By Nadia Ranaputri
Director: Roar Uthaug
Cast: Alicia Vikander, Dominic West, Walton Goggins, Daniel Wu, Kristin Scott Thomas.
Video game adaptations have mostly been a hit or miss when they're brought to screen. One moment, you're mesmerized by the concept and the story of the game, and the next, you're witnessing its ruin on the silver screen. Even if I've seen a couple of video game adaptions, I'm not as attached to their source materials as much as I am with Tomb Raider.
Tomb Raider is the one video game series (other than the Indiana Jones games) that I have played and loved from time to time. I was a huge fan of anything that had to do with adventures, thanks to the Indiana Jones films (I loved playing the games as well back then) I was so fascinated by the fact that a video game could have a female protagonist in the center of its story. Lara Croft, the female archaeologist who has a knack for the ancient relics and artifacts, who isn't afraid to brave tomb by tomb to get her hands on a piece of history. Although I didn't complete all of the games, I still managed to complete the first Tomb Raider game, Tomb Raider II, and Anniversary, which I'd say; I'm pretty damn proud of that.
Then came the rebooted game, which I loved so much, and that was due to the fact that there was so much to the game than just a wickedly fun gameplay. It showed a much more vurnerable Lara Croft, and an enticing story with a new take on Croft's origins. When I saw that the new Tomb Raider adaptation was looking to follow the same type of story, I had some hope. Unfortunately, it was crushed sooner than I thought.
Tomb Raider is the origin story of our heroine Lara Croft, the woman who would become the badass archeologist that we would come to know and love in the games. She starts off as a bike courier who refuses to acknowledge the fact that her father has truly passed from a recent mission. That doesn't stop Lara from eventually finding out that her father isn't who she thinks he is, due to her discovery of his hidden job. Determined to finish what her father started, Lara sets out on a journey to keep a supposed supernatural force from the world from falling into the wrong hands.
This Tomb Raider clearly takes more notes from the rebooted 2013 game rather than the previous games (and the story elements are the same as the rebooted game, too), and that's swell, because I enjoyed the story from the reboot a lot. The problem is, not every game can be adapted, no matter how good the story is from the game. Tomb Raider is one of those cases. In the game, you feel the tension and the need for survival. The mystery of the supernatural force that the story delves into makes for such a fun and interesting gameplay, especially when it takes the whole game to try and resolve. When adapted however, that feeling is gone, replaced by the urge to get it over with. There is really nothing I could take from the film that screams memorable or enjoyable even. It's great that it's taking on a more realistic and serious note that the rebooted game so greatly delves, but clearly, that hasn't worked wonders on outweighing its hollow story. And the problem isn't at the more serious take on the story, it's how the story itself is executed.
The biggest problem with Tomb Raider is the fact that they jump through every scene and arc like it was an obstacle that was needed to be passed quickly (that might not be a game pun). It jumps through arcs and scenes without delving any further for the sake of the plot, which is unbearably awful. Whatever arc or scene that just happened in a flash, that's all you're going to get, which is why Tomb Raider is devoid of any type of emotion or even a sense of surprise, and there's even a plot twist that happens that was never established that much in the first place, so once the twist happens, you just don't care anymore; you've gone through nearly two hours without any buildup to anything. There's things set up about some characters that eventually lead to nothing, and there is no significant progression in terms of character development. The villain who had a backstory that was never delved any further or mentioned again; was reduced to a stereotypical villain with nothing memorable and no special motivation that makes us interested in him.
The aspect that became the saving grace of this film however, is Alicia Vikander. She's captured the vulnerability and tenacity that Lara Croft has in the rebooted games. The Lara Croft that we see in the beginning has so much zing and attitude, that it actually gives a much more charismatic vibe of the character from Vikander, which I really liked. It's when the story stumbles into the action part that she loses this spark in favor of setting up the action hero that we love, but without the charisma and charm from the script that makes the character from the games itself so special. This Lara Croft should have had layers, possibly even more of a complex character than Angelina Jolie's portrayal, and it could have been that, judging from Vikander's performance; but the script doesn't allow that to happen. This particular Lara Croft, when not fighting, is sometimes the worst decision maker when it comes to times of danger. At times, she doesn't react immediately when danger is ahead and isn't one for the most logical choices (she even chooses to stay back and fight the villain during an escape scene where she's already one step ahead of him and could have run off towards the exit which is clearly not blocked by the villain and is right there). Thanks to Vikander's performance though, there's still something good to be taken from this portrayal.
Having been a huge fan of the games, it's a pleasure to see that some of the action sequences embodies what the actual gameplay is like. The film at least gave some kind of visual that is similar to the vibe given in the games, particularly the rebooted Tomb Raider. Some of the action sequences are pretty entertaining, and a bike chase sequence that could just be a setup for a Premium Rush sequel set in London is excellent, but are visuals truly enough to make an enjoyable experience? Not when the awful pacing and storyline stick out like a sore thumb in the middle of a visually enticing game adaptation. I'm not saying that this should have followed the exact story or concept of the game completely to recreate the charm that it had, but it should have at least had a good story and a sense of a great adventure with our lead heroine.
For the most part, Tomb Raider just feels more like a generic action film instead of a fun adventure film with a complex action heroine who is more than just a skilled combatant, but a soon-to-be brilliant archeologist. This film has some fun elements, I'll give it that, but it has nothing special from the story itself, which is even worse considering that the pacing is also atrocious, and really could have had more time setting up what they already have instead of moving on to something else; which is a shame, because as an origin story, it could have been great, or at least enjoyable. Unfortunately, that is not the case for this film.
