Review of Tomb Raider (2018) by Lewis C — 31 Mar 2018

Tomb Raider is one of the best video games movies to date. However, this is not saying too much as the translation from the console to the big screen has been subpar in general. Despite the poor reputation of video game movies coming into Tomb Raider, it holds its own as an enjoyable action thriller.

The movie features a lot of elements from the 2013 reboot of the game, but differs with the story. Alicia Vikander is good as Lara Croft and holds true to the version portrayed in the 2013 reboot. Her backstory is a little different, as she chooses not to attend university and lives a quiet life in London, but this benefits Lara's character.

We get to see her struggle in these early stages, and she builds and grows as a character when facing difficult situations throughout her journey. After getting arrested, she is bailed out by one of her father's business partners Ana Miller, where Lara receives her father's inheritance.

This leads to clues and an adventure to the island of Yamatai in the Devil's Sea. Lara is accompanied by a ship captain named Lu Ren, who is a decent character, but does not receive the screen time to overcome his one dimensional presence.

The story on the island is a little underwhelming and the pace moves very fast until the tomb is opened. This is where some of the sequences from the video game are featured however, and the best action scenes take place.

The villain Mathias is very underused in the film. There are a few scenes where his intimidating and reckless presence are felt, but there is not enough of them to fully understand or care about Mathias.

The story of the curse of the island stems away from the video game version, but still works. The Third Act is also very action packed, and tests Lara as a character, which builds on her arc from the First Act.

The visuals of the movie are stunning, as the action sequences are very realistic and the camera angles add to the intensity and stakes of these. It can be a little unrealistic in the aftermath of some of these sequences, as Lara survives a lot and has very little physical injury.

Overall, Tomb Raider is a step forward in the right direction for video games movies. Alicia Vikander provides a good interpretation as Lara Croft, providing great acting performance and her arc sees her grow as a character throughout the film.

The story is a little underwhelming and differs from the source material in many ways, but the action and Lara's strong character make up for most of these flaws. The most important aspect of the Tomb Raider reboot is that the character of Lara is well cast and proves a strong and likeable character.

This will bode well for potential sequels, as the plot can always be improved.