TOMB RAIDER: Stays True To The Games

With all of the reboots and re-imaginings of films over the past twenty years, I was skeptical going into the new Tomb Raider. As a huge fan of the games I wasn’t overly impressed with the early 2000’s versions. I’m thrilled to report that this particular re-imagining is nothing short of a living, three dimensional video game that Tomb Raider gamers can be over the moon about.

The Games

First released in 1996, Tomb Raider introduced the world to Lara Croft, the tough as nails, English heiress that went ransacking ancient tombs and caves for anything and everything shiny. As the game evolved and gained a solid fandom, the stories behind them became longer and more intricate. The history, folklore and archaeology of the places she visited were front and center in the game’s stories.

Lara traveled the world to solve ancient puzzles, discover powerful artifacts, and fight everything from bears to Viking zombies. By 2013, the game creators took a different turn and introduced us to a younger, less confident Lara, who was only just beginning her journey of becoming the well traveled, warrior-diva that she’s better known as.

This is the route the 2018 film takes. Lara (Alicia Vikander) is a lost, young woman whose father, Lord Richard Croft (Dominic West), went missing several years ago. Lord Croft is presumed dead, after setting off to find the mythical tomb of a dark Japanese queen, but Lara believes in her heart that he’s still alive.

She has been hesitant to take her place in the family business, and won’t even sign the papers necessary to get her inheritance. After much urging by Ana Miller (Kristen Scott-Thomas), business head of Croft Industries, to come in and make Lord Croft’s will final, Lara acquiesces. At the meeting, she receives an old puzzle game of her father’s that turns out to have a hidden key, thus launching her very first adventure.

And what an amazing adventure it is! Starting with her search around Croft Manor, the filmmakers created a look, feel and script of game perfection. Though the script doesn’t follow the 2013 game entirely, I really enjoyed the care that was taken by writer Geneva Robertson Dworet and Alastair Siddons to keep to the depth, twists and intricacies of the game, while adding fresh elements.

Tomb Raider has been widely criticized for its length, but I thought it was entirely fitting to preserve the game’s feel and complexity. Plus, with a story this big, the first film in the sequence needs enough time and development to be built upon in any sequels.

The Plot Thickens

Lara finds out that, prior to her father’s disappearance, he was onto a major scheme by the mysterious conglomerate known as Trinity, to unleash a weapon of mass destruction onto all of humanity. Richard leaves Lara all the bread crumbs she needs to set forth.

Believing that Richard is marooned on the mystical island, Yamatai, Lara sets out to find the burial place of the fabled Queen of Death, Himiko. She follows her father’s clues to Hong Kong and Lu Ren (Daniel Wu), whose father chartered a boat for Richard once before. Now a strung out drunk, Ren reluctantly agrees to help Lara, as his father was also lost on Richard’s expedition.

The boat trip begins the first of the extraordinary action scenes. Lara and Lu run into a massive storm in the ocean and their boat is destroyed in a glorious sequence. Director Roar Uthaug spends some time here, literally taking the audience as close to being in the actual storm as we can get. From the beautifully dark coloring, the water-logged chaos, the multitude of obstacles put forth by the merciless storm, and Lara’s struggles to stay alive, the scene takes your breath away. It is exactly what game players would experience on the game, but on a much grander scale.

Once Lara finally arrives, she finds a crew, hired by Trinity, already on the island. Led by Mathias Vogel (Walton Goggins), a large crew of mercenaries oversees a congregation of enslaved Asians excavating to find Himiko’s tomb. Lara is put through the ultimate extreme to try to save herself, Lu, the enslaved people and the rest of humanity from the wrath of Trinity and Himiko’s death touch.

The Good, The Bad and The Not So Ugly

I was so impressed and electrified by Uthaug‘s choices for the big action scenes throughout Tomb Raider. Not only did the writers and filmmakers lay a seemingly endless amount of obstacles for Lara, but they got her look, outfits, weapons and even her pickax exactly right.

At times I wanted my Xbox controller to help her climb, hang on, jump, roll and grapple to survive. None of the action scenes end until Lara is torn up and exhausted. It is exhilarating to watch. Even though you know she’s not going to die, you still worry, a lot. Keeping with the game, she also must solve a variety of puzzles that test not only herself, but the group that enter the tomb with her.

Vikander makes an incredible young Lara. She rolls through Lara’s range of emotions with ease and the utmost authenticity. I wasn’t too sure about her casting to begin with, but left utterly convinced. What remains to be seen is if she can pull off a c*cksure, hotshot Lara, with the beauty and grace that Angelina Jolie did in the 2000’s versions, or even better.

What I would have liked to see was a bigger role for Lu Ren. Daniel Wu was a great addition and I wanted to see more of him and Ren’s story. Also missing was the entirety of the character Samantha Nishimura from the 2013 game. As Lara’s best friend and her reason to go on the search to Himiko’s island, there was a missed opportunity to make a massive action flick centered on two women. Women of color weren’t featured enough in general. I can understand the filmmakers choice to make the mission based upon Lara’s father, as this is something Lara consistently struggles with, but in the age of #MeToo, #OscarsSoWhite and women in film’s struggle for equality, this could’ve been the perfect platform for diversification.

Tomb Raider: Conclusion

Overall though, Tomb Raider is the best reboot I’ve seen in decades. It was so refreshing to finally see a big budget action that was worth the money. I can’t remember the last time I left the theater without disappointment and pages of notes. It stays true to the game, explodes with action and gorgeous cinematography, whether real or digitized, excels with phenomenal stunt work, has an intricate and well written script and sets a high bar for video games made into film.

I can only hope the franchise expands itself from here, at least staying at this level, if not raising its own standards. With greater supporting character development and the use of more women central to the story, the sky is the limit! Oh, and how about a female director next time?

What were your impressions of Tomb Raider?

Tomb Raider is in theaters worldwide.