Tomb Raider Review

"All myths are foundations of reality!"


Tomb Raider is the latest rebooted film franchise based around the character of Lara Croft. The film was directed by Roar Uthaug, and stars the likes of Alicia Vikander, Dominic West, Walton Goggins, Daniel Wu, Kristen Scott Thomas and Derek Jacobi. The film follows Lara Croft (Vikander), the fiercely independent daughter of a missing adventurer, who must push herself beyond her limits when she finds herself on an island where her father disappeared.

One major question that will that you will be wondering about this film would be is the latest reboot of the franchise better than the original Lara Croft Tomb Raider films and is it as good as the video games based around the character.... well in my opinion the short answer is yes, the latest incarnation of the character on film is an improvement over the original films, and whilst not as good as the video games based around the character, it sure is an entertaining adventure film (it's definitely an entertaining film!). One of the strongest aspects of the film is without a doubt Alicia Vikanders performance of Lara Croft, which is fresh and clearly takes elements from the video games for her interpretation of the character. The film also has some exciting action sequences (especially during the final act of film!), and the films visual style really helps to put the audience in the middle of the action. The films visual style at times is also beautiful to view, with some stunning framing, which is also enhanced with the setting of the island, which only adds to how good looking this film can be at times. The puzzle based elements of the film really pay homage to the video games, and are without a doubt some of the best parts of the film, creating not only interesting situations and dilemmas for the characters to face, but also adds extra layers of tension, which overall enhances the audiences experience whilst watching the film.

Whilst Tomb Raider is without a doubt a fun and exciting adventure film at times, it certainly does fall short of being a truly great Tomb Raider adventure film, especially since the video games have really set the bar high. One of the weakest parts of the films is without a doubt the villains or henchman, even the main villain portrayed by Walton Goggins just feels like another henchman, and is not fleshed out or motivated enough to truly make an impact on the film (apart from the basic stereotypical villain motivations). The villain/henchman of the film really ruined parts of the film, and honestly when they are introduced, the film really begins to drag until the final act kicks in to save the film. Personally if the film spent more time during the second act of the film setting up the villains and some interesting motivations then you would of got a solid film, whereby you feel worried that the villains might actually get what they want, but without this you are left with a bunch of wasted characters that there only purpose is to serve as a random henchman for Lara to put down. Whilst the villain issue is a major problem for me (can't you tell!), there are smaller issues, such as the CGI looking a bit animated and not as polished as other scenes in the film, and random moments of increased sound volume, which neither adds anything to the film and seems out of place with the rest of the sound design of the film (but that just might of been our cinema).

Overall the latest film based around the character of Lara Croft is definitely an improvement over the original films and is a fun and exciting adventure film, but overall suffers from villains with more mean stares then actual clear motivations.

Verdict: 3 and a 1/2 stars