THE LEGEND OF TARZAN
***
Director: David Yates
Screenwriters: Adam Cozard and Craig Brewer based on the Tarzan stories created by Edgar Rice Burroughs
Principal cast:
Alexander Skarsgård
Margot Robbie
Samuel L. Jackson
Christoph Waltz
Sidney Ralitsoele
Osy Ikhile
Country: UK/Canada/USA
Classification: M
Runtime: 110 mins.
Australian release date: 7 July 2016
The Legend of Tarzan, directed by David Yates - who was at the helm of the last four Harry Potter films - is a CGI extravaganza that takes you on a rather bumpy ride through the Congo, swinging from scene to scene with gay abandon. John Clayton II, Viscount Greystoke, aka Tarzan, ‘King’ of the Apes (Alexander Skarsgård), is brooding in his palatial English manor when he is approached to return to the Congo, a region that is being systematically exploited by the King of Belgium, Leopold II.
Agreeing to make the trip, he is accompanied by his wife Lady Jane Clayton (Margot Robbie), who is also familiar with the jungle, and US envoy George Washington Williams (Samuel L. Jackson). Upon their arrival, they meet up with old pals, among them a village chief and a pride of lions that nuzzle up to Tarzan like big ol’ domestic pussy cats. There are also a number of flashbacks to Tarzan’s childhood during which we learn (that’s if you are unfamiliar with the original tales by Edgar Rice Burroughs) that he’s been brought up by the Mangani, a fictional species of ape, described by Burroughs as being somewhere between chimpanzees and gorillas. Tarzan is soon separated from Jane, but he quickly encounters his old ‘family’ group and reconnects with it. The arrival of the ever-malevolent Christoph Waltz, as slave trader Leon Rom, adds to the drama as he chugs up river in a steamboat with a hold full of captured slaves, a cache of diamonds and a white, female prisoner - none other than Jane.
Before long the film becomes a CGI spectacular as wild animals fill the screen, none of them living, breathing beasts. It is interesting to view these scenes as there has been criticism levelled towards the effects, which some have deemed not as effective as those in the recent, The Jungle Book. Nevertheless, they are pretty impressive, as is the jungle terrain that Tarzan flies through on the end of a vine - and the eye candy provided by Alexander Skarsgård’s pecs is pretty impressive too! Not bad considering the entire enterprise was shot outside of London. Skarsgård and Robbie make a very watchable super-model couple and they manage to deliver their well-worn lines with a suitable amount of conviction. If The Legend of Tarzan’s storyline doesn’t grab you, just sit back and enjoy the animals as they stampede and cavort across the screen - some scenes are simply adorable.
Screenwriters: Adam Cozard and Craig Brewer based on the Tarzan stories created by Edgar Rice Burroughs
Principal cast:
Alexander Skarsgård
Margot Robbie
Samuel L. Jackson
Christoph Waltz
Sidney Ralitsoele
Osy Ikhile
Country: UK/Canada/USA
Classification: M
Runtime: 110 mins.
Australian release date: 7 July 2016
The Legend of Tarzan, directed by David Yates - who was at the helm of the last four Harry Potter films - is a CGI extravaganza that takes you on a rather bumpy ride through the Congo, swinging from scene to scene with gay abandon. John Clayton II, Viscount Greystoke, aka Tarzan, ‘King’ of the Apes (Alexander Skarsgård), is brooding in his palatial English manor when he is approached to return to the Congo, a region that is being systematically exploited by the King of Belgium, Leopold II.
Agreeing to make the trip, he is accompanied by his wife Lady Jane Clayton (Margot Robbie), who is also familiar with the jungle, and US envoy George Washington Williams (Samuel L. Jackson). Upon their arrival, they meet up with old pals, among them a village chief and a pride of lions that nuzzle up to Tarzan like big ol’ domestic pussy cats. There are also a number of flashbacks to Tarzan’s childhood during which we learn (that’s if you are unfamiliar with the original tales by Edgar Rice Burroughs) that he’s been brought up by the Mangani, a fictional species of ape, described by Burroughs as being somewhere between chimpanzees and gorillas. Tarzan is soon separated from Jane, but he quickly encounters his old ‘family’ group and reconnects with it. The arrival of the ever-malevolent Christoph Waltz, as slave trader Leon Rom, adds to the drama as he chugs up river in a steamboat with a hold full of captured slaves, a cache of diamonds and a white, female prisoner - none other than Jane.
Before long the film becomes a CGI spectacular as wild animals fill the screen, none of them living, breathing beasts. It is interesting to view these scenes as there has been criticism levelled towards the effects, which some have deemed not as effective as those in the recent, The Jungle Book. Nevertheless, they are pretty impressive, as is the jungle terrain that Tarzan flies through on the end of a vine - and the eye candy provided by Alexander Skarsgård’s pecs is pretty impressive too! Not bad considering the entire enterprise was shot outside of London. Skarsgård and Robbie make a very watchable super-model couple and they manage to deliver their well-worn lines with a suitable amount of conviction. If The Legend of Tarzan’s storyline doesn’t grab you, just sit back and enjoy the animals as they stampede and cavort across the screen - some scenes are simply adorable.