Early buzz on this movie had me intrigued. I have always enjoyed the idea of a live-action Tarzan movie, mainly because of the fantastic Disney adaptation. This movie lacks a few things, falling short from being good. Of course it lacks the superb Phil Collins soundtrack from the Disney film, but it could have been good even without that. The Legend of Tarzan strives to swing above the other blockbusters released in 2016, but lands itself in the mud because of a poor storyline and oddly written characters.
At first glance, this movie had a lot going for it. It's muscular lead actor looked to be the perfect Tarzan. Yet, Alexander Skarsgard (True Blood) plays a sympathetic and wimpy Tarzan. He makes the audience feel sad for his situation, but never brings the strong character to life. The rest of the cast is well-rounded, bringing Margot Robbie (The Wolf of Wall Street, Suicide Squad, Focus) onto the big-screen once again this past year. She did not quite fit my vision of Jane, but maybe it is because she doesn't usually play a damsel in distress. Samuel L. Jackson (Pulp Fiction, The Hateful Eight, Django Unchained, Captain America: The Winter Soldier) and Christoph Waltz (Django Unchained, Inglorious Basterds, Spectre) add their usual type-cast characters into the midst of the action. Jackson plays an outspoken sidekick and Waltz plays his typical mysterious villain.
The timeline of the film brings a new take on Tarzan to the big screen. Still, the storyline creates a boring view of the man raised by apes. Honestly, I like the origin of Tarzan and would rather see that as a live-action film than this later timeline. The new story feels like every other action movie, putting a hero and sidekick together to go against a villain who has kidnapped Tarzan's love. American audiences no longer need the damsel in distress story. The writers seem to have gotten lost in their own writings by attempting to create an original story.
The Bottom Line: The action is neat, but the storyline and script feel wholly unoriginal.
Score: 5.6/10
At first glance, this movie had a lot going for it. It's muscular lead actor looked to be the perfect Tarzan. Yet, Alexander Skarsgard (True Blood) plays a sympathetic and wimpy Tarzan. He makes the audience feel sad for his situation, but never brings the strong character to life. The rest of the cast is well-rounded, bringing Margot Robbie (The Wolf of Wall Street, Suicide Squad, Focus) onto the big-screen once again this past year. She did not quite fit my vision of Jane, but maybe it is because she doesn't usually play a damsel in distress. Samuel L. Jackson (Pulp Fiction, The Hateful Eight, Django Unchained, Captain America: The Winter Soldier) and Christoph Waltz (Django Unchained, Inglorious Basterds, Spectre) add their usual type-cast characters into the midst of the action. Jackson plays an outspoken sidekick and Waltz plays his typical mysterious villain.
The timeline of the film brings a new take on Tarzan to the big screen. Still, the storyline creates a boring view of the man raised by apes. Honestly, I like the origin of Tarzan and would rather see that as a live-action film than this later timeline. The new story feels like every other action movie, putting a hero and sidekick together to go against a villain who has kidnapped Tarzan's love. American audiences no longer need the damsel in distress story. The writers seem to have gotten lost in their own writings by attempting to create an original story.
The Bottom Line: The action is neat, but the storyline and script feel wholly unoriginal.
Score: 5.6/10
Image credit: By Thierry Sollerot from Vernon (Eure, Hte Normandie), FRANCE (08-09-2016-17 Alexander Skarsgard) [CC0], via Wikimedia Commons
