The Legend Of Tarzan (2016)
Him Tarzan. Her Jane. Where’s the feminist heroine we were promised? Where’s the refreshing new take on a tried and true adventure? They’re nowhere to be seen.
What is The Legend of Tarzan about?
Tarzan, having acclimated to life in London, is called back to his former home in the jungle to investigate the activities at a mining encampment. (from IMDB)
My review of The Legend of Tarzan
Pros
- The performances are strong and believable. Skarsgrad is a perfect Tarzan, and Robbie is capable of so much more as Jane; if only her character had been better written. Waltz is in the kind of villainy role he always seems to play, and while it’s cliched, he certainly doesn't act badly.
- The cinematography is brilliant.
- It’s an exciting and enjoyable adventure film.
Cons
- It’s a hard retelling to buy into. It’s very forgettable, and the story/plot is weak. In addition, it lacks focus. What’s its point? The closest it ever comes to answering that question is laying emphasis on Tarzan and Jane's relationship more than anything else; suggesting that perhaps the story's message is that true love will always prevail. That Tarzan will always come for Jane. Why, you ask? Because it’s a classic line, apparently.
- The dialogue is unoriginal and boring.
- The flashbacks are boring and clutter up the main story. I know they’re there for us viewers to try gain perspective, but they’re just annoying and tedious.
- Physical action ( I mean like punches, kicks, fighting) are constantly avoided. When there is action, it’s over too quickly. Also, I found the climactic ending fight very underwhelming. It’s over far too quickly and hardly anything happens.
- There are a number of very cheesy parts. The CGI is unbelievable, and all scenes with the 'fierce' animals are cheesy and make it hard to suspend disbelief.
- They ruin Jane's character. Sure, she was feisty, but ultimately she was reduced to a captured damsel who played no role in helping her husband. Robbie is a lovely actress and she really tried her best with Jane, but in the end the character left no impression on me whatsoever.
