Tomb Raider

Year: 2018
Director: Roar Uthaug
Cast: Alicia Vikander, Dominic West, Walton Goggins, Daniel Wu, Kristin Scott Thomas, Nick Frost


Plot: When Lara Croft discovers clues about her father's disappearance seven years ago, she goes on a dangerous expedition that pits her against a secret order who seek to unearth a mystical corpse with lethal powers.


Review: This reboot of Tomb Raider is itself based on the reboot of the video game in 2013, so those of you who know the game would find this very familiar.

In this film, Lara Croft isn't the badass Angelina Jolie made her out to be in the previous two movies. Here, she is a bike courier struggling to make ends meet, having left her inheritance behind after her father Richard disappeared seven years ago. When her father's associate reaches out to her and persuades her to claim her inheritance, she subsequently finds clues on her father's last expedition, leading her to believe he may still be alive. With the help of drunken sailor Lu Ren, she sets off to Yamatai island in Japan, only to run into trouble, in the form of the Order of Trinity, seeking to dig up a tomb her father is trying to keep away from the world.

On a whole, Tomb Raider borrows a lot of cues from the Indiana Jones films, especially Raiders Of The Lost Ark and The Last Crusade. But thanks to the firm direction of Norwegian director Roar Uthaug, it works mostly. Uthaug spends a good amount of time developing Lara's character, a tough young lady who faces a lot of adversity but is never afraid. Speaking of Lara, Alicia Vikander throws in a solid performance and makes her a likable and strong heroine, yet one who is vulnerable at times, unlike the over the top version Jolie was back then.

Uthaug also sets up a handful of action sequences, and while many of them are just so-so, the standout one would be Lara trying to escape a rundown airplane stuck on a waterfall. The sequence where Lara and Lu Ren are on a boat being capsized by strong waves comes a close second.

As for the supporting cast, they're a mixed bag. Dominic West is believable enough as Lara's dad, and while Daniel Wu does a good enough job as Lu Ren, he is little more than Lara's sidekick here. Walton Goggins seems a bit disinterested as Vogel, the film's villain, throwing in a rather standard performance. Kristin Scott Thomas is wasted in the role of Ana, Richard's associate, though I suspect she will show up in the sequel if there is one. Nick Frost nails his minor role as a pawnshop owner though, using his comedic skills well.

Overall, since I can hardly remember the first two Tomb Raider films, I'd say this reboot is quite entertaining. Judging by the way it ended, there's plenty of room for a sequel. Hopefully the next round will be somewhat less derivative of Indy's exploits. (7/10)