It's a story we all know. As Christoph Waltz’s Leon Rom proclaims to a kidnapped Jane, "He’s Tarzan. You’re Jane. He'll come for you." The legend of Tarzan is a story that most of us are familiar with, so director David Yates smartly assumes that we've all heard the story before. This version of The Legend of Tarzan manages to move quickly enough and avoids the origin story enough that it winds up being an entertaining time.
As the titular Tarzan, Alexander Skarsgård certainly committed physically to the role. Perhaps the most prominent feature of the character is his brooding nature and heaving six-pack. Tarzan née John Clayton, now lives in London with his American wife Jane (Margot Robbie). Trying to live the life his parents imagined for him, him and Jane have become celebrities and advocates for the African Congo, where Tarzan was raised and found. That is why Belgium's King Leopold invites Tarzan to visit the Congo (King Leopold's domain) to see all the wonderful improvements the king has made. In actuality, the evil Leon Rom is luring Tarzan home to offer him up to Chief Mbonga (Djimon Hounsou) in exchange for rare diamonds that can buy Rom an army to take over the Congo and enslave its people. Tarzan is uninterested until persuaded by the American George Washington Williams (Samuel Jackson). Williams convinces him to return to help him prove that King Leopold is enslaving the people, not realizing he’s leading John and Jane straight into a trap.
The issue with making Tarzan today is that the plot itself can be seen as problematic. A blonde, blue-eyed white dude befriends animals and tribesmen alike and manages to be both stronger and smarter than all of them. With a plot rife with “white savior” syndrome, it’s clear that writers Adam Cozad and Craig Brewer wrote the script with 21st century sensitivities in mind. For example, Jane explicitly rejects the “damsel in distress” role, taking an active role in saving her own life and of those around her. Jackson’s character serves as both an audience supplement and helps give John a moral reason to return to the Congo (his home is being enslaved). Jackson almost functions as an ever-present “See? This is fine!” sidekick. Still, as much as it’s clear the script tries to solve its inherited problems, you can’t help but feel a little uncomfortable when tribesmen unanimously cheer for their literal white savior Tarzan.
Plot-wise, the film moves quickly enough to sweep audiences into its story. By sparsely telling the origin story through flashbacks, we avoid treading over material that’s been done before. It’s fascinating to see what’s happened to Tarzan now that he’s John Clayton and Skarsgård does a fine job of embodying the conflict between his two personalities. The rest of the cast also does what they do best. Margot Robbie is gorgeous and fiery (and has great chemistry opposite Skarsgård) while Christoph Waltz plays his usual shtick – the quirky, frightening villain. Like all other films he’s in, Jackson improves the film greatly by giving it humor and heart. Even the seemingly evil Chief Mbonga is humanized by Djimon Hounsou when the real reason the chief wants to kill Tarzan is revealed.
That said, as entertaining as The Legend of Tarzan is overall, the CGI animals manage to look incredibly fake and the special effects in general don’t grab you as much as you wish they did. The plot can feel slow at times thanks to very few action scenes and the film covering as much narrative ground as possible makes landing an emotional punch difficult. Still, the film was much more entertaining than expected and is a good choice for anyone looking for lighter fare full of abs and drama.
