Directed by:
Roar UthaugCinematography:
George RichmondComposer:
Tom HolkenborgCast:
Alicia Vikander, Walton Goggins, Dominic West, Daniel Wu Yin-cho, Kristin Scott Thomas, Derek Jacobi, Hannah John-Kamen, Alexandre Willaume, Nick Frost (more)VOD (3)
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Lara Croft is the fiercely independent daughter of an eccentric adventurer who vanished when she was scarcely a teen. Now a young woman of 21 without any real focus or purpose, Lara navigates the chaotic streets of trendy East London as a bike courier, barely making the rent, and takes college courses, rarely making it to class. Determined to forge her own path, she refuses to take the reins of her father's global empire just as staunchly as she rejects the idea that he's truly gone. Advised to face the facts and move forward after seven years without him, even Lara can't understand what drives her to finally solve the puzzle of his mysterious death. Going explicitly against his final wishes, she leaves everything she knows behind in search of her dad's last-known destination: a fabled tomb on a mythical island that might be somewhere off the coast of Japan. But her mission will not be an easy one- just reaching the island will be extremely treacherous. Suddenly, the stakes couldn't be higher for Lara, who-against the odds and armed with only her sharp mind, blind faith and inherently stubborn spirit-must learn to push herself beyond her limits as she journeys into the unknown. If she survives this perilous adventure, it could be the making of her, earning her the name Tomb Raider. (Roadshow Entertainment)
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It could be said that Tomb Raider is merely a metamorphosis of the excellent reboot of the eponymous video-game franchise from 2013 into a live-action film, in that it takes on the game’s story and environment, as well as its characters and action concept. Furthermore, in comparison with the video game, the film very much comes across as a poorer relation in terms of both the design and variability of the environment, as well as the narrative and character development. This illustrates the advantages found in the potential of video games in relation to cinema, which is analogous to the comparison of cinema with television series. However, it is necessary to recognise that film does not emerge from this situation completely devoid of positive aspects, which consist in ever-increasing mass accessibility and the less time-consuming nature of films, as well as their ability to enchant through casting and formal nuances. With respect to most of the cinematic adaptation’s positive aspects – starting with Lara’s development arc and ending with the superb physical action – it can be said that the game offered these in a more intense and sophisticated form. What remains intrinsic and indubitable, however, is the cast, with the actress portraying Lara Croft at the fore, though by no means limited to her. With her physical condition and charisma, Alicia Vikander is captivating as a new icon and role model for female viewers. Some fans and viewers who are familiar only with the classic image of Lara gripe that she raises her iconic twin pistols only at the very end of the film. In this, however, lies the demanding nature of the character’s concept, in that she has to carry the entire film and be an action heroine with those traditional attributes, which must be balanced with physical ability. Thanks to the fact that priority is given to action in which physical fitness and reluctance to engage in shootouts take precedence, the film not only superbly relates to the revolutionary concept of the rebooted video game, but also brings into cinemas a breath of fresh air in the context of action blockbusters. Though the action scenes abound with computer animation, their foundation is comprised of the lead actress’s physical performance. At the same time, it is worth noting the film’s subtle progressiveness with respect to gender and racial stereotypes. Whereas the classic image of Lara Croft had viewers of the films with Angelina Jolie staring at her cleavage and derriere, in the new concept (again established by the video game), her muscular back and arms become her main attributes. However, these are shown in the context of the scenes and not as a result of objectifying shots, thanks to which the film is refreshingly simple. In addition to that, with the supporting character Lua, played by Daniel Wu, American cinema for the first time tears down the stereotype that Asian men are not masculine and sexy.
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Lara Croft in Uncharted Territory or the last crusade to go after the mummy Björk. It succeeded. The mix of gaming aesthetics and realism is still quite unbalanced, but Uthaug is able to very pleasantly balance a digital ballast and the physical conception of the action. What’s more, Vikander is great, cheeky, rebellious and doesn’t meet the expectations of those who like to masturbate to cleavage. I had a great time and I hope this party will continue! Definitely one of the best video game adaptations.
