Review of Tomb Raider (2018) by Kermitincarnate — 18 Mar 2018

This movie is good. It is not revolutionary, it is not oscar-tier, but it is not bad. There is so much in this movie that is solidly good, that it is barely notched by the few superficial details that are bad.

If you have played the 2013 Tomb Raider game (that this movie is based on) then you will get a deeper joy because there are certain scenes and nuances that nod heavily to both it and previous games. However, it is great for the general public as well.

It deviates from the curse of unimaginative and lazy writing that past video-game adaptations suffered from by throwing in clever plot points, riddles, and lines that give the movie another dimension story-wise.

Yes, it nods (and borrows certain events and ideas from) to Indiana Jones, going as far as to borrow (steal) part of the plot from the Last Crusade especially-- but not in a necessarily malicious way.

Tomb Raider knows its place, it is not Indiana Jones, it is inspired by it, and so these scenes feel more like a tribute to the inspiration behind the character than a plagiarism of it. Additionally, Alicia Vikander plays the most rational, realistic, and relatable Lara Croft to date.

Her shining merits in acting come through in this role and she brings a new side to Lara. Yes this is an origin story, but no it does not feel like one. In fact, the movie doesn't feel as long as it is, and it is a long movie.

That is all.