For a movie that is purportedly going to have the titular Lord of Greystoke (I don’t even know if they’re going to call him that in this) in London society, the UK trailer for The Legend of Tarzan sure does spent a lot of time in the jungle. And really, that’s probably what we want to see anyway. This new trailer features even more of the performance-captured gorillas than before, wreaking all kinds of things, only one of which is havoc. But maybe the best special effect of all is going to be Alexander SkarsgÃ¥rd‘s torso. Jiminy Crickets. I hope I look half that ripped when I’m five months from 40. Or now, even.
For those that didn’t know the basic premise, this trailer really hammers it home: an evil mining corporation foreman (because there’s always one of those in this time period, right?) played by Christoph Waltz has kidnapped Jane (Margot Robbie) in order to lure Tarzan to, I guess, kidnap and study him? I’m not actually sure what Waltz’s endgame is. He’s Christoph Waltz, after all. He’s just a go-to bad guy with usual bad guy machinations.
The only bit in the trailer that really makes me roll my eyes is when Waltz tells Robbie to scream and she defiantly responds “Like a damsel?” Okay, we get it. You don’t want Jane to be the typical female who needs saving, but there are about a billion subtler ways to express that than by having her literally say the word “damsel.” Guess what, everybody! Jane’s not a damsel! She said so herself! Pointing out the stereotype when she’s still technically just being kidnapped to lure out the hero does not make it not a stereotype.
The Legend of Tarzan, directed by Harry Potter-helmer David Yates, and also featuring the only-heard voices of Samuel L. Jackson and Sir John Hurt, will be in theaters in the U.S. on July 1.
Are you looking forward to Dawn of the Jungle of the Apes? Does Mr. SkarsgÃ¥rd make you feel absurdly inadequate? (Can’t just be me.) Let us know in the comments below!
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HT: Indiewire
Image: Warner Bros
Kyle Anderson is the Weekend Editor and a film and TV critic for Nerdist.com. Follow him on Twitter!