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The fragile character actress Alicia Vikander, whom I originally found unsuitable for the role (I wanted
to see some of those well-endowed, fast-and-furious girls), makes Tomb Raider infinitely more likable
and relatable. Thanks to her, the film breathes. And the first two-thirds are even intelligent, skillfully
working with the interactions of the characters and their setting in an attractive environment. Before
entering the final cave, however, all of the intellect somehow evaporates and the movie resorts to
cheap twists, which made me drop the rating down to three stars. I also see untapped potential in
the fact that the screenplay did not bring anything new into the genre, let alone its conventions. On
the contrary, it stole one of the movie’s main attractive elements from The Lost World.
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Next to Wonder Woman, Lara comes across as a poor relation (perhaps producers perceive gamers as a weaker audience than comic-book readers). Tomb Raider offers a total of four environments (London, Hong Kong, an island, a tomb), no spectacular action scenes with the exception of the waterfall, and basically just one (rising) Hollywood star. In the context of the efforts to create a full-fledged action heroine, however, it represents a small degree of progress. Lara Croft is absolutely believable as portrayed by Alicia Vikander, who has natural acting ability. The pair of screenwriters (Geneva Robertson-Dworet also wrote Captain Marvel) did not engage in experimentation, instead offering a traditional origin story that clearly introduces non-gamers to the world of Tomb Raider and gives gamers a satisfying portion of backstory and a number of direct quotes from the game. Lara is introduced to us by the pair of opening action scenes as a woman who does not excel through tremendous physical strength, but through her ability to come up with clever solutions to problems. In both cases, she fails anyway. It is only after she actively resolves here “daddy issues” that she becomes a strong and self-confident (though not fearless), yet relatively credibly vulnerable action heroine. One gets the impression she has always had all of her presented abilities, some of which she owes to her father (problem-solving, archery), but that she only lacked inner balance, as she had no father figure in her life. In this respect, this outwardly progressive film is terribly traditionalist (actually in a similar manner as The Last Jedi – substitute Dominic West for Mark Hamill and you get the middle part of the film). However, the family storyline, primarily presented through flashbacks at first, is incorporated well into the main narrative, driving the plot and explaining the heroine’s motivations, while helping to bridge longer periods of time when the characters are moved to a different location. When it comes to any given scene’s contribution to the narrative, Tomb Raider is above reproach. There are almost no dead spots when we would lose interest in what happens next (Nick Frost’s cameo could have been shorter, or deleted). Everything is nicely connected and all of the parts fit together, though perhaps too smoothly and straightforwardly. The action scenes are sufficiently diverse and boldly reminiscent of the video game (and demonstrate how Lara improves herself in individual areas – hand-to-hand fighting, escaping from pursuers, jumping long distances) and the pace does not slacken. Just as in The Wave, Uthaug displays flawless mastery of his craft and knowledge of the principles of classic Hollywood storytelling. Within the action genre, that is not a bad thing at all, but I hope that the sequel, for which the conclusion of this film somewhat long-windedly and too obviously lays the groundwork, will not be as exceedingly cautious. 65%
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I wanted to like the movie, but I didn't expect it to be that easy. After the mediocre trailers and reactions from abroad, I was expecting something that would be average at best. Instead, I had a proper blast at the cinema. Alicia Vikander is almost perfect in the lead role. She is likeable in the dialogue scenes, as the heroine and as the scared girl. You believe her with every punch she takes, every hit or fall, but also that she doesn't give in and won't back down when she has to fight someone body to body. Fans of the game get several scenes that are based on the first "new" Tomb Raider, but the bottom line is more that these scenes work within the context of an adventure movie. In fact, we haven't seen anything better in this genre since at least The Mummy with Brendan Fraser, but maybe more so since the third Indy. It's gritty, suspenseful, riveting, believable, painful and pumped with adrenaline from the very first action scene. And aside from a few small things like the occasional inferior visual effects (nothing terrible) I don't really know what to fault it for. I enjoyed the straightforwardness and the adventure with no frills around it. Very much so. Go for it, make it earn it, because I want a sequel!
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