Tomb Raider (2018)

[baumer]

Discuss the film, not the size of her breasts.  This is the film review thread.  Not the body shaming thread.

[Cap]

This isn't terrible!  It's such a relief!

 

Pros:

• Alicia Effing Vikander is perfect as Lara Croft.  I was gagging the whole time.  She's dynamic, completely owns that screen.  I so appreciate and love that the movie allows Lara have range of emotions -- she's strong, and she's weak; she's stoic one in one scene, and on the verge of a breakdown in the next.  It feels honest.  She isn't an invincible superhero. She is just trying to survive this insane situation by pretending everything is fine, only to break down when alone. (Which was SO RELATABLE.) . I really hope this movie does enough to warrant a sequel.  I want to see more of Alicia's Lara.

Meh:

• Daniel Wu as Lu Ren - I can't tell if he's a Pro or Con.  He's totally playing The Girl.  Part of me loves that, and I love that he's just following her around to look hot and be super supportive.  I chuckled.  Yet, I really would've liked for him to have more to do!

Cons:

• Pacing.  I don't know if I'd call it slow, but it doesn't have that relentless, heart-pounding exhaustion you felt while playing certain levels of the video game.
• The lighting in the tomb scenes was garbage.  Just because it's a dark tomb without light doesn't mean my screen needs to be black!  Why is this still a thing!

Video Game Nitpicks:

 

This is all stuff that has no barring on the actual movie, it's just elements of the adaptation, I would have preferred to see done differently:

• I get it's a lot cheaper to basically have four main characters than ten, I just wish they'd kept in the original Endurance crew.  Lu Ren is great, but Sam and Jonah would've been amazing.  This film adaptation skews masculine. It would've been refreshing if they'd used Lara's friendship with Sam instead of Richard Croft as the emotional crux of the film.
• WHY DID THEY REVEAL THE TRUTH ABOUT THAT CHARACTER AT THE END?!?!  That revelation was SUCH A BIG DEAL in Rise of Tomb Raider (aka the Sequel).  I was totally floored.  What a choice.

Grading on a Video Game Scale: B

[DeeCee]

I think she was good in the role but the movie was letdown by poor script choices and editing.  

 

Why did they have her dad’s narration at the start and then repeat the whole thing 5 minutes later?

 

I was hoping through the whole movie that her not signing all the documents wasn’t going to be a problem. 

 

Casting 101. When you cast Kristin Scott Thomas in a seemingly small role you telegraph to the audience that there’s more to her character. And trying trick me with Derek Jacobi didn’t work. 

 

The whole Lara refusing money bit was pushed to far just to get a Nick Frost in a cameo. 

 

 

[Captain Craig]

Grade: A-

 

Fans of action adventure films, never mind media adaptions to film, should find a solid 2hrs of fun with Tomb Raider.

You like The Mummy? You enjoy Indiana Jones(more ToD here) and National Treasure? Then even if you've never once played a Tomb Raider game(and I've not played one in 15yrs) this film delivers on the fun.

 

Pros

Alicia as Lara Croft - She brings her Oscar winning emotional bank to the character of Lara. I found her to be a very realized person and not just a personality. She wasn't bulletproof(like Indy) but had the mind of a savant(Gates). 

Dominic as Richard Croft - I was surprised here. Initially thought he might be in the MEH category but as his character unfolds I liked him more and more. The sacrificial play was something you can see coming. If for no other reason than if theres sequels his presence is a bit heavy. It's Lara Croft Tomb Raider not Croft Co. Tomb Raider

Scoggins as Vogel - he always plays a character you seem to love to hate doesn't he? Well he doesn't disappoint here. I'm not going to pretend his character is well developed although he is given a thimble size bit of backstory but he serves the role his character was created for: being the pushy asshole who needs you alive to do the grunt work.

 

That the bulk of the third act is not shown in trailers. The trailer sequences dominate Acts 1&2 with just a sprinkle of the third act. Her sliding under that rolling spear tipped log is one, running with the bow/arrow is another and turning the dials on the tomb cover. Other than that most of the third act is not spoiled in trailers. 

