Lara Croft: Tomb Raider is one of the most popular video games played around the world. A decade back or so, it got a movie adaptation with Angelina Jolie taking on the lead role. She was the heroine in two movies that were decent box office hits but didn't impress the critics much. However, nearly everyone agreed that Angelina Jolie was a really good choice as the adventurer with a right mix of sexuality and badassery.
Now years later, the franchise gets a reboot with Alicia Vikander stepping into Jolie's shoes. Tomb Raider is directed by Roar Uthaug and also stars Dominic West, Walton Goggins, Daniel Wu, Nick Frost and Kristin Scott Thomas. The movie is said to be an origin story and is most talked about for dialling down the sex appeal of the character, instead focussing more on her martial arts skills. However, the critics are not too kind on the reboot, with many calling it an unnecessary reboot and while Vikander is good, she can't better Jolie here. Here are some of the reviews,
Hindustan Times - "Unfortunately, this Tomb Raider is far too grim for its own good. It borrows heavily from the 2013 reboot of the video game, which was one of the best surprises of the year — a cutting-edge experience that involved the player on several levels, pun not intended. The film’s reverence for the source material is apparent, and appreciated — especially after the utter disappointment that was Assassin’s Creed, which starred Vikander’s husband, incidentally. That film made the unfathomable decision to limit the best aspects of the game to a too-little-too-late flurry of adrenaline towards the end. Tomb Raider, meanwhile, always feels like a Tomb Raider game."
Firstpost - "Vikander, although impressively muscular is a rather bland Croft. The only thing the filmmakers manage to do is make her less sexually objectified than Jolie’s incarnation, but there’s a coldness to Vikander’s presence that makes her much less interesting. This is ironic given that Croft from the game reboot that this film is based on is actually a pretty interesting character who showcases vulnerability and heroism in fairly engaging ways."
Indian Express - "“It’s a change in atmospheric pressure,” nods main villain Vogel (Goggins) wisely, and we sigh in relief. In a film filled with a strange queen, mystical powers, Devil’s Sea, fox hunt, tomb, puzzles, coloured stones, arrows, manors, crypts, genocide, medallions, a giant militant organisation, and one instance of pure British “marmalization”, this is the one sentence that makes sense from beginning to the end."
Mid-Day - "The lead character is not a well-developed one and that's where this film fails. There's enough compassion, grit and entertainment to be had here though with Uthaug blending in some of the iconic sequences from the game without making it look all unreal and contrived. The action looks realistic and that's a plus too. The performances are also largely life-like- so there's much more solid reason to watch this one!"
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 09, 2018 05:37 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).