Get Ready for the New Lara Croft

Alicia Vikander stars as Lara Croft in the new Tomb Raider film / Courtesy of Warner Brothers Studios

It is the time for a new and improved Lara Croft. In the latest film in the Tomb Raider franchise don’t expect to see another sex robot like Angelina Jolie because director Roar Uthaug, and actress Alicia Vikander, bring much more potential to the leading female character.

The newest adaptation is based on a video game released in 2013, and reconstructs the origins of Lara Croft that have not been told before. The film shows the regular life of Lara (Alicia Vikander) before she began her dangerous adventure, trying to solve the mystery of her disappeared father. This is not the same Lara Croft known from Angelina Jolie’s performance in the previous Tomb Raider movies, which were based on the old games from the 90s.

The new Lara is in pain, and scared sometimes, but also represents a brave, powerful and determined woman. She has almost nothing in common with the sexualized terminator that Jolie first brought to the screen in 2001. Vilander’s Lara is not a superhuman, but she finds her strength and vehemence within herself when she needs it.

The film is a solid action thriller that makes you hold your breath, from the first moment when Lara stepped on to the ark in Japan, following the footsteps of her father in his search for the grave of the Death Queen Himiko. There are several very kinetic and physical fight sequences which show that the Swedish actress is well trained to handle this type of role.

Although the sound effects are great, the music does not play a big part here, and has little to no impact on viewers. Dominic West’s role as a Richard Croft reflects well the father with adventurer soul, but the main villain character falls flat. Played by Walton Goggins is not believable as a bad guy.

The movie is worth to see for its action plot and performance of Alicia Vikander as Lara. It is important to remember that this film is a reboot, so it does not exactly illustrate first games and movies of Tomb Raider. Interesting scenario reflects the original 2013 video game, but it adds a lot to the story and breathes new life into whole video genre. If you want to see many tomb raiding scenes like in earlier productions then you might be a little disappointed. However, if you are seeking for a good adventure movie or you enjoyed playing the latest game, you are going to have a good time.