 

Meh

Wu as Lu Ren - his performance is fine he's just a hair above 2 dimensional. The character is given an inkling of motivation to help Lara charter the boat. Then by necessity to work against Vogel to stay alive. 

Kirsten Thomas as Ana Miller - her role as mentor to Lara is small. Her revelation at the end, while not surprising perhaps felt a bit forced. Oh, look its Obadiah Stane. 

 

Cons

Repeating the whole narrative of the Chinese Queen twice during the first 20minutes. The second act, sure. It was just done too close together.

I could've used a little more time in London in Act 1. Specifically to show me more of Lara in her gym setting, perhaps a rematch with the gal, showing us something else of her budding skill set. One might say adrenaline and raw knowledge let her beat some of those mercenaries, and I can buy that, just wanted more. We essentially got speed, agility, mixed martial arts and the flashbacks working her gray matter 

 

 

 

There is nothing post credits. I hope we get a sequel.

[DeeCee]

There was also no closure with her friends at the beginning. They introduce all these characters and then they just disappear for the rest of the movie. 

[Water Bottle]

Average.

 

C+

 

By the way, throughout the movie I couldn't help thinking this is the Arrow island flashback story but with a girl.

[DeeCee]

14 minutes ago, Water Bottle said:

Average.

 

C+

 

By the way, throughout the movie I couldn't help thinking this is the Arrow island flashback story but with a girl.

And the dad’s story had the same ending but with a different method. 

[afalconer7]

It’s watchable but very forgettable. C+

[baumer]

I'm with all of you.  Loved Vikander in this.  She looks fantastic and played the role like a boss.  

The action was good but it all felt kind of hollow in a way.  

I too didn't see why they repeated the story twice.  We already heard the story of the queen, why repeat it?

Goggins was good.

Daniel Wu could have been given more to do.

I also think the final fight with Goggins could have been better.

 

It's a fun movie but there's definitely something missing.  Good, not great.

 

7/10

[BK007]

Only good thing about this, and the only reason I watched it in the first place, was because of Vikander.

 

Otherwise, it's a damn sorry sight that screenwriters this poor continue to get work.

 

Adventure and sci-fi films are almost the reason movies took off in the first place, and yet such shitshows continue to be produced.

 

Dumb story, recycled dialogue, sad waste of talent.

 

[DeeCee]

I really love her in the role. I just hope they make a sequel with a new competent writer, director and editor. 

[Captain Craig]

On 3/16/2018 at 6:27 PM, DeeCee said:

There was also no closure with her friends at the beginning. They introduce all these characters and then they just disappear for the rest of the movie. 

Did there need to be?

My take was that they are only set up in the first act to establish that Laura has been living independently, away from her just inheritance and making a life of her own. Once she gets that first clue in the puzzle box she becomes fixated on figuring out just what the larger puzzle is that her Dad was involved in. 

 

Would a shawarma scene at the end with her recapping the details of the last few weeks to her London friends have really made the film more satisfying in some way?

[K1stpierre]

Saw this yesterday with my mom. Coming in I have very little knowledge of Tomb Raider as I never saw the 2001 version and only remember very little of the game that was ages ago for the playstation 1. I think Vikander was probably the best thing about this movie, not to say that the movie was bad or terrible, but I think had it been a less stronger actress the movie would of been completely forgettable. The Villian in this, Vigol? I think it was, was just okay for me. I mean, you get the idea that he's a corporate business man that just wants shit done, however it would of been nice for a bit more about him (or even to know more about Trinity). And to me, I don't get why he didn't just kill Laura right from the start. He had the info he needed, she didn't really have anything else he'd need other than her physical attributes but I mean, is it really worth the risk of keeping her around? Seemed weird to me. 

