Tomb Raider (2018) – A computer game movie that works? (almost)

I couldn’t get past the second level of ‘Tomb Raider’ on the Playstaion (1) back in the mid-nineties, so I found the whole ‘Lara Croft thing’ a little frustrating.  I know I watch the two Angelina Jolie movies that were based on the computer game and have long since forgotten everything about them (apart from Chris Barrie from ‘Red Dwarf’ being underused in my opinion!) so my hopes weren’t exactly sky-high for this ‘reboot.’ However, having watched it I was actually pleasantly surprised.

Let’s get this out the way, ‘Tomb Raider’ was nothing absolutely out of the ordinary and so original that it will change cinema forever.  But then were you really expecting that?  I was hoping for an enjoyable little action romp to entertain me for a couple of hours.  And I got just that.  Being part of the *ahem* ‘older generation’ who has spent a lifetime watching films, I can totally say that there is nothing in ‘Tomb Raider’ that hasn’t been done before – sometimes better, sometimes worse.  I can’t think of a single negative thing to say about it (with the possibility of a few strained British accents being attempted here and there).  However, just because I can’t think of anything bad to say, doesn’t mean it’s perfect.  It simply just is what it is – an action film.

In case you don’t know, a young British aristocrat (Lara Croft) finds clues to show that her father isn’t dead and actually went on a secret expedition to, er, save the world I suppose.  Therefore, she follows in his footsteps.  And, luckily enough, she has spent her entire lifetime conveniently honing skills that will aid her in her quest.  Alicia Vikander plays possibly a younger, less ‘cartoony’ version of Lara, as opposed to Angelina Jolie’s more ‘comic book’ interpretation.  The Tomb Raider games have – apparently – evolved from that same cartoony look and feel to a more gritty, darker take and I guess the film has followed closely in its footsteps.  It’s certainly more ‘realistic’ and less reliant on amazing stunts that would make James Bond blush.  I preferred this approach as Lara handles herself more with her wits and only relies on her brawn when she absolutely has to, plus it would be totally unbelievable to see her beat up hordes of burly henchmen!

I’m not sure which part of the film I preferred more – the first two thirds are pretty good, slowly building up to a climactic third act.  However, when said climax arrives, it felt like the ending to another popular on-screen archaeologist’s third outing (‘Last Crusade’ anyone?).  I don’t know whether this was a deliberate homage, but it did make me wonder why they’d gone with such (what I considered to be) a blatant rip-off.

Anyway, I get the feeling I’m not this film’s ‘target audience.’ I enjoyed it enough for being what it was – an enjoyable little action film that offered nothing I hadn’t seen already and was designed to reboot the franchise and take it in a new direction.  However, my thirteen year old daughter absolutely loved it and will be buying it on Blu-ray the moment it comes out!

7/10 if I woke up on Groundhog Day and had to watch this again, I could live with that