Hollywood is notorious for never throwing anything
away. Even when they apparently squeeze the last drop of box office
dollars from a franchise, it is left dormant until they can re-use it.
‘Tomb Raider’ is a good example. After the success of the previous two
films featuring Angelina Jolie, the ‘Tomb Raider’ series rises from the
cinematic depths. Based on the popular computer game series, the films
aren’t high art but prove old ideas are always recycled for new generations.
Lara Croft (Alicia Vikander) is a care-free daughter of her
adventure-seeking father Richard (Dominic West). Several years after he
disappears and leaves his fortune to her, Lara aims to discover the
truth. Armed with an assortment of deadly weapons and her wits, she
travels to the wilds of the Japanese coast. Landing on one of its
mysterious islands, her mission quickly descends into chaos. With other
organisations wanting to find Richard for their own evil ends, time is running
out for Lara to save her father and herself.
‘Tomb Raider’ is heavily formulaic filled with a plethora of
action. Anyone keen to watch a skimpily clad lady do death-defying feats
will find much joy. That doesn’t mean ‘Tomb Raider’ is a total disaster
as it has some good points. One of them is Vikander who effectively embodies
her character’s spit-fire persona. Whilst she has vulnerabilities, her
determination to see things through comes across well. Vikander is the
best of the cast with her co-stars wildly over-acting a conventional script.
The aptly named Roar Uthaug directs with flair. He’s
clearly been hired for his action finesse and ability to generate
tension. The screenplay is straight out of the ‘Indiana Jones’ textbook
with ‘Tomb Raider’ and also echoing cliffhanging 1930’s serials such as ‘The
Perils of Pauline’. The screen-writers deserve kudos for their
imaginative ways in which Croft untangles out of various scrapes. These add to
the fun with the lush cinematography teasing out the vibrant colour such a
comic-book style movie needs.
‘Tomb Raider’ may be a load of nonsense with its
predictability creaking to the finale. As a time-waster it works and
never runs the risk of being boring. Whether ‘Tomb Raider’ is a success
won’t matter much to Hollywood as the multitude of related merchandising should
see it make a profit. Franchises such as these may temporarily vanish but,
like the artefacts uncovered by Lara Croft, eventually find new life if the
price is right.
Movie Review Rating out of 10: 6
Movie Review by Patrick Moore
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Patrick Moore's Movie Review is an alternative look at movie
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