“The Legend of Tarzan”

Susan Granger’s review of “The Legend of Tarzan” (Warner Bros.)

 

Edgar Rice Burroughs’ mythic 19th century superhero comes alive again in this fun, old-fashioned action-packed adventure that touches on colonialism, racism, even sexism.

From the moment I saw Alexander Skarsgard emerge bare-chested as the fanged vampire on HBO’s “True Blood,” I thought he’d make a wonderful Tarzan – and, obviously, I was not alone.

Working from Burroughs’ 1912 concept, screenwriters Adam Cozad and Craig Brewer, guided by director David Yates, amplify Skarsgard’s physicality by enhancing his John Clayton, a.k.a. Lord Greystoke, with the emotionally restrained melancholy of a man caught between two cultures – a quality that previous Tarzans, like Christopher Lambert and Johnny Weissmuller, were unable to capture.

Raised in the jungle by apes, his primal instincts are impeccable; educated by European civilization, his judgment is acute.

The plot revolves around the determination of King Leopold II of Belgium (1835-1909) to exploit and enslave the Congo under the guise of colonialism. Working for the King, villainous Leon Rom (Christoph Waltz) concocts a deceptive conspiracy to bring aristocratic Lord Greystoke back to his native country, arousing the suspicions of American diplomatic envoy George Washington Williams (Samuel L. Jackson).

Soon after Greystoke, his smart ‘n’ spunky wife Jane Porter (Margot Robbie) and perceptive Dr. Williams arrive, they discover the sinister scheme and must battle overwhelming odds, venturing onto the vast plains and into Tarzan’s jungle habitat.

After helming the final four “Harry Potter” films, director David Yates knows how to juggle the intricacies of narrative story-telling with visually sweeping, vine-swinging excitement.

Yates, cinematographer Henry Braham and production designer Stuart Craig reap amazing authenticity from locations in Gabon on which CGI animals (gorillas, lions, elephants, cape buffalo and crocs) are superimposed.

FYI: Heroic African-American George Washington Williams was introduced in historian Adam Hochschild’s “King Leopold’s Ghost: A Story of Greed, Terror and Heroism in Colonial Africa” (1998).

On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “The Legend of Tarzan” is an escapist, highly entertaining 8, the best live-action Tarzan epic in decades.

08

Scroll to Top