Tomb Raider

TOMB RAIDER

Director : Roar Uthaug

Year : 2018

Genre : Action

Rating : ***1/2

While the ratio of good to bad video game movies certainly falls to the former, there are a few exceptions. 'Tomb Raider' is one of them. Adapted from the recent reboot by Square Enix and directed by Norwegian genre-specialist Roar Uthaug, this affectionately referential action spectacular sends the iconic Lara Croft on an adventure that has far more threat and action than the two previous cinematic efforts and as a result, is an infinitely more engaging and entertaining experience. Stepping into the muddied boots once occupied by Angelina Jolie, Academy Award winner Alicia Vikander is terrific in the central role of Lara, the fearless daughter of a renowned explorer (Dominic West) who must follow in his footsteps to prevent a horrendous catastrophe falling upon the planet. While the film may walk in the tremendous shadow of the 'Indiana Jones' series, 'Tomb Raider' manages to stand out amongst the torrent of terrible video game movies thanks to several thrilling action scenes (a brilliantly executed bike chase set on the streets of London is a particularly hair-raising highlight) and a barnstorming turn from Vikander. Much of the CGI fails to convince and the two dimensional villain portrayed by Walter Goggins certainly leaves much to be desired. However, when you're having this much fun with the surprisingly violent action sequences and the stunning spectacle, such criticisms fall by the wayside. 'Tomb Raider' may not be a masterpiece of any kind but it is a heck of a good way to spend two hours in the cinema and proves to moviemakers that, contrary to the evidence, video games can be successfully translated to the cinema screen.