Words Glenn Blomfield
Well…umm…gosh…what can I say? It’s ah… simply not that impressive, is a way to start I guess. Tomb Raider just didn’t work for me, or is it because I am spoilt of loving Raiders Of The Lost Ark, a great treasure hunt from my youth?
Lara Croft, the computer generated athletic beauty, the envy of every teenage boy gamer in the 90s is back. A young woman in her early 20’s, she strives to prove her independence, also having lost her mother (RIP) her father has been missing for the last seven years, leaving her on a quest to find treasure and the mystery of some old supernatural Japanese myth, such in such and blah blah. The myth has no real relevance, actually it doesn’t really matter what the story is about, just that Lara Croft must find herself to find her Father, and embark the heroes journey, full off tribulations and tasks to overcome.
As you can see the story is fill of deep and meaningful stuff (NB: I am being sarcastic). Lara Croft is played by the efficient youthful actress Alicia Vikander, taking place of the role that once was played by Angelina Jolie. Alicia Vikander has done great work in previous films like Ex Machina, she gives her all in this film, however, it just doesn’t have anywhere to go; she does have the action chops going for her however.
The way the movie is made annoyed me, in the sense, when it came to action scenes, and there are plenty abound, the geography of the camera and editing style is rather confusing. A couple of times I wondered what the heck was actually going on. The action is so frenetic you know something action-wise is going on, but what the hell is happening onscreen is very hard to follow. You just have to accept the kinetic energy and feel its false adrenalin pumping action. Certainly, for this reviewer I wasn’t buying it, it was like cheating, taking away substance over content.
It is obvious that Tomb Raider is designed to start a new franchise of movies, Lara Croft feels more like Hunger Games, and the Goonies on a treasure hunt. More than anything, it’s like Raiders Of The Lost Ark, which I use as a comparison, because to me, it’s a great blockbuster adventure treasure hunt movie, that Tomb Raider just doesn’t measure up to. There is certainly a lot of bang for your buck on screen, but what exactly, I couldn’t certainly see it.
Tomb Raider is a misfire, average in sense of a story, tries too hard to be exciting. I miss my action films where you can actually feel and see what is going on, and believe in the characters involved, having fun along the way. Will there be more Tomb Raider films? wait and see what the audience and the Box Office have to say, but sorry, it won’t have my vote. I will keep hunting for the elusive enjoyable, action-adventure movie elsewhere.