 

There were some points in the movie where you could totally see ahead of what was to come. For example I knew 100% her dad wasn't dead one bit and that she'd run into him at some point. Also, I knew when her dad went after her (or to the temple who knows) I knew there was going to be some held at gunpoint scene which would force them to open the tomb.......the whole dad sacrifice I saw coming.......it's not the end of the world but it did feel a bit boring when you're consistently ahead of the movie knowing what's going to happen as it made it too easy. In terms of the pacing I did feel like the beginning was a tad bit too slow, and to be honest I never really felt the film reached any big climax or thrill save for a few hand to hand fight scenes. I guess I expected more (like say the old Mummy movies) intense action or even some cool supernatural beings. Again, I could be wrong and that might have nothing to do with Tomb Raider but it's what I had in mind.

 

Again, not a terrible film but not really that memorable. It was however good enough for me to want me to see a sequel to this and hope it improves upon some of the weak points of the movie and keeps what made this enjoyable.

 

I'd say a B-, 7/10 

[Webslinger]

The decision to reboot Tomb Raider makes sense - the original films were ludicrous misfires whose stupidity was too great for a young and charismatic Angelina Jolie to overcome - but the decisions in this new spin on the character are curious. Rather than launch into the badass action one would expect from a video game adaptation, we get a paint-by-numbers origin story that works as hard as possible to strip Lara Croft of her expertise and confidence; as bad as the previous films may have been, at least they leaned into Croft's knowledge that she had the privilege and assurance to tackle any challenge. To the film's credit, its storyline is merely boring, as opposed to a stupid, logic-defying, head-scratching slog, and it tries to have genuine emotional stakes with the addition of a significant subplot involving Croft's father. The narrative never really takes flight, but it avoids becoming overly dumb or convoluted until its sequel-baiting final twist. Like the original films, the titular performance is by far this outing's strongest aspect. Alicia Vikander tries her damndest to bring multiple dimensions to an underwritten character, and she's surprisingly effective in the more action-oriented segments of the film. Like Jolie, her comfort in the role makes me wish she had a stronger script to support her work. (And as a card-carrying feminist, I must express relief that the filmmakers don't indulge anywhere near as much in the male gaze as they did in the Jolie films; there may be plentiful cleavage, but at least they didn't pad Vikander's bra to comical proportions.) Unlike Jolie, her relationship with her onscreen father - played here by Dominic West - is affecting and lends urgency to the plot that the "chase the MacGuffin" plot doesn't achieve on its own. While it clears the low bar its predecessors set, Tomb Raider isn't exactly a good movie. I'm sure we'll see a good video game adaptation someday, but this one isn't it.

 

C

 

Stray Thoughts:

 

- I don't know what got me thinking this way (Investment in queer culture? Seeing Atomic Blonde on HBO when I got back home? Both?), but I really want the next onscreen iteration of Lara Croft to be lesbian or bi. Too bad things weren't great for LGBTQ+ representation when the openly bi Angelina Jolie had the role way back when. The fact that this film didn't feel the need to give her an obligatory male love interest (fun fact no one remembers these days: Daniel Craig was said love interest in the 2001 film) just leaves the door open for such a spin.

 

- Walton Goggins was woefully miscast. I know he played a morally dubious character in The Hateful Eight, but I just couldn't take him seriously as the lead villain here.

[Frozen]

Alicia was great in the role. Honestly all the acting was superb. However the ending felt like a letdown. I was expecting this epic battle with a supernatural mummy queen and then they are like "Oh no, she was just sick and killed herself. Now let me blow up the tomb while my beloved daughter is still inside!"

[Filmtronic]

Lara Croft isn't an easy character to portray because the character has such a cult following. So well Done Alicia Vikander! This Lara Croft is believable, she has a compact strong build which adds to the authenticity of the character. I guess the producers of this movie got it right by casting Alicia Vikander who is used to more serious drama movies.

 

The introductory scenes/back story before Lara Croft becomes a Tomb Raider is what made this movie special. The audience is given time to like and empathize with the lead character. Then as she becomes an explorer you go on the ride with her. Brilliant. What a great action movie and it will take you back to the original Indian Jones movies because you barracked a lot for that lead character to survive too! An action packed 1hr 58min.

www.filmtronic.com - Film Reviews and Computer Games

Edited April 3, 2018 by Filmtronic

[Claire of Themyscira]

I stan.

