In the first act of the film, we're immediately introduced to the evil bad guy who will do anything and kill anyone to achieve his goals.
We're then introduced to John Clayton, AKA, Tarzan, and his life in London after he's been "domesticated, " as he's drawn into the fight against this purely soulless, evil man.
During the opening act I thought we weren't going to get an origins story, and I was quietly applauding such a daring and refreshing approach to the film. But we started getting flashbacks to the day he was kidnapped by his adoptive gorilla mother, and subsequent events in his young days in the jungle, but alas, as flashbacks throughout the film, we get the origins film.
If you've read the original books by Edgar Rice Burroughs, you know that Tarzan was the predator of the jungle, but in the film, they seemed to lean more towards being a friend of the jungle denizens, though we aren't quite sure either way.
Skarsgard also brought a very low-voiced, stoic characterization to the ape-man, and I'm not sure how to take that. I didn't hate it, but I did not feel he was the Tarzan I became a fan of.
The whole thing felt a bit hollow, as if Yates did not quite get the true spirit of what Tarzan's world was about, or how to truly portray the man and his motivations. We got his loyalties to his friends and family, jungle friends and adoptive family, but it felt telegraphed in.
Over on Rotten Tomatoes, the film netted a 36% score, while IMDb fans gave it a 6.3/10.
I hate to say it, but I'm not sure I can give it Popcorn 6 score and that's sad because this is one of my favorite franchises of all time. So I'm giving it a 5.
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