Stars: 2.5/5
Trailer
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| Image source: heroichollywood.com |
Director: Roar Uthaug
Cast: Alicia Vikander, Dominic West, Walton Goggins, Daniel Wu, Kristin Scott Thomas.
Video game adaptations have mostly been a hit or miss when they're brought to screen. One moment, you're mesmerized by the concept and the story of the game, and the next, you're witnessing its ruin on the silver screen. Even if I've seen a couple of video game adaptions, I'm not as attached to their source materials as much as I am with Tomb Raider.
Tomb Raider is the one video game series (other than the Indiana Jones games) that I have played and loved from time to time. I was a huge fan of anything that had to do with adventures, thanks to the Indiana Jones films (I loved playing the games as well back then) I was so fascinated by the fact that a video game could have a female protagonist in the center of its story. Lara Croft, the female archaeologist who has a knack for the ancient relics and artifacts, who isn't afraid to brave tomb by tomb to get her hands on a piece of history. Although I didn't complete all of the games, I still managed to complete the first Tomb Raider game, Tomb Raider II, and Anniversary, which I'd say; I'm pretty damn proud of that.
Then came the rebooted game, which I loved so much, and that was due to the fact that there was so much to the game than just a wickedly fun gameplay. It showed a much more vurnerable Lara Croft, and an enticing story with a new take on Croft's origins. When I saw that the new Tomb Raider adaptation was looking to follow the same type of story, I had some hope. Unfortunately, it was crushed sooner than I thought.
Tomb Raider is the origin story of our heroine Lara Croft, the woman who would become the badass archeologist that we would come to know and love in the games. She starts off as a bike courier who refuses to acknowledge the fact that her father has truly passed from a recent mission. That doesn't stop Lara from eventually finding out that her father isn't who she thinks he is, due to her discovery of his hidden job. Determined to finish what her father started, Lara sets out on a journey to keep a supposed supernatural force from the world from falling into the wrong hands.
 |
| Image source: IMDB |
This Tomb Raider clearly takes more notes from the rebooted 2013 game rather than the previous games (and the story elements are the same as the rebooted game, too), and that's swell, because I enjoyed the story from the reboot a lot. The problem is, not every game can be adapted, no matter how good the story is from the game. Tomb Raider is one of those cases. In the game, you feel the tension and the need for survival. The mystery of the supernatural force that the story delves into makes for such a fun and interesting gameplay, especially when it takes the whole game to try and resolve. When adapted however, that feeling is gone, replaced by the urge to get it over with. There is really nothing I could take from the film that screams memorable or enjoyable even. It's great that it's taking on a more realistic and serious note that the rebooted game so greatly delves, but clearly, that hasn't worked wonders on outweighing its hollow story. And the problem isn't at the more serious take on the story, it's how the story itself is executed.
The biggest problem with Tomb Raider is the fact that they jump through every scene and arc like it was an obstacle that was needed to be passed quickly (that might not be a game pun). It jumps through arcs and scenes without delving any further for the sake of the plot, which is unbearably awful. Whatever arc or scene that just happened in a flash, that's all you're going to get, which is why Tomb Raider is devoid of any type of emotion or even a sense of surprise, and there's even a plot twist that happens that was never established that much in the first place, so once the twist happens, you just don't care anymore; you've gone through nearly two hours without any buildup to anything. There's things set up about some characters that eventually lead to nothing, and there is no significant progression in terms of character development. The villain who had a backstory that was never delved any further or mentioned again; was reduced to a stereotypical villain with nothing memorable and no special motivation that makes us interested in him.
 |
| Image source: IMDB |
The aspect that became the saving grace of this film however, is Alicia Vikander. She's captured the vulnerability and tenacity that Lara Croft has in the rebooted games. The Lara Croft that we see in the beginning has so much zing and attitude, that it actually gives a much more charismatic vibe of the character from Vikander, which I really liked. It's when the story stumbles into the action part that she loses this spark in favor of setting up the action hero that we love, but without the charisma and charm from the script that makes the character from the games itself so special. This Lara Croft should have had layers, possibly even more of a complex character than Angelina Jolie's portrayal, and it could have been that, judging from Vikander's performance; but the script doesn't allow that to happen. This particular Lara Croft, when not fighting, is sometimes the worst decision maker when it comes to times of danger. At times, she doesn't react immediately when danger is ahead and isn't one for the most logical choices (she even chooses to stay back and fight the villain during an escape scene where she's already one step ahead of him and could have run off towards the exit which is clearly not blocked by the villain and is right there). Thanks to Vikander's performance though, there's still something good to be taken from this portrayal.
Having been a huge fan of the games, it's a pleasure to see that some of the action sequences embodies what the actual gameplay is like. The film at least gave some kind of visual that is similar to the vibe given in the games, particularly the rebooted Tomb Raider. Some of the action sequences are pretty entertaining, and a bike chase sequence that could just be a setup for a Premium Rush sequel set in London is excellent, but are visuals truly enough to make an enjoyable experience? Not when the awful pacing and storyline stick out like a sore thumb in the middle of a visually enticing game adaptation. I'm not saying that this should have followed the exact story or concept of the game completely to recreate the charm that it had, but it should have at least had a good story and a sense of a great adventure with our lead heroine.
For the most part, Tomb Raider just feels more like a generic action film instead of a fun adventure film with a complex action heroine who is more than just a skilled combatant, but a soon-to-be brilliant archeologist. This film has some fun elements, I'll give it that, but it has nothing special from the story itself, which is even worse considering that the pacing is also atrocious, and really could have had more time setting up what they already have instead of moving on to something else; which is a shame, because as an origin story, it could have been great, or at least enjoyable. Unfortunately, that is not the case for this film.
Stars: 2.5/5
Trailer
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