Day 160 - The Legend of Tarzan

Day 160          The Legend of Tarzan [2016]

                          

Screenplay                    Adam Cozad & Craig Brewer

Based on                       ‘Tarzan’ stories created by Edgar Rice Burroughs

Director                         David Yates

Cinematography            Henry Braham

Music                            Rupert Gregson-Williams

Leads                            Alexander Skarsgård, Margot Robbie, Samuel L. Jackson, Christoph Waltz, Jim Broadbent, Djimon Hounsou

Production                     Village Roadshow Pictures, RatPac-Dune Entertainment, Jerry Weintraub Productions, Riche/Ludwig Productions, Beaglepug Productions

IMDb                                 6.3/10

Rotten Tomatoes                 37%

Always risky trying to follow a classic. Yes, the original Tarzan is by all accounts a classic. And of course I’m referring to Disney’s animated tale beautifully told with Phil Collins’ masterpiece of a soundtrack backing it. Anyone with half a brain would have invested most of the film’s budget in getting Collins on board to stoke the nostalgia. I’m afraid to say this film needed it. I did not know the history to the story of Tarzan created by Burroughs before the film, so I won’t go into it now. I hope you all know the basic story of Tarzan though; his parents died when he was a baby in the jungle, so he was raised by gorillas and he can do things surely impossible for humans to do like wrestle huge gorillas and swing through trees on vines. This film was set in Tarzan’s adult life and really it was just a two-hour excuse for seeing Skarsgård topless. I’ve read the bad reviews of this movie and they make it out to be way worse that it really is. It is generic, improbable and stereotypical, but that doesn’t mean it’s a dreadful movie. It’s fiction people. The reason it’s so popular is because Tarzan represents many good values and can also achieve superhuman feats. He respects nature and he looks after the vulnerable, but he is also flawed. Burroughs is famous for being a terrible writer but a good storyteller and that’s where Tarzan wins. It’s a pleasant daydream – we all wish we had a body like that and could communicate on a deeper level with animals. I realise I’m talking more about Tarzan than the film, but that is because there isn’t much to talk about. ‘Meh’ is the word I’d use to sum it up. Imagine me shrugging my shoulders at the same time and that should tell you all you need to know. The Legend of Tarzan is own brand marmite – you either sort of like it or you kind of don’t.

Acting                               3 / 4

Writing                           2.5 / 4

Cinematography                3 / 4

Music                             2.5 / 4

HWF rating                2.5 / 4