Tarzan was still in jet-setting mode – this time he heads off to Asia (a fictitious country – it was actually shot in Thailand) where he helps the legitimate ruler of a country fight of a usurper. Why would Tarzan care? Well, apparently the former ruler was an old mate. It’s not much of a motivation, to be honest – Tarzan doesn’t really have any business messing about in Asia (perhaps he was inspired by Kennedy’s Peace Corps), and who’s to say Strode wouldn’t make a decent leader? He’s certainly brave and willing to do hands-on villainy.
Having said that, the Thailand locations and extras are terrific, full of colour and variety. Robert Day directs with a sure hand again, and there is some impressive action, notably the final battle between Tarzan and Strode on a rope bridge just above steaming cauldrons. Strode is a strong villain, and its great that he got the chance to act in a better Tarzan film.
This isn’t quite the top rank though. The story is weak – it’s a travelogue really with Tarzan dolphining along, and the whole “you must do X challenges” thing feels really contrived. Also Jock Mahoney looks tired and dispirited; I’m trying not to be ageist (apparently he fell sick during filming) but it counts against the result. Maybe they should have used his age more – had Tarzan having a mid life crsis or something (you know that would make a terrific Tarzan film).
No comments:
Post a Comment