Review Summary: Pulls out all the stops, but could have been more creative and compelling.
I enjoy a good action movie. A movie with jump scenes, insane stunts and just a good old sense of suspense. I had seen snip-its of Angelina Jolie's previous version of Lara Croft, and I was annoyed at how she was basically being treated as a seductress. In this version, I was excited to see a female action hero that presented just a strong, independent woman, instead of just being out there to get inappropriate attention.
That being said, however, as an action film, Tomb Raider follows just about every action movie cliche and idea in the Hollywood manual. That yields a mixed bag right off the bat. The movie itself is perfectly...fine. It works well on some levels and definitely provides the excitement and thrills you would expect. But, at the same time, it's not complex or deep, and features hardly any surprises.
As far as Croft herself is concerned, Alicia Vikander does a very good job portraying this character. She's tough, stubborn, and also appropriately emotional at the right moments. There's a few scenes where I definitely could see her becoming a female version of Tom Cruise. A few of the stunts pulled here are pretty intense. As her father, Dominic West successfully channels the emotion and integrity necessary.
As for the villain, Walton Goggins tries, but doesn't offer nearly enough to be memorable. We hear ideas of his rivalry with Croft's Father, but we never actually see or quite get why he has a grudge against him. A few flashback scenes of both of them probably would have helped (as the flashbacks that were present did in helping developing Lara's character). Daniel Wu has decent chemistry with Vikander, but he disappears for far too long between the second and third acts.
The action sequences provide a tempting blend of real life stunts and CGI effects. With the exception of the tomb invasion at the end of the film, the film really doesn't rely much on digital aid. Most of the time it does leave you hanging in suspense. (Thankfully, there's also a few breaks in between to help us catch our breath.) These scenes are accompanied nicely at times by Tom Holkenborg's score. The tomb invasion scenes do provide the intensity you would be looking for in a movie like this (booby traps, a couple of jump moments and a few interesting puzzles).
The film's story, on one hand, leaves quite a bit to be desired. While Croft is developed decently, the script is too basic. It's not bad, it's just very safe. On the positive side, the script includes little in the way of language or adult jokes. But on the negative side, there's no dialogue here that really comes across as much more than what you would expect out of an average video game (perhaps that's to be expected from an adaptation of one, however). There's only one scene in Raider that engaged me emotionally or went in a slightly different direction than what I expected (you'll know it when you see it).
However, the film's pace is very solid throughout. There's no extended slow stretches and it never feels too long. There are a couple of out-of-place moments with a self-absorbed pawn shop owner (played by Nick Frost). These two quick scenes are meant to try to be humorous, but they are (thankfully) short. The film does manage to get off to a strong start in introducing Croft, with an entertaining bike race. And it does end very strong with an interesting cliffhanger (of sorts) to give us the exciting idea of a potential sequel. (The end credits song is weird and annoying, however)
So, as I implicated earlier, Tomb Raider is a decent movie. That might sound like a major win for a movie based on a video game (that genre has had a shaky history in terms of overall reception). But, it's not anything special or spectacular. The film definitely could have used more of a creative boost. But, for fans of the character and anyone looking for a serviceable action flick, it's at least an entertaining ride.
My Score: 6.9/10
Content Concerns for Family Viewing: Tomb Raider is rated PG-13 for "sequences of violence and action, and for some language." The violence here isn't graphic, but can be very intense at times. A shipwreck involves Lara and Lu Wren getting battered before jumping ashore. Someone threatens Lara with a knife twice. She holds an attacker in a choke hold and literally drowns another somewhat violently in a mud puddle. During one escape, we soon notice she was pierced with an arrowhead. She pulls it out (we see a little blood). Lara takes many dangerous tumbles throughout the film, hitting trees, rocks, and metal while falling. She hangs precipitously many times too. An old plane comes apart and breaks. Someone is shot and killed with a gun after trying to get out of work due to being deathly ill. People are also hit by arrows. In the tomb, a scary corpse (not gory in any way) leans upwards unexpectedly (it's activated by a gearshift). We see in pictures a few somewhat disturbing images about the dead queen being discovered in the tomb. A deadly disease begins to spread among three of the workers, causing their veins and skin to turn black and their faces to disfigure slightly. A sharp blade impales a worker. A floor falls apart. Sharp blades nearly dispose of Lara. Someone is shot in the leg. Etc.
Language includes five uses of the s-word, two of d---, and one each of h---, g--d--- and "for g--'s sakes". Lara wears a cleavage-revealing tank-top during most of the journey, but there are no lingering or ogling shots of her throughout the film. A main character is shown to have a drinking habit (its not glorified). One other character treats Lara very rudely in a pawn shop.
