FILM REVIEW: Tomb Raider (2018)

Directed by Roar Uthaug

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The track record of movies based on video games is something of notoriety, and this time we have yet another adaptation of Tomb Raider (remember that one from 2001?). After seeing this 2018 adaptation, I am somewhat convinced that the name Tomb Raider was thrown on this film for marketing purposes. Actually, let me rephrase: I think when production started, this was supposed to be a run-of-the-mill action-adventure movie. Then somebody in production decided this needed to be about Lara Croft as a means of breaking the cycle of terrible film adaptations of beloved games. Well, it paid off for them, because get this: Tomb Raider was actually pretty good.

Yes, you read that right: a movie based on a video game was actually good.

I’ll be damned if I didn’t have a blast with Tomb Raider, a high-energy (and sometimes surprisingly witty) sprint through a thrilling adventure of Indiana Jones proportions. Granted, Lara Croft may not have competition with Indy as cinema’s next iconic adventurer, I’m confident he’d be willing to tell Lara Croft “good work”.

Alicia Vikander fills the hiking boots and green tank-top of Lara Croft, who is in a downtrodden state in her life: she earns her living delivering food by bicycle (in spite of coming from the prestigious Croft family), she gets whooped in the ring during MMA practice, even gets arrested early in the film after a collision with a police car. Her father Richard (Dominic West), whom she was very close to, has been missing and presumed dead for the past seven years.

After a discovery in one of her father’s coveted Japanese puzzles, she literally discovers the key to possibly finding her father, who went on an expedition to an uncharted island to explore the tomb of Himiko, who was alleged to have the deadly ability to kill simply by touching someone. Banding together with a drunken sailor Lu Ren (Daniel Wu), they set sail for the island, but are captured by a group of archaeologists of the Trinity organization, headed by Mathias Vogel (Walton Goggins).

Tomb Raider’s only significant problem is its pacing. I mentioned a few paragraphs ago that the film is like a sprint, and I use that analogy for more than something that sounds catchy. Tomb Raider moves at an incredibly fast pace, as if the film is sprinting alongside Lara and her dangerous expedition. This is an adventure/thriller, so I understand the fast pacing, but it becomes a problem when the film should be slowing down for exposition or for dramatic moments that require a little slower pacing. Continuing the sprinting analogy, it’s like the film didn’t notice Lara stopping and kept running ahead – upon realizing that Lara is a ways back, the film dashes backward to catch up with her…only to find itself sprinting  alongside her again.

When Tomb Raider is appropriately sprinting along with Lara, the film’s biggest problem also serves as one of its two greatest strengths (we’ll get to the other very soon). The action sequences are truly incredible with the film’s wonderful energy. However, none of this would work without Alicia Vikander. I’ve never played a Tomb Raider game in my life, save for a Last Revelation demo on an old PlayStation Underground disc (remember those?). Therefore, I’m not sure how she does depicting the beloved video game character, but as far as her portrayal of the film’s version of Lara Croft, she absolutely nails it with her tough-as-nails spunk and charming wit. I was so excited to get to share this adventure with her every step of the way.

I do wish I could say everybody else was up to par with Vikander, but that’s not the case. On top of playing a character that is shoved to the side pretty quickly, Daniel Wu walks this weird line between trying too hard and not trying hard enough. It becomes kind of laughable when he tries to emote. Walton Goggins as the villain Vogel possesses zero presence, let alone menace. While I’m not a fan, at least there’s Nick Frost as a hilarious pawn shop owner – too bad he’s only in two scenes.

I’ve already mentioned that I’ve never played a Tomb Raider game, but to those that are completely foreign to the world of video games, don’t worry, as Tomb Raider never appears to be alienating or pandering in any way. That said, I am somewhat of a gamer, and I grew up on the PlayStation 1 era of games. Tomb Raider is filled to the brim with clever nods to a lot of the gaming trends from that time – a sequence involving a puzzle in a morgue was very reminiscent of a Resident Evil puzzle. There’s a brief sneaking scene that was rather reminiscent of Metal Gear Solid. Probably the best scene in the movie involves Lara, hands tied together by rope, being hurdled down the river heading straight for a waterfall, and her only means of salvation is the wreckage of a plane that looks like it’s from WWII (which is on the verge of collapsing any minute) – if you ever played games like Dragon’s Lair or Space Ace, you’ll be wondering where the prompts are to hit the button at the right time.

I reiterate that you don’t have to be a gamer to enjoy this movie, though there is a sort-of post credit sequence where Lara acquires a pair of items that would become legendary assets to the character in the franchise (I won’t spoil what they are, but fans of the series probably know what I’m talking about). Non-fans will probably be wondering about the significance, but they’ll get the idea that this is a sequel-bait tactic. As long as Vikander’s reprises the role, I’ll be in line for Lara’s next tomb raid.