Review of Tomb Raider (2018) by Dmitri K — 20 Mar 2018

Quick review of Tomb Raider: A mishmash of action cliches and cheap jump scares that do not do the franchise any justice. Try to remember the cliches found in 2012 (2009 with John Cusack) where the protagonist was on the verge of collapse, only to be saved by deus ex machina.

Have that image in your mind? Now rinse and repeat for virtually every action sequence in the 2 hour time span and you've summarized the "action" portion of this film. Alicia Vikander was wonderful in Deus Ex Machina (2015) and entertaining in The Man from U.

N.C.L.E. (2015); however, her role fell short here. I felt that the role of Lara Croft will be attempted by many female actresses and much like the role of James Bond, each individual should add a unique twist on that role - a signature, if you will.

Such a signature would separate that actor's contributions from past iterations. Unfortunately, Vikander added little to separate her from Angelina Jolie's sultry and seductive take on a then-sexualized role.

Granted, it could be argued that the role wasn't designed for a lot of emotional development, but Jolie still brought a sense of emotional attachment to her father in Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001).

This degree of depth and even the dilemma, upon further reflection, was copied in all-to-similar fashion in this rendition. Dominic West performed well and it is a shame his personal demons were not given more screen time.

This leaves us with a conclusion: this movie, as a reboot, works as a copy to the original. If you want a more humanized Lara Croft in a predictable screenplay, this may work for you. If you are looking for something new, look else.

2 Jumping Mummies out of 5.