I, like many others I'm assuming, have had a crush on Lara Croft since my childhood. I loved the games growing up and the reboot from 2013 was absolutely fantastic. Tomb Raider is based off of this 2013 game of the same name and I'm glad to see a movie actually doing the video game justice. This film has a simple but engaging story, a powerful performance from Alicia Vikander, and some of the best choreographed action scenes I have seen in any movie in a long time.
Shining parts of this film included the more grounded story adapted from the game and a fantastic portrayal of the badass adventurer. Alicia Vikander is an astounding actress and was the perfect fit for Lara Croft. She played the role with such confidence and strength and I was very impressed by her acting. Unlike Angelina Jolie's portrayal, Vikander's version was not focused on the typical "sexy" parts of Lara Croft. Vikander was not afraid to get bloody and dirty during the filming of this movie and I am glad that she was not unnecessarily sexualized in any way, paving more room for better focus on the development in her character. She started off as a meager food delivery girl but throughout the story, ended up becoming the legendary hero in a generic but believable way. The other part that sold this movie for me was the grounded adaptation from the video game. It followed the plot of the game very well while still providing its own original aspects. In the game, the Japanese queen Himiko takes the form of a giant rock monster and the ending is a very supernatural-type conclusion. In this film, however, Himiko simply possessed people and turned them into bloodthirsty monsters, but the ending was not nearly as special-effects heavy as I thought it was going to be. This might be disappointing to fans of the game, but I thought that the more realistic approach provided a better climax for the film.
The action in this movie went hand-in-hand with the story very smoothly and there was a great blend of drama and excitement. Since it felt just like the video game, there were many scenes where I found myself holding an invisible PS4 controller trying to control what was happening. The scenes where Lara was sneaking into the Trinity compound and the airplane scene were some of the best in the movie. Stealth is very important in the game and the choreography was fantastic during the compound scene. The waterfall airplane scene was literally shot-for-shot from the game and this intense and anxiety-inducing homage was done very well. Other parts of this film that I loved were the scene where she killed for the first time and the representation in the movie. The representation was definitely enhanced by the setting of this film but I still appreciated the inclusion of the different Asian tribes living on the island. The scene where Lara drowned the soldier in the jungle was very intense and added to her character like nothing else in the movie. In that moment, she realized that she would have to do the unthinkable in order to find her father and escape the island. Vikander's acting was the best in this particular scene and while this plot device has been used before, it was still executed (haha get it?) excellently.
My biggest problems with this film were its generic writing and a forced storyline that should not have been included. The writing throughout the entire movie was very generic and nothing new was really introduced. Many of the lines were very cheesy and predictable. This film started off very slowly too, which did not help me or the rest of my theater get into that excited mood. Once Lara left to find Lu Ren is when the action really began, but it took a bit too long to get to that spot. My largest issue with this movie, however, was the inclusion of Lara's father Richard. In the game, her father is actually dead, but that gives Lara reason to go to the island and finish what her dad had started. The subplot in this movie of actually finding her father alive and him helping her was very unnecessary. It did not add to Lara's development as an independent woman and I just feel that part was very forced.
Tomb Raider has absolutely rebooted the legacy of Lara Croft into a more exciting and franchise-worthy world. Alicia Vikander was excellent and while the writing in the film may have been a bit dull, it still provides a lot of entertaining fun and is definitely worth your money.
My Rating: ★★★½
No comments:
Post a Comment