I enjoyed it much more than Jolie's version but there is a lot less Tomb Raiding this time, its more of a survival movie. The action scenes are mostly what's already shown in the movie but they end up being really well put in the movie. Himiko's story arc is really well put and the actual Tomb raiding scenes, while nothing special, are entertaining. The main storyline seems to be the father daughter relationship which, while acted nicely, is just too predictable and sometimes breaks the flow of the movie. Character motives are also mostly useless which conflicts with the movie's overall tone. The biggest problem is that the movie isn't able to fully build the villain but the stakes are always being told to be "high".

Vikander gets the physicality right for the role and is great overall and doesn't go overboard, her scenes of first murder in jungle are great and believable, but she fails to nail the comic timing and the story doesn't give her enough justice to daughter-trying-to-save-aging-father. West is his usual self, Goggins and Wu are decent in their supporting roles, though the later is just shoed-in for luring Chinese audience, never given a closure or goodbye in the movie.

There is as expected setup for a sequel and I would like to see that one if it gets made.

6/10

This joins the first Resident Evil and Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (I don't care, I enjoy it!) as one of the best cinematic video-game adaptations. Not the most prestigious club, I admit, but still. Alicia Vikander is a sensational Lara Croft: at once tough and vulnerable, resourceful on a human scale, and beautiful without being objectified. And the film in general has a charming economy. It knows its job, and it does it well: there is an uninhabited tropical island...on this island is a heavily fortified, perilous tomb waiting to be raided...and a series of crisp, exciting set pieces brings Lara Croft to said tomb. There are several moments of genuine armrest-clenching, cliffhanger-style suspense, and the tone is mostly serious without falling victim to the hyper-stern pomposity which felled Assassin's Creed. Only the final few moments fall flat: no teasing of a hypothetical sequel would be best, but if they insisted, they should have devised a stronger angle than, "You will never believe this! The blandly friendly Kristin Scott Thomas character from the first act might be bad!"

B+

TOMB RAIDER

I was entertained by this film. I thought it was a nice beginning to a series which unfortunately doesn't look like they are going to continue. I thought Alicia Vikander was good in the role and performed it well along with all the stunt work. She really did work hard to become the role along with the fitness work involved. The story was actually interesting and I liked the Indy copy cattish puzzles at the tomb of this empress. The rest of the cast was good in their bad guy/good guy roles. I reall would like to see a sequel.

Grade - B

Really enjoyed it. B+/A-

Would love to see the sequel it sets up at the end.

I liked it a lot too. The opening thirty minutes that set Lara up as a real person, rather than just a badass with tits, makes all the difference for what is to come. She's very talented, but always comes up just a bit short due to the anchor of her father's ghost. And while this is a Tomb Raider movie about raiding tombs, it is really about getting closure for a parent's death. I've seen a lot of reviews complaining about Lara being reduced to this, but to me that makes her human and therefore much more interesting to follow. Why should I care if we just launch right into a tomb raiding? Vikander also breathes so much life into the role. Her reaction to her first kill is brief, but her face tells you everything you need to know. She is instantly haunted by, but still determined to do whatever necessary to save her father and herself.

The action is exciting, and I laughed quite a few times despite the movie never being overtly comedic. Goggins' villain is pretty basic, but this story isn't about him, he is just there to push the important people down their paths. And while the sequel tease was intriguing, I wish it wasn't included since we will probably never get the sequel.

This movie would have worked VERY well if Goggins' character was given justice and given the means to evolve. I am still hoping that we see a sequel to this Lara Croft, its OS numbers while not huge should get is past $200m+ and it could convert a lot of people in home-media so maybe it will generate enough interest for a sequel.

Tomb Raider

This CG-actioner is the best film in the Lara Croft film series. It has plenty of action and kineticism to the plot and sequences, and Alicia Vikander is fantastic. She goes through hell, but is made for this role. She is naive yet strong, and supremely sexy. It is basically an origin story, because while she does do lots of typical tomb raider-y stuff, she is also a bit young and stupid. I love the set up for the sequel, and very much hope it gets made. This could be a great franchise. But as fun as it was, it leaves a lot for sequels to mine, which hurts this first effort. There are too many night sequences. The shipwreck, the nightfall fight where Lara drowns a guard, and the entire ending inside the tomb were all difficult to follow. The Hong Kong chase and the waterfall sequence were far-and-away the better set pieces. Also, while there was a bit of tomb raiding and solving puzzles, there needed to be way more of this, and I feel it was missing a final, heroic action sequence. Much of the finale was inside the tomb and therefore dark (even more so due to the 3D glasses), and the film's outcome did not feel completely like a Lara Croft victory.

As far as performances go; Vikander is up there with the likes of Linda Hamilton (T2) and Uma Thurman (Kill Bill) in terms of action heroines, but she is also attractive, so for me she claims pole. Loved her in this. Dominic West is miscast as Lara's father, Richard Croft. It should have been someone with more clout and seniority. But Nick Frost supplied some levity as the pawn shop owner, in a role I hope (and think) will be expanded on in the sequel(s). Daniel Wu was just Daniel Wu. Walt Goggins was just Walt Goggins. A bit of a waste for those two - a disposable sidekick and, while ruthless, a standard-fare villain.

The film was quite obviously made with an eye on the Chinese market. Even though it was not blatant, there was enough in there (Daniel Wu, set in Hong Kong, the Chinese passport gag, the takeaway rider, etc.) which makes it even more dumbfounding that it pretty much bombed here.

B

Why is this thread bracketed with a year? As far as I'm aware, this is the only film called Tomb Raider.

Yeah, it shouldn't. Fixed it.

I thought this was ok. Sure it's one of the better video game adaptations, but it's not like that's saying much considering how many awful one's are out there. Alicia Vikander is easily the best thing about it though. She can really carry a film and while I wasn't sure about her being the lead in an action film at first I am pleased to say that she definitely has the charisma, likability and physical presence to pull it off. However, that's where the positives with this movie kind of end for me, because I found so much of it to be dull. The majority of the scenes on the island were a absolute snooze fest outside the Waterfall sequence and the ending in the Tomb. The action sequences in this are well staged, but I find it strange how the only sequence other than the Waterfall bit that even came close to actually even being a little thrilling or exciting was the foot chase in Hong Kong. Dominic West wasn't doing much for me either and I usually like him stuff, but I'd say he was miscast here and yet another film that doesn't know how to use Walton Goggins which is becoming increasingly frustrating.

C+

Yeah, it was okay.

B-

Dil's review actually says it all, but here's my write-up nonetheless.

Vikander is great as a young Lara Croft, but that's unfortunately the only really good thing this has going for it. It's otherwise just a pretty generic adventure action-er. The setting up of Lara in London and some action in the second half are aright, but for the most part I found it to be a pretty dull experience. With some decent emotional moments and a more serious tone it's better than the 2nd Jolie film, but this reboot never gets its feet of the ground in getting me excited about the story or the character's development. So it ends up rather weak in the end and I'd rank right between the Jolie films.

C

This movie appeals to me. I would say it is underrated. It has this nice, tough, no-B.S. quality. It sets out to do what a Tomb Raider film should do, and it does it crisply. Alicia Vikander deserves more praise for her portrayal of Lara Croft. In my estimation, she is a much more compelling female heroine than Gal Gadot's overpraised Wonder Woman. She is sexy without underlining and emphasizing it at every turn, and her physicality is believable.

Vikander certainly is good, I enjoyed watching her, and the comparison to Gadot is adept and she wins that hands down. I just couldn't get enamoured with anything around her.