David Yates' The Legend of Tarzan is a by-the-numbers summer blockbuster which finds John Clayton, formerly known as Tarzan, now living in England with Jane. Raised by apes after the death of his parents in Africa, by said apes, John Clayton grew to be known as Tarzan for his legendary ability to speak with the animals and live among them. Now living in his parent's home in England, accompanied by Jane, the love of his life, John receives a request from the Belgian King Leopold to come and gaze at all the good he has done for the Congo. Unwilling to accept the invitation at first, John eventually is convinced to do so by an American, George Williams, who believes Leopold may be committing all sorts atrocities such as enslaving the native people. Reluctantly accepting the invitation so George can gather evidence, both men, along with Jane, find themselves in a deadly game with Rom, an associate of Leopold, who plans on offering Tarzan as a prize to the local chieftain, an old nemesis of Tarzan. The Legend of Tarzan is a film that does nothing particularly well, featuring a script that teeters on the edge of irrelevancy, direction that is the definition of passable, and an uninspiring narrative that shows little imagination. The Legend of Tarzan flirts with some fantastic ideas, but never pays them off, almost as if it doesn't realize the potential of some of its characterizations and ideas. They tease about the volatility of John Clayton a man who has a primal, animalistic aggression lurking underneath the surface, but the film never spends much time using this as the important piece of Tarzan's characterization that it should have. The Legend of Tarzan even teases this fascinating juxtaposition between the emotional core of Tarzan, a man whose parents were killed in Africa, and the travesty's committed during colonialism, but unfortunately the film is never brave enough to develop this theme. I think I've decided that I really can't get behind Yates as a director, as nothing he does stands out in a sea of mediocrity. Yates use of tight, blurry compositions is the equivalent of JJ Abrams use of lens flares, a head-ache inducing, often unmotivated distraction. The fight choreography and direction in any sequence that isn't heavy CGI is average at best, with the train sequence being a good example. In this scene, John Clayton takes care of nearly a whole train of Belgian soldiers with his bare hands, yet one never feels the claustrophobia or the sheer power of Tarzan, thanks to I'd argue poorly designed fight choreography. Samuel L Jackson tries his best but none of the characters in this film have any chemistry, with the boring characterizations not aiding the performers. While The Legend of Tarzan feels small compared to the current age of superhero blockbusters, the narrative, characterizations, and action are often far too uninteresting to muster, making for a summer blockbuster which best offering may in fact be abs.
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AuthorLove of all things cinema brought me here. Archives
June 2023
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