I was apprehensive going into this movie. The main reason for that, unlike seemingly every other Tomb Raider fan on the planet, was because I really liked how the 2013 Tomb Raider game upon which this movie was based handled the character of Lara Croft, and I was concerned that the movie was going to decide that was one of the things they would strip away in an effort to get 13 hours of gameplay down to 2. The main reason I've seen online for why fans of the Tomb Raider franchise were concerned going in to this movie is because Alicia Vikander is not as busty as Angelina Jolie. I cannot possibly roll my eyes hard enough at that sentiment.
But I'll address both of those concerns right now. Fans of the story and particularly character development of Lara in the 2013 reboot of the video game franchise should be pleased with both how the movie introduces and characterizes Lara as well as how Vikander plays the part. They're spot on with the sentiment of the character from the game, even if the events of the movie are different, and Vikander does a great job selling her motivations and particularly emotions in character even when the script is letting her down. I was very pleasantly surprised.
Fans of the giant triangular prism that apparently got them to buy the first Tomb Raider game on PS1 really need to just grow up and get a life. The focus on this iteration of Lara Croft has always been on her natural ability, both mentally and physically, and Vikander sells that better than I think this movie even deserved. One thing I appreciate about the upcoming Shadow of the Tomb Raider game is that the character model for Lara actually echoes Vikander's physique more than it does the previous game's artwork, and I think that fits better.
Now, how about the overall quality of the actual movie? Well, simply put, it was pretty good. Easily one of the best video game adaptations out there, and overall not a bad action-popcorn flick at all. The characters are mostly shallow (Lara is a little deeper), the script is sometimes cringy, and the story is straightforward and uncomplicated. All just kinda meh. But the cinematography was excellent, the action sequences were phenomenal, and the music was totally on point. Taken from the perspective of "this is a summer action movie" I don't think most people would be disappointed. I had a lot of fun, just as a fan of fun action movies.
As a fan of the 2013 Tomb Raider game upon which this movie was based, my feelings were... more mixed. Like I said, I loved the character development of Lara in that game, and while I think the movie and in particular Vikander's performance does a way better job of handling that character with nuance than I think it had any right to, I still can't get over the fact that Lara went straight from "conflicted survivalist" to "murder-happy rage-monster" after just one kill. In the game that took several days, and she really only became numb to the murder in the sequel. I did miss that more gradual progression.
Also missing from the movie was the game's focus on exploration and discovery. The secondary tombs, the additional stories uncovered on the island of Yamatai. The rich (fake) history that really defined the feel of that whole game was mostly missing. In the game it isn't at all surprising when Lara winds up falling out of a disintegrating WWII Japanese bomber, because you already knew by then that Yamatai was basically lousy with downed aircraft from various periods. But in the movie? There's no explanation for what the heck that bomber is doing there. It comes out of nowhere like a sort of tetanus-infested deus-ex-machina, just so she has something to grab onto before falling off a waterfall.
And then they recreated that whole sequence pretty much right from the game and I forgave the whole thing.
Really that pretty well sums up my whole experience with the movie. I loved the action, the casting, and as an adaptation I was impressed with the quality. The places it fell short versus the game were all excusable because it was a movie, and the places it fell short against other movies were all mostly excusable because it's a very particular type of movie. It's great in terms of video game adaptations, but I'd even say it's pretty great in terms of action blockbusters. If you love a good popcorn flick, I think you'd really enjoy Tomb Raider.
So go make those Blu-Ray sales boom, because I'm still kinda holding out hope that they'll make a sequel. Based on the action set-pieces from this movie, I really want to see Alicia Vikander somehow manage to survive an avalanche.
But I'll address both of those concerns right now. Fans of the story and particularly character development of Lara in the 2013 reboot of the video game franchise should be pleased with both how the movie introduces and characterizes Lara as well as how Vikander plays the part. They're spot on with the sentiment of the character from the game, even if the events of the movie are different, and Vikander does a great job selling her motivations and particularly emotions in character even when the script is letting her down. I was very pleasantly surprised.
Fans of the giant triangular prism that apparently got them to buy the first Tomb Raider game on PS1 really need to just grow up and get a life. The focus on this iteration of Lara Croft has always been on her natural ability, both mentally and physically, and Vikander sells that better than I think this movie even deserved. One thing I appreciate about the upcoming Shadow of the Tomb Raider game is that the character model for Lara actually echoes Vikander's physique more than it does the previous game's artwork, and I think that fits better.
Now, how about the overall quality of the actual movie? Well, simply put, it was pretty good. Easily one of the best video game adaptations out there, and overall not a bad action-popcorn flick at all. The characters are mostly shallow (Lara is a little deeper), the script is sometimes cringy, and the story is straightforward and uncomplicated. All just kinda meh. But the cinematography was excellent, the action sequences were phenomenal, and the music was totally on point. Taken from the perspective of "this is a summer action movie" I don't think most people would be disappointed. I had a lot of fun, just as a fan of fun action movies.
As a fan of the 2013 Tomb Raider game upon which this movie was based, my feelings were... more mixed. Like I said, I loved the character development of Lara in that game, and while I think the movie and in particular Vikander's performance does a way better job of handling that character with nuance than I think it had any right to, I still can't get over the fact that Lara went straight from "conflicted survivalist" to "murder-happy rage-monster" after just one kill. In the game that took several days, and she really only became numb to the murder in the sequel. I did miss that more gradual progression.
Also missing from the movie was the game's focus on exploration and discovery. The secondary tombs, the additional stories uncovered on the island of Yamatai. The rich (fake) history that really defined the feel of that whole game was mostly missing. In the game it isn't at all surprising when Lara winds up falling out of a disintegrating WWII Japanese bomber, because you already knew by then that Yamatai was basically lousy with downed aircraft from various periods. But in the movie? There's no explanation for what the heck that bomber is doing there. It comes out of nowhere like a sort of tetanus-infested deus-ex-machina, just so she has something to grab onto before falling off a waterfall.
And then they recreated that whole sequence pretty much right from the game and I forgave the whole thing.
Really that pretty well sums up my whole experience with the movie. I loved the action, the casting, and as an adaptation I was impressed with the quality. The places it fell short versus the game were all excusable because it was a movie, and the places it fell short against other movies were all mostly excusable because it's a very particular type of movie. It's great in terms of video game adaptations, but I'd even say it's pretty great in terms of action blockbusters. If you love a good popcorn flick, I think you'd really enjoy Tomb Raider.
So go make those Blu-Ray sales boom, because I'm still kinda holding out hope that they'll make a sequel. Based on the action set-pieces from this movie, I really want to see Alicia Vikander somehow manage to survive an avalanche.
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