Tomb Raider

As I, and most anyone else who's into movies, have talked of before, video game movies are usually a bust on arrival. It's now 2018 and in the past 32 years, only one video game-based title has risen above the 60% mark on Rotten Tomatoes, and it was a Netflix original series based on Castlevania. But, even as many people regard game adaptations as pure scorched earth, some studios will try their damndest to break through the mold. That's where we end up with 2018's Tomb Raider.

This is not our first film rodeo with the dashing Miss Croft, oh no. I doubt anyone's forgotten the 2001 adaptation staring Angelina Jolie as the titular character and its sequel from a few years later. Those films are probably some of the shining jewels of the game-adaptation industry, and even then, they were no more than casual guilty pleasures. However, we're faced now with an all-new attempt at capturing the adventures of Lara Croft, based upon the reboot game from 2013 and its completely new look at the character and her world. So, maybe, that's a huge emphasis on maybe it might be gotten right this time, right?

Well, apart from a few areas, Tomb Raider is mostly a hit. Well, it's a weak definition of a hit...let me explain. What we're given in this film is the major backstory and origin of the character we know and love nowadays and how she fits into the, "real," world. With that comes the basic origin story you may find in most major Hollywood properties. 

Lara is a rough and edgy modern young adult living in London who has a complicated backstory of her missing explorer father. After she finds some missing clues she goes off to find him and she ends up gaining the knack of exploration but she uncovers some dark truths. It's the real basic stuff we've seen many, many times before, and honestly it's the films major downfall. I really can't say I was asking for something revolutionary, but rather something that didn't follow most of the same tropes as other origin stories.

However, its really only a slight hiccup under the skin of what is for the most part a pretty fun film. You've got some great dialogue going back and forth between the main characters. It all hoists up this unique charm that's carried over from the video games that really harkens back to some of my favorite adventure films such as the Brendan Fraser Mummy films and even Indiana Jones to a point. You really begin to enjoy yourself as you watch Lara and co. crawl and fight through various dangerous scenarios around the world, almost picked exactly from a video game-style setting.

It's backed up by a cast that is mediocre to great, with some of course being better than others. The main attraction played by the beautifully talented Alicia Vikander is, of course, amazing, as you get someone who truly seems to care about this role and easily sinks into it. The main topic I've seen many people argue about is whether or not she's a better Croft than Jolie was, and it's a reassuring hell yes. This is the perfect woman for the job, honestly.

All in all, Tomb Raider is not perfect, no. But as a video game film, and considering what it is, it's a damn fine film full of hearty fun and deserves an extension to fulfill its potential. For this and everything else, I'm giving Tomb Raider a 6.1/10. There is treasure to be found here.