What’s this?
A good video game movie?
The world’s gone mad!
Cats are befriending dogs, the space time continuum has imploded, the end is nigh!
In all seriousness though, it is incredibly rare that we get a good video game movie (just look at Warcraft, Assassin’s Creed or any of the Resident Evil movies) so when it happens it is reason to celebrate.
Now, I am not saying that Tomb Raider is a shining example of film making but it is great to see a good video game movie after so many duds.
Directed by Roar Uthaug and based off the popular video game series, Tomb Raider stars Alicia Vikander as the tomb raider herself, Lara Croft.
This movie serves more as an origin story for Lara and how she becomes the action hero from the video games.
It picks up years after her father’s disappearance, when Lara discovers evidence of where he disappeared to and goes to rescue him, only to have her life threatened by a secret organisation known as Trinity.
The thing that makes Tomb Raider really work is Vikander as Lara Croft.
She really sells the character and gives a great performance, especially in the action scenes, which are excellently shot.
Every action sequence is exciting and edge of your seat.
Lara is not the only interesting character in the movie though, as her companion Lu Ren, played by Daniel Wu, is also likeable and well acted.
However, the movie does have problems that hold it back.
The biggest problem the movie has is the story.
It follows a lot of the cliches seen in other adventure movies, like Indiana Jones and even the previous Tomb Raider movies, with Angelina Jolie, and does get predictable at times.
Also some of the scenes just felt unnecessary.
The opening scene is of Lara’s father Richard, played by Dominic West, narrating about the figure everyone is searching for, Himiko.
About twenty minutes later, we get a scene of Laura listening to a recording her father made, which is the exact same dialogue we heard in the intro of the movie.
We already know this information but the movie repeats it.
Although these problems do hold the movie back however, they do not doom it.
The likability of Lara, Vikander’s performance as her and the thrilling action sequences make this a very enjoyable movie to sit through.
It might not be great but it is still enjoyable, which for a video game movie is saying a lot.
THE REVIEW MONSTER 