that gives this movie a feeling of emptiness... On a side note, it is strange how a movie that struggles with timing is also released at an inopportune time. The tale of the white male lead holding dominion over thousands of African men and primates isn't exactly a great story to be told during times of race violence and police controversy. But this doesn't detract from the movie, just something highly ironic and interesting to consider.
Christoph Waltz may have just nailed his coffin as a type cast villain. He is fine in this movie, but there is a lingering concern about his range as an actor. Another one of his "menacing yet soft-spoken and proper" villain roles and we might be talking about Waltz as one of the more wasted talents of his generation. Director David Yates, known for making some of the better Harry Potter movies, struggles to capture that same magic of Hogwarts and craft an enjoyable movie, or a memorable one, as I have already forgotten most of it...