Tomb Raider Movie Review

Released: March 14th 2018 (UK)

Length: 118 Minutes

Certificate: 12A

Director: Roar Uthaug

Starring: Alicia Vikander, Dominic West, Walton Goggins, Daniel Wu and Kristin Scott Thomas

The Tomb Raider franchise has been active in the gaming scene for over two decades thanks to its unmistakably recognisable female lead. 15years ago, Angelia Jolie gave her own film interpretation of the character in a trashy two-part punch of dumb fun, but back then the source material was rather different. Tomb Raider 2018 edition mirrors the new series of Tomb Raider games which went more gritty and realistic, something which Square Enix is hoping will pull fans back into theatres. While nothing too special, this latest on-screen appearance of Lara Croft is worth a watch.

Tomb Raider follows Lara Croft (Alicia Vikander), a rebellious youth who dismisses her missing father’s vast wealth and estate in favour of living dangerously; when she uncovers a hint that Richard Croft may still be alive on an expedition to the lost island of Yamantai, she heads out to find him, only to be caught up in an illegal expedition led by the shadowy organisation Trinity. If you’ve played the new series of games, Tomb Raider the film will feel incredibly familiar from the offset. In short, it’s as if the filmmakers took the 2013 video game, condensed and sanitised it down to a two-hour flick then placed an action scene or two into the proceedings. I was very much reminded of it, particularly in the first act as Lara escapes a rusted old WW2 bomber dangling over a waterfall, gets buffeted around the trees in a ragged parachute and obtains a bow and arrow among other escapades. While nothing too intense, the action itself is still entertaining, especially in the final act underground. It’s a very “by-the-book” structure, which is both the film’s biggest blessing and its biggest curse. On the one hand, there’s a taut focus with no deviations or unnecessary side tangents from the main plot. But on the other, everything more-or-less plays out exactly as you expect, which does diminish its overall impact. Some mistakes the game made, particularly with Lara killing for the first time also stand as missed opportunities that are brushed aside quickly.

Characters are rarely a strong suit of video-game movies and Tomb Raider is no different, even if a couple of performances stand out from the rest. Alicia Vikander is great as Lara, bringing both great physicality (No doubt she trained hard for the role) and emotion in all the right scenes; she matches the more grounded tone of the reboot game series effortlessly. Lara’s father is also quite well done, and the chemistry between the two of them feels genuine throughout the film which makes use of both flashbacks at sporadic moments to tell the story. Don’t expect the same level of detail from the other characters however; they’re all paper-thin which doesn’t distract from the main performances but also stands as another missed opportunity. At first, I liked where they were going with the villain, a man bound under strict contract from Trinity who cannot see his family. The film never goes into detail on this very much though, making for a villain with some potential coming off as quite flat. The captain who brings Lara to the island has a round of action scenes and that’s about all there is to him, and the heroine’s friends in England feel rather tacked on at best, even if the film doesn’t focus on them for very long. The few performances that are well-developed are good enough to keep you interested however.

Tomb Raider is also competently produced; by relying on a tone more focused on seriousness over wild fun, the film’s identity is clear from the start. There’s some strong locational work mixed with environmental rendering at work here as the film translates from London to the island, the hidden tomb and back again. It’s more focused on drawing the viewer in with wider shots, rather than letting them expect the closer details. The stunt work is mostly done in camera to great effect with Vikander herself diving headlong into the action scenes without a hint of hesitation or awkwardness. The sequences are all shot well without too much cutting and the pounding soundtrack is layered appropriately, despite not having any tracks that will get the blood pumping. Unlike Assassin’s Creed before it, Tomb Raider isn’t hurt so much by its 12A rating as the action drops the unrelentingly brutal violence of its source material for a tamer, yet still impactful collection of action set-pieces.

I went into Tomb Raider expecting a lacklustre flick like many other video-game movies before it, but instead it ended up being mildly enjoyable. The film clearly knows what it wants to be and gives you exactly that carrying neither fluff or any real surprises on its bones. If you set your expectations down a bit, you’re sure to feel the same.

Rating: 3/5 Stars (Fair)