Film Review: Tomb Raider (2018)

Rating: 8.5/10
Genre: Action/Adventure
Related Titles: Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, Ready Player One, The Mummy
By Leanne Harragan

Hoping to solve the mystery surrounding her eccentric father's death, headstrong Lara Croft embarks on a dangerous mission to his last known whereabouts - a fabled tomb. The stakes and danger couldn't be higher as Croft ventures into the unknown. 

I feel there was a lot of unfair pressure put upon this film and a lot of comparison between Angelina Jolie and Alicia Vikander - and not the comparison of their acting ability or performance as Lara Croft. While I'm a fan of the original Tomb Raider I definitely think this grittier version may just steal the spotlight. 

We are immediately thrown into the 21st Century with Lara Croft as an Deliveroo cyclist The opening ten minutes really set the pace for the film. As Croft signs up to be the fox (hunted) in a bike race around London, her quick-wit and cheeky nature is shown and then her 
backstory is easily explained without it being narrated or shoved in wherever. Fast forward and she is travelling across the world with new sidekick Lu Ren hunting for their missing fathers and this is where the action really begins. 

This is easily one of the best video game-to-film adaptations I have seen; Warcraft, Battleships and Assassin's Creed are some of the worst films I've seen and even though I have a soft spot for the Resident Evil franchise, it is by no means good. This however actually felt like a video game, with the puzzles that needed to be solved, the hiding behind shelves and trees, rickety bridges, impossible leaps and unbelievable things that she got herself into. I think it's important to remember that is it based on a video game when going to see this one because it is so like a game.

For an action film it has everything you look for: guns, fighting, it's loud, it's fast and it has the always common trope of the bad guy/enemy being absolutely useless using their machine guns, whilst the hero of the film is a professional at a rarely used weapon. One thing that was nice was the lack of love interest. While Vikander and Daniel Wu (playing her sidekick Lu Ren) had great chemistry, there was no time to fully develop this, which leaves a nice potential love interest for the future. 

I particularly liked Vikander's performance as Croft because she brought something different to the role and she performed her own stunts which is always something that makes me respect the actor/actress that little bit more. One thing that really got my back up about this film, is the amount of crap that I've seen about her not being the right body type or being curvy enough to play the role. This is a thing that is never done when comparing male roles, no one compares the Bond actors based on their look or sex appeal. 

One final thing that I loved about this film was the costume design. Not only was this version of Lara Croft wearing full length trousers rather than booty shorts (super inappropriate for the things that she gets up to!) but her whole aesthetic was on point all the time. I eagerly await the sequel to this one and hope people go out and support this bad-ass film. 

Rating: 7.5/10
By Rebecca Mannick

I must first say that I was very sceptical of this Tomb Raider remake as I do think that Angelina Jolie was truly iconic as the original Lara Croft in 2001. (It also makes me feel way too old when I remember the original being released and now here we are watching the remake.) Anyway I really do think this is a very good movie and does the franchise justice. All the focus was on Alicia Vikander and I really feel she surpassed expectations. Her performance was spot on, charming and gritty. Even more impressive when she performed her own stunts. 

The action was there from the get go as you first see Lara living in East London as a deliveroo cyclist refusing to take her inheritance from her fathers business. There was an amazing sequence with a bicycle chase which from something so simple, set the audience up for an exciting movie. We then follow the action into the adventures that Croft takes herself on. She meets Lu Ren, a sailor in Hong Kong. I particularly like the relationship between the two characters. They are quick to make a connection without feeling too forced or any element of intimacy. From then on its all round action - whether its climbing up rock - faces or using her archery skills to kill it seems that there is nothing that Lara Croft can't do. Obviously it's extremely unbelievable as at the beginning of the movie you see her losing a boxing match, and then now she's an unbeatable badass. Unbelievable yet fine by me. 

If you're looking for a different take on a Lara Croft movie, then this probably isn't for you. It takes on the same formula of the previous franchise. Which could be viewed negatively, but for me they absolutely nail the execution. Everything is slick and the story is good and easy to follow. Alicia Vikander's performance holds this all together which is why this is such a great movie. Definitely one to watch and one for those skeptical, its worth going to see for sure.