The Legend of Tarzan movie is visually impressive but tonally deaf and rather dull
This new take on the Edgar Rice Burroughs books finds Tarzan (Alexander Skarsgard) living in Victorian London as Lord Greystoke. He is recalled to his former home in The Congo to investigate potential slave trade in the region, but has been lured into a trap by a corrupt Belgian official Captain Rom (Christoph Waltz). With his wife Jane (Margot Robbie) captured, he must return to his wild roots in order to save her and stop Rom.
Director David Yates displays plenty of visual flair but the same can't be said for his story-telling, which switches between a lacklustre chase plot and awkward flashbacks of Tarzan's origins.
With piercing blue eyes and washboard abs, Skarsgard looks the part but is utterly devoid of any emotion in the lead, and Waltz and Robbie are forced to carry what turns out to be an impossible weight.
The Legend of Tarzan is a prime example of why, despite many attempts, there hasn't been a successful live action adaptation of this tale for over thirty years.