Not all mediums are created equal. You can adapt a book into a movie or a book into a comic book or a comic book into a movie. You cannot adapt a movie into a book or a movie into a video game, or perhaps most notable, a video game into a movie. The problem with adapting a video game into a movie is that video games borrow from movies liberally. You cannot adapt a video game without it feeling like another movie. TOMB RAIDER 2018 is no exception, borrowing beats heavily from Indiana Jones, specifically THE LAST CRUSADE. The movie is good, truthfully. Video game movies have set a low bar in the past, with truly awful films like ASSASSIN’S CREED poisoning the well in recent years. TOMB RAIDER is good, but good by the standards of a video game movie means maybe a 5 out of 10.
Lara Croft (Alicia Vikander) is treading water in London to avoid taking control of her father’s (Dominic West) estate, because it would mean confirming that he is dead. When she is finally bought back to the estate by her guardian (Kristin Scott Thomas), she goes to search for what her father was seeking when he disappeared.
The strong elements here are Alicia Vikander’s performance and Roar Uthaug’s direction. These are the two things about TOMB RAIDER 2018 that people will actually talk about. Video game movies are never really directed that cohesively, Uthaug’s action is fun, it is propulsive and engaging. He is a relative unknown and is a pleasant surprise behind the camera. Vikander has a genuine energy, early on in the movie she is exchanging exposition with another character and Vikander isn’t bored, there’s a certain sparkle in her eyes and easy confidence. Vikander offers the kind of performance where you are sold that she could helm a sequel with an interesting and original script.
The movie has problems, even though it is a “good video game movie”, it is still deeply flawed. For one Walton Goggins is bored beyond sense as the villain. This is confusing, as Goggins is well known for being an actor that will chew the scenery in any role he’s given; except for TOMB RAIDER, apparently. Most of the other members of the cast are serviceable, Daniel Wu and Dominic West do B- grade work in a film where they could have feasibly done A- work. The thing about an Indiana Jones movie is that even the tertiary characters are memorable, you remember John Rhys Davies in RAIDERS, even though he’s barely in it, and you remember Belloq, even though, despite being the villain, he’s largely a non-presence. The script for TOMB RAIDER is not good enough build this great ensemble.
TOMB RAIDER 2018 is a great ‘hangover’ movie. It’s not a masterpiece: but if you’re half asleep, on the couch early in the morning, the TV’s on, this movie is playing, and you just don’t feel like changing the channel… you’ll be fine.
Written by Jeff Turner
