Tomb Raider review

The transfer of a video game to a big blockbuster movie has never really been a smooth ride in Hollywood. From the Resident Evil franchise to The Prince Of Persia to god forbid Doom. Movie studios never really captured what a video game was supposed to look and feel like on the big screen. But with this new and improved Tomb Raider starring Alicia Vikander as Lara Croft they have just nailed it!

Based mainly on the 2013 video game reboot of the same name with some stuff even from it's sequel Rise Of The Tomb Raider the story follows the before mentioned Lara Croft starting from a young frail girl who lost both her parents all the way to a fiercely independent young woman who after learning of her father's goings on behind his company's backs decides to follow up one of his most dangerous expeditions to date. Almost following the story from the video game point for point as they do change some things which is too be expected this is a really fun and energetic ride to join Lara along on.  What really surprised me is that they made Lara a lot more human than ever before. That may sound stupid but trust me I've never seen her this way before and it was such a refreshing take on the character. She's basically a normal girl living her day to life like everybody else. She has a basic life consisting of not very much if I'm being honest and she even struggles with money. The emotional roller coaster she goes through the movie is also really well done and you do really connect with her. Everything from her first kill to her relationship with her father which was a big highlight for me and everything else in between is done very well and as I said you do find yourself connecting with Lara in a big way. The action set pieces are in true Tomb Raider fashion absolutely spectacular. They all pretty much follow the game and having played the game myself it was fun seeing these sequences again but in a movie. I was rooting for Lara all the way through this which is definitely needed for your female lead and while there is some scenes that didn't really need to be there they don't take away from the overall vibe of the movie at all.

Onto performances and well there is only one real standout and that is Alicia Vikander. She really knocks it out of the park as Lara Croft. She's a free spirit living life to the fullest each and every day. She also really looks the part having really bulked up for the role and it shows as see climbs fights and runs her way throughout a bucket list of locations including London Hong Kong and an island located directly in the middle of The Devil's sea. The other cast members do a fine job including Dominic West as Lord Richard Croft. He plays the part quite well but it's the movie's villain that drags things down a bit. While menacing in some scenes in others he just fails to show any emotion what so ever which was disappointing. That being said this is Hollywood's first genuinely brilliant attempt to bring a video game character to life and is without question worth seeing. Quite the first outing for this new version of Lara Croft!


★★★★