Review of Tomb Raider (2018) by Samer D — 22 Mar 2018

Surprisingly decent, especially for a video game movie. Lara set out on her first expedition finding the lost kingdom of Yamatai.

The storyline based upon the 2013 reboot of LC, was lauded for revitalizing one of gaming's biggest names and most venerable franchises, and it did it in part by leaning into the narrative side of the medium, with greater depth and characterization for its lead and a clear and compelling story it wanted to tell with her. It surprisingly plays like a throwback to the classic late-'80s/early '90s era of action filmmaking, represented by the likes of "Cliffhanger," "The Last of the Mohicans. Alicia Vikander did a great job here. She's correctly cast as a woman who's literally to-the-manor-born. More importantly, though, she's an action hero par excellence. Carved like a wood sculpture, and seemingly bereft of body fat, Vikander hurls herself into the film's action sequences. She makes you feel the physicality of this intensely visceral performance, letting out a high-pitched grunt of rage or pain when Lara crashes into a wall or gets slammed on the ground by a brawny foe, and letting sparks of fury flash in her eyes as Lara delivers a coup-de-grace.