Reviewed by Victor Rebikoff.
This exciting action-packed reboot of the screen adaptation of the video game from Norwegian director Roar Uthaug (‘The Wave’) is entirely different from the version released some 17 years earlier featuring Angelina Jolie as ‘Lara Croft Tomb Raider.’
Taking the place of the striking Jolie is the academy award winning Swedish actress Alicia Vikander (‘Tulip Fever’) portraying the directionless daughter of eccentric adventurer Lord Richard Croft (Dominic West –‘The Square’) who is determined to find her missing father.
In this latest reincarnation, Lara first shows up as a bicycle courier traversing the busy streets of London refusing to accept any of the Croft wealth until informed that it is time for her to inherit the family fortune.
Although reluctant at first, Lara is convinced by Ana Miller (Kristin Scott Thomas –‘Darkest Hour’), a Croft executive, to finally take over the reins of the Croft global empire after vanishing seven years ago.
Suspicious of his mysterious disappearance, Lara decides to find her missing father after locating a letter and video message in his study informing her of his journey to Hong Kong then Yamatai in search of Himiko, an ancient sorceress.
Believing this to be Croft’s final destination, Lara heads to Hong Kong where she persuades Lu Ren (Daniel Wu –‘Geostorm’) to take her in his boat to the island before being shipwrecked.
With both held hostage by the villainous Mathias Vogel (Walton Goggins –‘Diablo’) they soon learn that he has been on Yamatai for seven years for the sole purpose of hunting down Himiko’s long-lost tomb to discover its deadly secrets.
But that is not the only surprise awaiting Lara after expending her skills to escape from her captors using her bow and arrow to release Lu Ren and other prisoners prior to attempting to stop Vogel from unleashing Himiko’s powers.
Uthaug’s revival of the Lara Croft franchise is considered to be a far more realistic rendition than the 2001 release complemented by its cinematic settings (essentially shot in South Africa) and Vikander excelling in her arduous role.
In many respects Vikander adds a certain humanity in her portrayal as Lara Croft compared to that of Jolie, while West and Goggins do particularly well in their respective roles.
Undoubtedly the 2018 version of ‘Tomb Raider’ is an enjoyable action adventure with many entertaining scenes primarily driven by the vivacious Vikander.
Vic’s Verdict: 4 Stars
