Tarzan
As a boy I was a Tarzan fan. My Tarzan was Johnny Weissmuller.
He was German American and a five-time Olympic gold medal winner in swimming.
He was not great actor, but the shows were action packed. Swinging from vines,
riding elephants using his famous jungle call (which he patented). The focus of
the films was action sprinkled with accidental acting.
This action flick this film was slow to get going. There was
plot set up, convincing Tarzan to return to Africa, flash backs explaining the
back story (done well). It dragged on a bit, but the pace quickened later on with
human and non-human battles.
The 2016 Tarzan is a blond Swedish actor named is Alexander
Skarsgard (before acting he was a model-dah). He is an obvious departure from
traditional Tarzans but it does not detract from the action. His acting a bit
stiff, but what he lacks in nuance he makes up in physicality. It took an hour
and sixteen minutes before he took his shirt off. The guy is ripped. I stopped
counting abs at twelve. He fights apes (not too well), natives and evil white men.
He looks great on the vines.
Margot Robbie is Jane.
She is bubbly. Even in dire situation she remains rosy. Whatever happens she knows Tarzan will come
for her. This is a theme of the film, Tarzan’s devotion to Jane. There are
geopolitical crises afoot and Jane is used as the bait.
Christoph Waltz is the villain who is in the service of King
Leopold of Belgium. The plot is to enslave the Congolese natives and plunger their
diamonds. Waltz is an admired actor but when he plays the bad guy with Natizi
characteristics, you just want to punch him in the nose. He gives a solid performance
absent repartee. This made his performance dower. Some levity would have been
most welcomed.
Samuel L Jackson is an American named George Washington Williams
who accompanies Tarzan back to Africa. Jackson does not even try to use of 19th
century speech cadence. He is still talks like the man on the plane with does M….F….
snakes. His performance grows on you as he tries to keep up with Tarzan. In part
It becomes a buddy movie.
Poor Dijmon Hounsou, someone had to go native and he pulled the
short straw. He plays the chief of fierce tribe and is Tarzan’s mortal enemy.
His fierceness is compromised by wearing a little leopard skin skull cap and
mittens with claws. He is intimidating any disguise, but the mittens kill it.
A problem of the movie is actors seem to be on different planes.
Skarsgard is too serious, Robbie is too bubbly, Jackson seems to be playing in
another movie and Waltz is graven. For movie to coalesce there needs to be some
acting consistency.
For $180m production cost I think more action was expected.
With some of the disappointing cinematic fair out there this is not the worst
movie you can see. Just calibrate your expectations
Spoiler Alert- No loincloths
are worn. Anyway who wants to see Samuel L Jackson in a loincloth.
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