I liked Angelina Jolie, and even I think that her version of Tomb Raider is trash. The movie’s real premise is whether or not you will see her boobs and if she will sleep with someone. The answer is no, she will not, but we do get a shirtless Daniel Craig, which is still not enough to redeem the movie so the film adaptation of the video game franchise is definitely ripe for a reboot. I saw it opening night. Tomb Raider with Alicia Vikander as Lara Croft is expertly acted and an impressive, entertaining action movie, but it is ultimately forgettable and more of a summer flick. With a more memorable story, it could have soared. At least it is not dreadful and starts solidly on a realistic footing for a video game flick.
This Tomb Raider has more in common with A Wrinkle in Time, which is a positive plot point, albeit with less of a rebuke to the father. It tries to elaborate on a theme of parents separated from their children, but it basically fell flat. Her father mournfully abdicates his responsibility to raise his daughter in order to search for a tomb and stop some evil organization from getting it. I would argue that if he never looked for it in the first place, the evil org would never have even gotten as close as it did so thanks, Dad! You made your own problem. Lara refuses to believe that her dad is dead so she doesn’t control the estate, is short on cash and works in the streets of London, which brings levity to the action arena. What makes this Lara appealing is that she is still growing as an adventurer, and like a videogame, the movie raises the obstacles at each level. She barely makes it to the next level, and in some levels, she flat out fails, but she acquires a skill or figures out her weakness then improves upon it the next time. She does not make the same mistake twice, and she seems more human than hero so her journey may be inevitable and predictable, but how she does it is not.
Vikander acts like Tomb Raider matters, which is why it is frustrating that the movie has nothing other than her performance to make it the next Matrix. When she kills her first person, her performance is reminiscent of Daniel Craig’s debut of James Bond in Casino Royale, specifically the bathroom scene. Vikander and Craig’s performances ask us to not to take action movie plot points for granted and really think of the psychological and emotional ramifications for the characters. They know how to be tough and vulnerable, which is tricky when you are breathing life into an icon.
Unfortunately Tomb Raider is more interested in reinvigorating the standard action chase sequence, which it does successfully, than making a story that impresses and surprises its viewers. If you’re in mourning for your wife, why isn’t there one photo of her in your office? Do video camera batteries have such a long shelf life? I get very frustrated when characters do things that are amazingly stupid such as the father making the secret villain an essential member of your life. Dude, you knew! To be fair, I knew too because of the Law & Order rule of fame proportional to villainy (even thespians have bills). There were aspects of the movie that felt like a mash up between Enter the Dragon, Lost and Dark Angel, but I’m delighted that it solidly chose a lane when deciding whether or not it was going to delve into supernatural plot points.
Video game movies don’t have to be bad. Tomb Raider is at least a solid matinee film, but definitely not required viewing. The big screen probably detracts from the monotony of the story with grandeur of spectacle so watching it at home may shave points off if you decide to take that route. I can be counted to come back for the sequel.