 

Miss Vikander DID that.

 

Fuck, y'all.

 

A.

[MattW]

Too many cliches to really enjoy.  Wasn't bad, but wasn't good either.  It's nice that Walton Goggins and Dominic West are working though, two of my favorites there.

[somebody85]

This was such a frustrating experience knowing the potential of the source material. I honestly couldn't stop rewriting the movie in my head in a way that would have been a lot more fun and still paid tribute to the 2013 reboot that it borrows heavily from. I don't understand why studios are having this much trouble with these adaptations. It's not this fucking difficult to make another Indiana Jones style of adventure. The scenes that replicate the set pieces from the rebooted game are entertaining but those sequences are few and far between. Everything else (aka the majority of the film) is hot garbage.
 

As far as acting, Alicia Vikander makes an excellent Lara Croft but she is not really given any room to breathe and have fun with the character. As someone who recently played both of the recent Tomb Raiders, this film really does them a massive disservice. There's a point in the third act where a henchmen asks "Where's the floor?' immediately after a long set piece that involves him standing on said floor watching it collapse in a puzzle style trap. The games don't have great writing but Jesus, at least it's not that bad. Maybe an Uncharted movie shouldn't happen. They somehow managed to screw up something that should have been easy. - D

Edited June 9, 2018 by somebody85

[somebody85]

On 3/23/2018 at 2:29 PM, K1stpierre said:

Saw this yesterday with my mom. Coming in I have very little knowledge of Tomb Raider as I never saw the 2001 version and only remember very little of the game that was ages ago for the playstation 1. I think Vikander was probably the best thing about this movie, not to say that the movie was bad or terrible, but I think had it been a less stronger actress the movie would of been completely forgettable. The Villian in this, Vigol? I think it was, was just okay for me. I mean, you get the idea that he's a corporate business man that just wants shit done, however it would of been nice for a bit more about him (or even to know more about Trinity). And to me, I don't get why he didn't just kill Laura right from the start. He had the info he needed, she didn't really have anything else he'd need other than her physical attributes but I mean, is it really worth the risk of keeping her around? Seemed weird to me. 

 

There were some points in the movie where you could totally see ahead of what was to come. For example I knew 100% her dad wasn't dead one bit and that she'd run into him at some point. Also, I knew when her dad went after her (or to the temple who knows) I knew there was going to be some held at gunpoint scene which would force them to open the tomb.......the whole dad sacrifice I saw coming.......it's not the end of the world but it did feel a bit boring when you're consistently ahead of the movie knowing what's going to happen as it made it too easy. In terms of the pacing I did feel like the beginning was a tad bit too slow, and to be honest I never really felt the film reached any big climax or thrill save for a few hand to hand fight scenes. I guess I expected more (like say the old Mummy movies) intense action or even some cool supernatural beings. Again, I could be wrong and that might have nothing to do with Tomb Raider but it's what I had in mind.

 

Again, not a terrible film but not really that memorable. It was however good enough for me to want me to see a sequel to this and hope it improves upon some of the weak points of the movie and keeps what made this enjoyable.

 

I'd say a B-, 7/10 

If you had played either recent game, you would see what they could have done to make this work. The funnest scenes in this are when Laura is hanging from something and the scene in the river is very similar to something that happens in the 2013 reboot.

Everything was just wrong here outside of Vikander. They don't even set up why she would know what she does. The opening 15 minutes or so (before they get to the China dock) is completely pointless and they could have spent that time showing Laura actually being an archaeologist and studying this stuff. Or training on the boat on the way to some treasure while reciting history to a friend while she's boxing. So many perplexing writing choices from people who don't get the games.

I have no idea why they went with the father thing when it would have worked so much better if they just set up Laura as a young adventurer (her father easily could have still been alive). Laura wasn't just searching for her father in Rise. She was also searching for what he was. And the island (along with the god) was ripped right from the 2013 reboot which really had nothing to do with her father.

Edited June 9, 2018 by somebody85