London, late nineteenth century. Living with his wife Jane in England, John Clayton, Earl of Greystoke, has left Africa, where he was raised and considered the king of the jungle as Tarzan. When the British Parliament asks him to return to the Congo for an important mission, he accepts, convinced by the American George Washington Williams that his people are in danger. But Clayton does not realize that this is a actually trap set by Belgian Captain Rom, who wants to use him to get his hands on the Congo’s precious diamonds...

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The announcement of a new Tarzan adventure begs the question why. The movie by David Yates offers no answer. This Hollywood production has nothing to say or show but the usual formula wedged into nearly two impersonal and barely entertaining hours. Having proved his craft with the last four episodes of the Harry Potter franchise and its spin-off Fantastic Beasts and Where to Fin Them (due out this fall), Yates does manage a beautiful palette of colors to create a beautiful world, framed by impressive scenery. Not surprisingly, the script is the movie’s greatest weakness: basic plotlines, lack of intensity, shallow characters, average actors (including Christoph Waltz doing his increasingly annoying bad guy). Tarzan is not even saved by the action, which lacks imagination and precision, especially as far a special effects go. The result is an OK big-budget flick, nothing to write home about.