Since its first introduction, Tomb Raider has spawned several sequels and has seen an extension far beyond the confines of a screen to redefine gender in video games. It stands to reason then, that any film adaptation of the legendary Lara Croft would have the responsibility of meeting the lofty regard in which fans hold her.
While Tomb Raider has been adapted to the big screen, it has been more than a decade since Angelina Jolie, fairly successfully, stepped into the boots of Lara Croft. In 2018, the film franchise is rebooted with Roar Uthaug as director, with Academy Award winner Alicia Vikander at the helm.
With undoubtedly high expectations, fans of Lara Croft are likely to leave the cinema somewhat dissatisfied. Even if you were to ignore the bevy of plot holes and the fact that the narrative is crammed with explosions, chases, and stunts from the get-go; comes at a cost to the film as it fails to build to a genuine crescendo.
The tactic to dissociate the film from key game elements is ill conceived too. Even though she’s on the path toward becoming the greatest adventurer and archeologist, there is no fizz to this Lara’s personality, and there isn’t even a snippet of her characteristically caustic humour. And while the 2013 game did rejig the character’s backstory, fans of the franchise may feel that Uthaug and his writers were too liberal with some aspects that should’ve remained untouched.
Unfortunately, Tomb Raider won’t surprise you with its plot nor will it elevate the gaming film genre to new heights. But it does have one thing going for it: Alicia Vikander. With this script, she doesn’t have much to work with, but she conveys the toughness and emerging fierceness that makes her worthy of portraying the iconic character. There is definite potential for Vikander to make Lara Croft her own.
But such an idiosyncratic and classic character warrants more than a string of action sequences that, in combination, produces a rather unexceptional and uninspired action film. If there is a sequel, which seems likely, Vikander and Tomb Raider fans deserve a story they can sink their teeth into.
Screening Courtesy of Ster Kinekor Baywest.
