Tomb Raider

Is it the end of the adventure film? For so long the bastion of blockbuster filmmaking and home to early classics but beaten out by its CGI-heavy relatives sci-fi, fantasy and, of course, the superhero in recent times.

There’s still something nostalgic and homely about a well made action-adventure but all too often recently they’ve suffered critical malaise and dwindling box office fortunes. Last year’s Tom Cruise-led The Mummy being the latest big example (despite being a fun film.)

The last ray of light for the genre could well be Tomb Raider; the latest attempt to update the iconic Lara Croft but it seems to have already been hit with the critical stick in some quarters.

The other much-maligned cultural brick this attempts to hold up is the videogame movie, something that Hollywood is still yet to get quite right.

This is probably the best videogame adaptation yet made (ignoring game-influenced fare like Wreck-It Ralph and Scott Pilgrim vs. The World) and is certainly the best Lara Croft brought to the big screen; surpassing Angelina Jolie’s pair of films from the early noughties.

It doesn’t quite feel, though, that 15 years (!) have passed since the last of those was released. It feels much more like a remake of those films than a true reimagining. The plot is strikingly similar, the flashbacks feel archaic and the vaguely ‘supernatural’ feel to proceedings (despite the nice direction the plot takes in this respect) seems old-hat.

The superior elements then? Well, Lara Croft herself first of all. As iconic as Jolie’s portrayal remains, Alicia Vikander’s modernised incarnation feels like the true iteration of the legend. Far closer to her PlayStation counterpart, and much more rounded as a character, Vikander gives a physical, forceful performance and enhances her burgeoning reputation.

She’s quite clearly the best thing here but is let down hugely by the film around her. It’s almost as if it’s trying to be all things to all people: a good adaptation of the game? Yes, the ‘platforming’ sequences feel suitably game-like and are shot brilliantly; lots of long takes and sprawling camerawork but if this is for the fans then why force the audience to endure a turgid opening third of Lara at home in London which, whilst slightly revamping her origin, is largely irrelevant?

So perhaps a franchise opener then? That would bring some sense to the lengthy opening and the subtle illusions to a larger, sinister corporation but why waste the other characters? Walter Goggins’ villain seems initially like a Silva-from-Skyfall-style relatable bad guy with, ultimately, intentions to get back to his family but all too quickly descends into cold-blooded psychopath. Sidekick character Lu Ren, who transports Lara to the crux of the movie; a long-lost island which her Father was researching, again starts interestingly with his similar backstory but becomes a dead-shot, one-note hero by story end.

A role model character for a generation then? Lara Croft has always matched this billing, and exceeds it here as a true independent, it’s just a shame the plot feels so obvious and lacklustre in comparison to our intrepid explorer.

There’s some good plot developments and, as aforementioned, some of the action sequences really hit the spot and hit home with a relentless pace but it all too quickly shrivels into derivative action cliché once the other characters need to propel the plot.

A mindless actioner doesn’t do service to the character; ironically her twin-gun toting, much criticised iteration of Tomb Raider: The Angel Of Darkness may be the way the franchise goes should a sequel materialise and this, aligning her more with a Bruce Wayne (she already has the fortune, hidden dealings behind a major corporation, penchant for black clothes and even a kinda-Batcave) seems like the true revolutionary step; but how would fans take to this?

It’s a great Lara Croft in a slightly dull and one-note film. Big props to an artist I was hugely vocal about last year: K.Flay, who supplies the film’s theme song over the closing credits as well.

Finally, a good videogame film but the feeling can’t be shaken that the adventure genre is as buried as the tombs Lara raids.

3 stars ***