Tomb Raider

Director - Roar Uthaug (Cold Prey, The Wave)
Starring - Alicia Vikander (Ex Machina, Jason Bourne), Dominic West (Punisher: War Zone, Boy Cried Wolf), and Walton Goggins (House of 1000 Corpses, Justified)
Release Date - 2018
Genre - Action/Adventure
Format - Bluray (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     I love movies but I'm also an avid gamer.  I hate referring to myself as a gamer because I tend to suck.  I've played games for decades now.  It started when my brother got me a Nintendo for Christmas when I was 4 in 1990.  The following year my dad got me a Sega Genesis and ever since I've tried to keep current with gaming consoles.  When I was in middle school  I remember renting the Tomb Raider game on Playstation a few times and enjoyed it.  I had played a few others in the series as well and remember them being solid games.  I even enjoyed the Angelina Jolie films somewhat.  When it was announced that a new film was being made inspired by the 2013 film I was a little excited.  Recently the film was released on blu and DVD.  I reached out and was lucky enough to get a copy for review.  I'm glad I did because I definitely enjoyed it.
     The film follows Lara Croft who has been struggling financially after he father disappeared 7 years earlier looking for an ancient tomb of a sorceress who can be used to kill everyone on Earth.  She decides to finish her father's work and starts a journey to find the lost temple and stumbles upon an international organization called Trinity that tracks down supernatural presences.  Now she must stop them from getting their hands on a possible doomsday weapon while battling family demons.
     I know my opinion on this film is unpopular but I enjoyed the movie.  A lot of people forget that movies are meant to be entertaining.  Sure, some can be enlightening or emotional but their basic purpose is to entertain.  Tomb Raider did that.  It didn't reinvent the action adventure genres but it did offer up a fun movie watching experience.  The acting in this one isn't the best but I've damn sure seen worse.  I really dug Alicia Vikander as Lara Croft.  She is a strong actress that really made Croft come to life.  Now, because of her performance, I can't see Jolie as Croft.  The supporting cast is solid at times but there is several scenes where their performances seemed forced.  They tried way too hard and still couldn't channel the correct emotion for the scene.  The story for this one is nothing new but it is a fun pop corn flick.  The character is well known by this point.  You've either played the games or watched the Angelina Jolie blockbusters.  What I liked about this one is that they didn't make Croft a super bad ass.  She was human that could still feel pain.  She struggled but had to rely heavily on her brain and stamina over strength.  The film balances the slow scenes with the action but there is several slight plot holes that never really sorted themselves out.  I did like the beginning of the Trinity story arc was introduced.  Finally, the film isn't a horror film but there is still a few deaths scenes.  These were handled by CGI but I liked the way it looked.  It worked with the film very well.  Overall, Tomb Raider was entertaining.  Nothing new or original but it was fun which is what a lot of the bigger movies forget.  Check this one out.