Tomb Raider is directed by Roar Uthaug and stars Alicia Vikander and Dominic West.
Action/Adventure/Fantasy. Released 2018.
Before even watcing Tomb Raider, I was invested in this new take on Lara Croft as opposed to the voguey Angelina Jolie version. Alicia Vikander is a great actress as well as being very grounded and natural, and I was looking forward to seeing how that would translate on screen.
Now having seen Tomb Raider, I can confirm that it most certainly does, and makes for a likely-popular new heroine, skilfully portrayed by Vikander, who is very likeable in the role. When Lara is opposed by great forces of nature, Vikander's facial, vocal and physical reactions are incredibly natural and convincing, giving Lara a strong relatability factor; she just seems like a normal person.
The rest of the cast however, are very forgettable, and so is the plot. It's simple and self-contained, but there is nothing new or progressive about this film, besides it's central protagonist. It's enjoyable whilst it lasts, but there's nothing significant about the story that will make audiences remember it.
Uthaug helms the action sequences well and the third act climax is very enjoyable to watch. However, Uthaug fails in establishing a wide scope - the film feels very small and when it finished I struggled to think of where Lara's story would progress to, since not much else is established other than what is on screen, which in some ways is a good thing because all who are involved are choosing to focus on the story at hand. However, if the intention is to start a franchise, some more extensive world building should be done to expand the scope and make this island a place where audiences want to return to.
The character of Lara Croft has been established with a rich history, and is written and portrayed very convincingly, however the story attached to it does not match up to the quality of the leading character because it lacks originality and there is nothing particularly memorable about it.
Now having seen Tomb Raider, I can confirm that it most certainly does, and makes for a likely-popular new heroine, skilfully portrayed by Vikander, who is very likeable in the role. When Lara is opposed by great forces of nature, Vikander's facial, vocal and physical reactions are incredibly natural and convincing, giving Lara a strong relatability factor; she just seems like a normal person.
The rest of the cast however, are very forgettable, and so is the plot. It's simple and self-contained, but there is nothing new or progressive about this film, besides it's central protagonist. It's enjoyable whilst it lasts, but there's nothing significant about the story that will make audiences remember it.
Uthaug helms the action sequences well and the third act climax is very enjoyable to watch. However, Uthaug fails in establishing a wide scope - the film feels very small and when it finished I struggled to think of where Lara's story would progress to, since not much else is established other than what is on screen, which in some ways is a good thing because all who are involved are choosing to focus on the story at hand. However, if the intention is to start a franchise, some more extensive world building should be done to expand the scope and make this island a place where audiences want to return to.
The character of Lara Croft has been established with a rich history, and is written and portrayed very convincingly, however the story attached to it does not match up to the quality of the leading character because it lacks originality and there is nothing particularly memorable about it.
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A moderately unoriginal plot with a lack
of scope but saved by well constructed action
sequences and a convincing lead performance.
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This isn't much to miss, but it's enjoyable whilst it lasts :)
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