Tomb Raider (2018) Movie Review

Tomb Raider (2018)

Watch the trailer 
Written by: Geneva Robertson-Dworet and Alastair Siddons (screenplay by), Evan Daugherty and Geneva Robertson-Dworet (story by)
Directed by: Roar Uthaug
Starring: Alicia Vikander, Dominic West, Walton Goggins, Daniel Wu, Kristin Scott Thomas
Rated: PG-13

Plot
Lara Croft, the fiercely independent daughter of a missing adventurer, pushes herself beyond her limits when she discovers the island where her father disappeared.

Verdict
This checks the boxes of the typical big budget action movie but does little else. The solid opening is followed by contrived and unbelievable set pieces that contribute to the action, the one dimensional bad guy, and a sub plot, that could have been cut entirely, to force emotional manipulation. It frequently felt video game inspired. While I haven't played the latest Tomb Raider video games, it did feel a lot like the Uncharted video game. At the start I thought this was going to be a more realistic take, but it isn't. I wish for that version, that or at least a tighter, leaner version. There's potential in the movie that's obscured by big budget spectacle.
It depends.

Review
Tomb Raider was originally a video game released in 1996. Angelina Jolie starred in the original movie, released in 2001. This movie is based on the reboot video game which released in 2013. The movie primarily borrows the island and the Japanese Empress Himiko from the game.

This has a great opening that unfortunately was unsustainable. We get a quick sense of Lara in one of the few scenes that showcases Vikander's charisma. Lara's barely scraping by, behind on her dues at the gym and working as as a courier. She's a fighter, unwilling to accept defeat just in MMA practice. This segues into a "foxhunt" where a can of paint attached to her bike makes her the fox. If she isn't caught by other cyclists, she gets the pot of money. It's an acceptable action scene that displayed her skill and wit.

I quickly liked Vikander as Lara. Up to this point I was impressed with the writing, but when we get into the main plot this frequently felt like a video game. There's the chase the bad guy sequence and puzzles to be solved. Side characters help Laura but don't have much reason. Lu Ren, the ship's captain that takes Lara through the Devil's Sea has little reason to help her. The reason provided, I don't accept.

It's the kind of movie where you know what's going to happen and the movie takes too long getting to the point. It's checking the boxes off on what a big budget action movie needs to include. The subplot with Lara's dad could have been cut completely after she boards the boat to Devil's Sea and lost nothing. After that it's just used to manipulate our emotions while slowing down the story.

There's more than a few contrived plot pieces. There's a rusted Japanese war plane that falls down a waterfall more than a few times while stopping just so to allow Lara room to escape. This sequence felt exactly like a video game, which isn't bad. Movies don't have to be ultra-realistic, but this movie seemed to establish early on that was the goal. There are plenty of small details that don't make sense. I don't want to pick this movie apart, but it's a disconnect from the tone established initially. I don't think Lara could shoot an arrow through a helicopter window.
This will remind you of National Treasure when it gets to the tomb and the video game Uncharted: Drake's Revenge with climbing, jungle setting, puzzles, set pieces, and even the twist.

I'm a big fan of Walton Goggins, but this never gives him room to really act. He's relegated to crazy old bad guy. More than once he states he's just following orders. Why stay on site for seven years? If he was power crazed and deranged, I'd find it easier to buy. The people he's subjugated to work the island, why don't they revolt? The worst that could happen is death and that seems preferable to endless toil.

I would have liked to see something smaller scale. Lara using her wits to survive on the island while evading goons. I wanted more of those small moments instead of big budget spectacle and needless subplots.
It's difficult not to recall Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade when we get to the tomb. While there are plenty of tricks and surprises, it was all a bit much while also being too similar to what we've seen in other movies. This isn't a bad movie and I like many of the ideas, but there is plenty of missed potential.