“Tomb Raider” is a reboot of the 2001 and 2003 film franchise of the same name that starred Angelina Jolie in the role of Lara Croft. The reboot stars Alicia Vikander in the role of Croft, who at a young age, lost her father when he left for a trip to Asia.
The movie shows several montages that play an ode to the relationship between Lara and her father and seek to flesh out the relationship with them. The screenplay succeeds in this aspect as it creates several brief moments that draw the audience in with relative ease. Dominic West (Lord Richard Croft) is superb as he meets Vikander with the same level of vitality.
The sore spot for the character development of the movie, however, was the fact that the movie has been etched in the minds of audiences so many times (whether through the prequels or video games) that they are now numb.
Nevertheless, the film tugs along audiences into a plot that is supported by the main cast very well. The film touts the performances of Walter Goggins, Daniel Wu and Kristin Scott that supply the screen with believable performances, but lack in the real establishment of archetypes that connect.
The plot is progressed by Lara’s disbelief in her father’s death, wanting to connect with him if only one more time through seeing his body. The plot takes audiences on a journey that, like many other films, is treacherous and allows growth in the character of Lara Croft. This is the strength of the film as it allowed viewers the opportunity to become invested in Lara as a character. This was not experienced in the other iterations of the film that glamorized and exaggerated the body of Angelina Jolie as opposed to fleshing out her character.
Disappointingly, the score and soundtrack were subtle and detracted from the power of the overall script. Some moments in the film were so quiet that the silence seemed to shatter the eardrum as opposed to producing tension at the moment. Concurrently, when sounds are heard, they are bland and monotonous instrumentals that swell at the apex of the plot and decrease at pathos-driven moments.
The film is fun despite the few flaws that it presents and gives challenges that are like game puzzles that seem real, yet unsolvable in the short time the characters solve them. Along with this vein, the movie is more video game based, for which fans have lauded the reboot. The juxtapositions of the video game world and the movie play wildly into the nostalgia audiences feel despite the lack experienced in real life tension.
The film to date has received mixed to low reviews online and has only garnered 51 percent with critics on Rotten Tomatoes, which is meager to the 69 percent audience rating. Notwithstanding its reviews, the film as of March 20 has made $130 million at the box office against a $90 million budget but has yet to breakeven.
Challenging the film’s success are other films like “Love, Simon” that was released on the same weekend, which drew audiences more because of its LGBT premise. All in all, “Tomb Raider’s” reboot offers a new style to the movie franchise that focuses on the human element and source material for a riveting ride. What the film lacks in drawing audiences in, it pays off by paying homage to fans of the video game series.
3 out of 5 paws
