Tomb Raider Review - Alicia Vikander Reboot Explodes With Intense, Fast Action, Suspense

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Category: Film

Published on Saturday, 17 March 2018 21:15

Written by Janet Walker

Tomb Raider, from Warner Bros and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, presents the story of adventurer Lord Richard Croft, and his only child, a kick-ass, take no prisoners, dare devil, who sets off to find the truth about his disappearance.

Directed by Roar Uthaug, Tomb Raider, stars Alicia Vikander, Dominic West, Walton Goggins, Daniel Wu, Kristin Scott Thomas, Derek Jacobi, Hannah John-Kamen, Alexandre Willaume, Nick Frost and Michael Obiora. Tomb Raider was written by Geneva Robertson-Dworet and Alastair Siddons, based on a story by Evan Daugherty and Robertson-Dworet.

Tomb Raider begins with Lara, played by Alicia Vikander, sparring at a local gym with a kick boxing champ, even as she manages to land a few, she is taking more, determined to win to the very end she finally taps out and the match is called.

A bicycle messenger in London, she belongs to a club of reckless city riders who whip through traffic, weaving, darting and generally creating hazard on the road for everyone especially themselves and on this day she is the fox in an extreme street cycling foxhunt. Flipping over a bobbies car she wipes out and ends up at the local precinct.

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Met by Ana Miller, played by Kristen Scott Thomas, once her guardian now an Executive at Croft Industries, she explains for the umpteenth time she doesn’t need to money she would have won if she would just sign the papers officially acknowledging the death of her father which transfers the estate to her.

Finally deciding its time. She meets with Mr. Yaffe, played by Derek Jacobi, the company’s lawyer and Ana, and just as she lifts pen to paper, Mr. Yaffe also hands her a gift, a puzzle. Drawn in she immediately begins to fiddle with the spring trap puzzle until the hidden center springs up containing a message.

Soon she is following the clues left behind until she finds her father’s hidden office with decades of research on ancient artifacts. He has also left her a video of himself explaining that if she is watching this then he must be dead and it is imperative that she follow his explicit instructions and burn everything.

More consumed with finding her father than following his instructions as if he’s dead than he’ll never know and if he is not then he’ll be ecstatic she found him that his instruction, as defined as they are won’t really matter.

Finding what she believes is the definitive clue she sets off. First stop Tokyo where she meets Lu Wren, played by Daniel Wu, who’s dad also disappeared seven years ago when Lord Richard Croft played by Dominic West, chartered his father’s boat.

Now Lara and Lu Wren are facing the most dangerous waters in the South China Sea looking for an uninhabited and uncharted island hoping to bring closure to years of mental torture and anguish.

Alicia Vikander kicks ass as Lara Croft. She proves she is an action star. The reboot does justice to Lara Croft series, and her predecessor, and gives the fans the tough and tender girl, determined, strong as nails, ripped abs, high on risk sports and willing to stare down hell to find the truth.

Needless to say I really enjoyed the film. Alicia Vikander fills the screen, her close up’s even messy are captivating.

Daniel Wu, and the supporting cast, Dominic West, Walton Goggins, Kristin Scott Thomas, even as the film really rests on Vikander, provide the layers that pulls the audience into the story and yanks on the heartstrings.

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Tomb Raider clearly raises the bar in the Lara Croft action adventure series with heightened suspense, new stunts, a fresh face female action star, and an uncommon onscreen pairing that works.

Over the top with special effects and stunts from simple extreme cycling and kickboxing, to the shipwreck and more technical as the film becomes a race for survival the Director of Photography and stunt coordinator, along with six Lara Croft stunt doubles, and all deserve mention.

As a high adventure drama, Tomb Raider, unlike other adventure films doesn’t have the moments of humor to take the edge off as the floor is falling away or any of the other ancient traps protecting the burial site spring to life.

Tomb Raider has all the intensified, heightened suspense, fast action and roller coaster thrills one would expect. The story does have high body count, forced slavery, point blank kills, fighting, combat, and conflict.

Tomb Raider explodes into the box office March 16, 2018