Review: The Legend of Tarzan
If nothing else, The Legend of Tarzan, the latest incarnation of Edgar Rice Burroughs' perennial title character, proves once again what a buoyant and resilient talent we have in Margot Robbie. The Aussie actress rises from this middling mess like Aphrodite, providing us relief from the muck with her incandescence.
To be fair, screenwriters Adam Cozad and Craig Brewer and director David Yates do as much right as they do wrong in their attempt to reintroduce the character to a generation bred on superheroes both fantastic (The Avengers) and relatively realistic (Jason Bourne, Bond). The fact that their attempts turn a fascinating figure - a noble wild child, if you will - into a brooding dullard undermines their cause. Alexander Skarsgård or, rather, his shredded physique does what it can to distract; unfortunately, the abs are kept well-covered until the final third of the film, by which time it's too late to regain any real interest.
Set during the time when King Leopold II of Belgium began to colonise the Congo and mine it of its treasures in order to undergird his debt-ridden government, the film begins with his envoy Leon Rom (Christoph Waltz, adding yet another entry into his gallery of silky weasels) striking a deal with tribal chief Mbonga (Djimon Hounsou). If Rom delivers Tarzan, the man who killed the chief's son, then Mbonga will give him the precious diamonds of Opar. Tarzan, now acclimated into civilisation as John Clayton III, fifth earl of Greystoke, is in no hurry to return to the Congo, refusing the royal invitation orchestrated by Rom. He is ultimately convinced to accept by George Washington Williams (Samuel L. Jackson), an American Civil War veteran who suspects that the Belgian king is condoning the enslavement of the natives.
Jane (Robbie) invites herself along, the three are ambushed, Tarzan and Williams escape, but Jane is captured by Rom, who rightly suspects that Tarzan will do whatever it takes to rescue his wife. For stretches at a time, Yates treats the film as an old-fashioned adventure with modernist touches, but his reluctance to wholly embrace the inherent B-movie schlockiness of it all dampens the fun. There's nothing wrong with schlock - the Indiana Jones films are the best examples of how schlock's minor chords can be composed into a deeply enjoyable symphony. Sometimes the best thing a filmmaker can do is listen to the story itself - this is a simple tale that allows for adventure, romance, and fun and, yes, an observation on colonialism and exploitation. Yates and the screenwriters seem to understand this - at least Robbie and Jackson do as evidenced by their feisty, somewhat tongue-in-cheek line readings - but they still persevere in treating the tale like a post-graduate thesis.
Cinematographer Henry Braham and production designer Stuart Craig make excellent contributions. Surprisingly, the animals are glaringly digital - this would be less of a problem if the connection between them and Skarsgård weren't so critically lacking. Is it only actresses that can create believable emotional connections with creatures? Fay Wray and Naomi Watts in King Kong (1933 and 2005, respectively) and Charlize Theron in Mighty Joe Young would seem to support this. Robbie's Jane displays more conviction with her brief interactions with the animals than Tarzan does. In fact, it is Jane who regards their trip to Africa as a return to their rightful home. In many respects and despite the filmmakers' efforts to keep the character corseted into the usual damsel in distress stereotype, it is really Jane who emerges as the film's most successful reinvention. Legend of Jane, anyone?
The Legend of Tarzan
Directed by: David Yates
Written by: Adam Cozad, Craig Brewer; based on the Tarzan stories by Edgar Rice Burroughs
Starring: Alexander Skarsgård, Margot Robbie, Samuel L. Jackson, Christoph Waltz, Djimon Hounsou, Jim Broadbent, Simon Russell Beale
