Tomb Raider

Videogame films have a long, storied history of being especially awful. 

The reason for this phenomenon remains a mystery to me but usually I think it boils down to 10-20 hour game plots being shoved (with little to no explanation) into a 2 hour film, awful scripts, and a lot of people behind the scenes working on films where that may not actually be their specialty. 

One of the most prime examples of this comes from Alicia Vikander's beau actually, Michael Fassbender's Assassin's Creed. Given the series it was based on, the amount of potential it carried was perhaps unparalleled in the videogame space. There was an "easy win" version of that film that would have been great, made sense, and continued a franchise. Instead it was horrendously average and forgettable, likely killing future plans and disappointing gamers around the world. 

Any time a game film comes around and looks great, similar to this new Tomb Raider, gamers collectively get cautiously excited and hold their breath. In the case of this new film -- it's an odd thing to think about (and speaks to Hollywood's focus right now) as it's a reboot of a film series based on the reboot of a game series that inspired the previous films (still with me?). 

Speaking of the games themselves, they're absolutely brilliant and examples of very successful reboots. I'd even go as far as to say they're better than the originals from a gameplay and story standpoint. Both the first game and its sequel are exciting games packed with a lot of content. And as of yesterday there's a third game on the way this September. Suffice it to say the games are in a healthy place at the moment. 

Enter the option for a movie deal based heavily on the first game -- some things are ripped straight from the game -- and you have, yet again, a bunch of gamers holding their breaths. Surprisingly though I actually think the new Tomb Raider is a good movie. It's not the savior we may all be looking for in the game-to-movie space, but it's easily one of the best ones ever, keeping in mind that's not exactly high praise. 

"You mean they made a reboot based on a reboot based on a game that inspired the films?"

Alicia Vikander:
gorgeous at literally everything she does

The biggest success of Tomb Raider is Alicia Vikander. She immediately makes an impression during the film's surprisingly strong start and her dedication to the role and earnest nature make her endearing. It adds more to the film than you may expect and I found myself experimentally asking "If you removed her from the film right now, what would happen?". Part of this is because she fits the avatar of the rebooted Lara Croft so well. They look, sound, and act the same and, much like this more realistic Lara in the game, Vikander establishes herself as an action-hero-by-chance here. Her Lara gets beat to s**t and there are times she's clearly in a lot of pain; this isn't an action hero that barely winces from a bullet wound. It's the type of dedication and fit in a role that makes you really hope that we get to see more of this version of Lara in the future. Very much unlike Fassbender's whoever-the-hell-he-was Assassin's Creed character. 

My complaints with the film lie a lot within its lulls as I found its action sequences mildly exciting. There's a very odd portion of the film that drags near the middle/end that essentially acts as the bridge from the start of the actual videogame and the climax/finale. That's roughly about 8 hours that they needed to "make up" what happened and it shows with a semi-awkward reveal and some very cliched moments of conversation. I've read a few reviews that say the plot doesn't make any sense, which is shocking to me as this is probably the most straight-forward game-to-movie plot we've gotten in some time. That anyone would get lost in it is odd, and I think, despite it's awkward bridge from beginning to end, its straight forward origin-story approach is refreshing in the sense that these game movies tend to over-complicate the hell out of everything.

Hang on for the sequel, Lara!

Tomb Raider is a film that may be defined by your expectations. Mine were optimistic and somewhat excited, but with a heavy dose of "It'll probably suck" hitched to the sentiment. What I received was a slightly above average, straight forward adaptation that myself, my girlfriend, and our theater seemed to enjoy. I don't know if any of us would seek it out to watch again until it makes it on TV someday, but I didn't leave disappointed and that's probably a first for me with videogame films. And even more impressive: I'd see another one if they made it. 

CONS

• A decent, semi-awkward lag between what was the beginning and the end of the game 
• Predictable, origin story plot 
• Some questionable special effects
• Probably about half the action is unexciting and generic

PROS

• Vikander owns the role and the willingness in her portrayal makes us like her almost immediately
• Features a really strong opening introduction to the character
• Most of the scenes ripped from the game are exciting and entertaining
• Straight forward adaptation of the story and doesn't over-complicate things like other game films
• Decent/good original score
• Mostly entertaining and successful adaptation of the highly-excellent games

Rath's Review Score | 7/10