Publications
Partners
What it’s about:
John Clayton, who the world knows as Tarzan, is invited back to Africa after many years in England at his family home. The invitation is not all that seems though and he will need to call on his wild upbringing to save his wife Jane and new friend George Washington Williams from an old foe.
What we thought:
I have to be blunt and say that I strongly disliked this film. But, with that in mind, it’s important to state not only why I left the theatre feeling this way but to also mention elements that I found above average which might make you go and watch it.
The script, which is part action adventure part flashback romance, seems to want to talk about the colonisation of Africa but lacks nuance and context when doing so.
The film is correct in some of it’s retelling of history in specific reference to Leon Rom (for the most part). The character, who is known as the Butcher of The Congo, is played brilliantly by Oscar winner Christoph Waltz. But, the ending of the film is pure fiction and over simplifies what happened when Belgium colonised the Congo. That and the classic Hollywood tropes of saving the damsel in distress and a one dimensional leading man left me bored in the cinema.
The film is brilliantly shot and therefore aesthetically pleasing. The mise en scène is brilliantly done and I could tell that the set and costume designers were very detail orientated.
Margot Robbie, who plays Jane, is exciting to watch while not being given a lot to work with in terms of character development and lines.
If you are looking for a movie that you don’t have to concentrate while watching on date night then this might be the one for you, but otherwise in a year with a lot of strong cinematic offerings, avoid it.
