Laura Croft started in the video game world in 1996. She also made the jump into three movies.
The newest adventure of Tomb Raider debuted on June 12. There is the Blu-ray combo pack and DVD and Digital selections.
REBOOT
Remember when?
Angelina Jolie was Laura Croft in 2001.
Laura Croft: Tomb Raider received plenty of negative reviews. Rotten Tomatoes calls the movie - well, rotten. It went to 20% on the Tomatometer.
Still, audiences wanted to have a look. The movie managed a cool $274 million worldwide. This called for a sequel.
Laura Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life hit theaters in 2003. Angelina Jolie returned to the role. People were not as curious and it only made about $156 million.
Laura Croft took a break from the big screen.
Tomb Raider continued on in video games and other avenues, like comic books. The games received a reboot in 2013. The movie world would follow suit.
Alicia Vikander (a 2016 Oscar-winner) took over as the new Tomb Raider.
The 2018 version was received better by critics - a 49% on that Tomatometer. It would come out with about $273 million worldwide. It almost matched Angelia Jolie’s first adventure.
Director Roar Uthang took the helm behind the camera. Dominic West, Walton Goggins, Daniel Wu and Kirsten Scott Thomas, rounded out the main cast.
Geneva Robertson-Dworet and Alastair Siddons worked the script. The story credit goes to Evan Daugherty and Robertson-Dworet.
VERDICT
Would I buy this film? Yes.
I remember playing Tomb Raider on the original PlayStation. I have not watched the Angelina Jolie movies in quite a few years. Actually, I kind of forgot about them during this film.
This Tomb Raider is what would be known as an origin story. Laura’s father disappeared when she was a teenager. He is gone long enough, the only choice is to declare him dead. Now, in her twenties, working as a bike courier, Laura decides to set out and find the truth about what happened.
The movie is said to take many cues from the 2013 video game. ( I can’t compare.) The story seems to have the flavours of Indiana Jones, National Treasure, and the Uncharted games.
There’s mystery, globe-trotting, puzzles to solve and plenty of action. The movie doesn’t skimp on the action. Which kept things watchable for me. And sure, some of the special effects are quite obvious, but it didn’t quite detract from the story.
There is definitely a lot of luck for Laura too. She is sometimes one wrong move from death. But Vikander seems to make it work.
Tomb Raider is pretty decent. I was never bored. There is kind of a cool twist to set-up future movies.
I would watch another one.
I would watch another one.
SPECIAL FEATURES OVERVIEW
The standard DVD only has the Tomb Raider: Uncovered feature.
Tomb Raider: Uncovered (7 minutes, 6 seconds)
- The behind-the-scenes reel of bringing Tomb Raider back to the screen. The challenges and goals, the production had hoped to do.
Croft Training (6 minutes, 6 seconds)
- Interested in how actor trains for the role? This shows the training regime of Alicia Vikander. She put in the work. Breaking
Down the Rapids (5 minutes, 34 seconds)
- One of the biggest action set pieces involves water and a plane. The crew sets out to make it as real as possible. There is definitely a mix of special effects.
Laura Croft: Evolution of an Icon (9 minutes, 53 seconds)
- This was the most interesting feature for me. Tomb Raider beginnings are discussed. There are highlights from some of the games - Laura Croft battles a T-rex for one. This goes up to the reboot, which inspired the movie.
Warner Brothers Home Entertainment
