Review
Lara Croft and the Tomb Raider universe in which she exists, has been around for as long as I can remember and is a household name that has been going strong for generations. Whether in video games, comics, or films, the titular character has entertained with her incredible acrobatic skills, adventurous spirit, and her trademark twin pistols always at the ready to combat animals and men alike.
The first Tomb Raider film came out in 2001 with Angelina Jolie playing the lead role and she would reprise the role two years later in the sequel. Now with the series adapting to the demands of brand new consoles such as the PS3 and PS4, it seems as if it was as good a time as any to give the character a new lick of paint and the new cinematic treatment, with Alicia Vikander filling the boots of the British archeologist.
The film is your run of the mill action-adventure, which is to say that it's so predictable that it might as well have come in an easy to assemble kit who's instructions claim that a child could set it up. We start with a narrated urban legend/myth to set the stage, we add our protagonist, usually an independent person with no family and a knack of getting into trouble, a friend of sorts to add the comic relief, a way for said protagonist to get involved with the earlier mentioned legend/myth, mix in one evil organization complete with arrogant boss accompanied by henchmen who couldn't hit water if they fell out of a boat, and top with an optional love interest, and presto, you have your action-adventure. This is the same model you can expect here with a few deviations, as our legend/myth is one focused on a Japanese death queen who was taken to an island to be imprisoned for all eternity. Fast-forward and our female lead is busy throwing down in a mixed martial arts ring because that's what all the popular kids are doing these days. When she's not in the gym, Lara makes money doing deliveries and/or showing how much faster and smarter she is than her male contemporaries. A bout of trouble does land her at the police station where her guardian, Anna, implores Lara to except the probable death of her father and sign the necessary paperwork to take over all his necessary dealings. This Is something Lara avoided primarily due to, on the one hand, not entirely accepting his death, and on the other, looking to make her own way without the need of her inheritance.
Finally accepting facts, Lara heads over to sign the necessary documents but is given an old Japanese puzzle box which was one of the things left to her by her father. Upon solving it, it points her to Croft Manner where there exists a secret study where Lara discovers her father's real passion for archeology and exploration. She finds a video made for her where her father instructs her to destroy all the research on the Japanese death queen, Himiko. But instead of doing this, Lara decides to follow the trail left by her father in an attempt to get a little more closure. She travels to Hong Kong where she meets Joe, a drunken captain whose father happened to be the man who agreed to assist Lara's father in reaching the secret island first. With a little convincing and a lot of money, the two set off, but the island is not exactly located in friendly territory, and a large storm rips their vessel to shreds.
Shipwrecked and washed up on land, the two discover that they are not the only inhabitants on the island, but stationed there is an organization looking to get to the death queen and use whatever secrets she holds for their monetary gain. The primary antagonist, Vogel, seeks to find the queen as soon as possible in order to satisfy his employer and get back to his own life. He also happens to be the man who claims to have killed Lara's father, simultaneously killing the only person who could've gotten them to the tomb quicker. But with Lara's arrival and her father's notes, the task has been made all the more easy. Managing to eventually escape from her captors, Lara finds that her father is not dead at all, but rather hairy and a little mad. But with his daughter by his side, the two decide to attempt to stop Vogel from unleashing a disastrous curse upon the world. All together, they take on the tomb and all the secrets it contains. Lara uses all her skills developed in real life to make it through challenges that the tomb presents her and the present company she is a part of.
The film plays homage to the latest versions of the franchise, giving particular weight to the use of the bow and arrow as well as an ice pick. Despite the "build it yourself" nature of the film that hardly separates itself from any other similar film that has come out before, it still serves its function well enough for simple entertainment. The genre is very much like the flavorless food that Stu from The Hangover is compared to by his father in law, it's needed for basic sustenance, for one can certainly not live entirely off of complex films that boast stellar casts, game-changing aesthetics and/or deeper messages to convey, no we also require no-nonsense action films where there are clear cut 'good guys' and 'bad guy/s' and plenty of action and explosions. The film at least does deviate from some of the predictability by avoiding overly obvious character tropes, the comic relief is brought in very bite-size form by Nick Frost of Shaun of the Dead fame, and it would seem that he may have a recurring role as Lara's arms dealer. The lack of any love interest was also welcome, and Alicia Vikander put in a very good performance as a whole, showing the vulnerability and the overall greenness of Lara as an adventurer. I thought this was demonstrated very well when she took her first life, the scene where she defends herself against a henchman, showed both the physical and emotional toll that it took on her, an effective platform for the confident adventurer that she morphs into as the film progresses, and the skilled adventurer she will continue to develop as.
The new Tomb Raider was an easy to pick up film that provided an uncomplicated viewing experience that was enjoyable and satisfying. While in no way creating something groundbreaking, what this film does is create something just as important, and that is something sustaining, accessible and, most importantly, entertaining. Vikander has taken up the torch of a series that is timeless and precious, injecting an exciting and young exuberance that will carry on well into future installments, I for one look forward to the next chapters. Enjoy the adventure, and as always, happy viewing.
More Info
The Movie DB: Tomb Raider
Score: AA
Out of 10: 6