Monday, April 9, 2018

Tomb Raider

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So Tomb Raider was pretty good. Not an excellent movie but good enough to be entertaining- and Alicia Vikander was awesome in the role. She's just physical enough without being over the top. The cast all around is pretty good, I especially liked Daniel Hu as Lu Ren, the drunken sailor who helps her get to the secluded island where she believes her father died. The story is pretty typical, not anything to write home about, but it's serviceable, and the action scenes are pretty good. I think the standout scene of the movie is in the very beginning, where Lara leads a cadre of cyclists around London in a game of bicycle tag. It's fun and sets the stage for Lara to prove her athleticism and never-say-die attitude throughout the rest of the movie. 

I have a thing for lost temples and secluded islands so this was like catnip. I mean it's not anything mind blowing, and some of the action scenes (especially the shipwreck) were clearly CGI'ed in, but it's a good popcorn movie and I'm glad I saw it. Lara is capable and even though she has the obligatory revealing tank top throughout the movie, I didn't feel like they sexed her up too much. The focus was on her athleticism here for the most part, which I liked. And while some of the stunts were a bit much, it was believable (mostly) for what it is. 

I actually thought the backstory that was developed here, with a mysterious organization collecting lost (and dangerous) artifacts from around the world, set the stage nicely for any future sequels. Vikander gives a solid, likable performance as Lara, without any of the over the top Angelina stuff. I was impressed with Vikander's debut in Ex Machina, somewhat less impressed with her turn in Jason Bourne, but here she was back on her game. I even liked the villain- he seemed one note at first, but as the movie progressed he had a somewhat fun delivery that almost made him something more than a cardboard cut-out. And I liked it when circumstances forced Lara and him to work together for a common goal- heroes and villains working together can always be fun! 


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So yeah this is worth a watch. It's not amazing or anything but it was a solid movie, with lush visuals and a story that was engaging but not overly silly. A nice reboot and Vikander does a great job in a physical role.  


38 comments:

  1. Glad this was a decent film! I'm so excited to watch it, mainly because I love Vikander. Happy to hear she's terrific :)
    Great review!

    Amy @ A Magical World Of Words

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  2. I liked Angelina's Tomb Raider films and I enjoyed watching my dad play the Playstation games (I'm useless at these things so I watch! Pac-Man and Crash Bandicoot is as complex as I get!)I'll probably watch this when it comes out on DVD.

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    1. I've never played the games and I think I saw the first Angelina one? I went to see this on a whim. It was pretty decent! And ha ha Crash Bandicot!

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  3. My sister used to have tons of fun playing Tomb Raider on the PlayStation, and I think in both our minds Lara will always have the face of Angelina! However, I'm glad to hear Vikander plays the part amazingly well. Like you, I really liked her debut in Ex Machina :)

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    1. I've never played the games! She did good here tho, and yeah Ex Machina rockd!

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  4. Awesome review! My fiancé and I have been a bit nervous about this one.

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    1. I ws too, wasn't going to see it but then it turned out okay

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  5. I have not thought much of AV in the trailers I've seen. I just can't get my head around her as Lara because she does such serious intense work otherwise. Lara is fun, but I've never thought of AV like that. I dunno, I'm being weird!

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    1. I get it, I was a little surprised to see her cast in the role, but she did surprisingly well, all things considered

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  6. I agree, not amazing but a good watch. I thought the music made some of those action scenes feel a bit over the top.

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    1. Exactly. Didn't blow me away but I'm glad I went. :)

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  7. I think I might actually like this one as well! Great review for this! I love movies that are fast paced and full of action.

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    1. Thanks! I do too and yeah this is worth a watch!

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    1. It is a good one to pick up someday when you're bored.

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  9. I rolled my eyes several times in this one but liked the entertainment value.

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    1. Ha right? Some of those scenes I DEFINITELY rolled my eyes, but it was still fun :)

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  10. I'm actually really looking forward to this movie since I think it'll be quite an entertaining popcorn movie, so glad to hear you liked it! From the trailer and clips, I'm already loving Alicia Vikander as Lara.

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    1. I liked her as Lara. And I think you'll like the movie!

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  11. I am excited for this film because I like Alicia Vikander - and I am glad to hear she did an excellent job.

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  12. I'm looking forward to this one - I'll get to it eventually :D
    Lynn

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  13. I was wondering about this one but for me Angelica was such perfect as Lara. I need to try!

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  14. I was seeing some of the behind the screen type of videos of this movie and I should say she made me feel totally inadequate. I guess I will watch the movie over the weekend.

    Gayathri @ Elgee Writes

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  15. I'm glad to hear you enjoyed this film. I'm not a big Angelina Jolie fan so I never watched her as Lara Croft. I think I'm going to give this one a shot though based on your review :)

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  16. I chuckled at "obligatory revealing tank top" hahah. I am actually cool with the tank top, because if I was going to be like, being super active and shit, that sounds like the most comfortable, biggest range of flexibility, etc. And that is what I took away from this movie: "girl who played super rude AI wears tank top in new movie; islands and temples sound fun". Glad it was decent and at least entertaining! (And tbh, I'd watch her over Angelina, who I cannot handle, so there's that.)

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  17. I'm glad to hear you enjoyed this. I didn't like Angelina Jolie's versions so I was happy to hear this was rebooted. Now I need to watch this!

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  18. Glad to hear it was not a bust. I do want to see this. I did enjoy the original with Angelina JoLie.

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  19. My ex and I played all the Tomb Raider video games; he saw the first movie, I think I was sick that day, and didn't like it so I never felt the need to watch them. Maybe I would like this reboot better?

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  20. I very much liked Jolie so I'm not sure about Vikander

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  21. This is basically how I felt. It was enjoyable but not mind blowing.

    The action scenes were good but she was alone in most of them and you know she's not going to die so that took some of the tension away.

    I really liked Lu Ren and the way they played off each other and wish there was more of them together.

    I know they were going for more of an emotional punch with the dad story line but I'm heartless and didn't care that much lol

    Karen @ For What It's Worth

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  22. I love your description of this as a popcorn movie. I do love a good popcorn movie and this sounds like a lot of fun. I'm really intrigued about the more developed back story. I don't remember that at all from the previous movie.

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  23. I will for sure be renting this movie. I've been so leery about going to video game movies in the theater.

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  24. Glad you enjoyed it! I'll be waiting for the dvd release, but I'm definitely interested in seeing Vikander playing the part. :)

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  25. I am allowed to comment today! I also loved Alicia Vikander in this role and found the back story to be of great worth, especially for future films. I have always been a sucker for Tomb Raider with the lost temples and hidden secrets. Of course, I grew up fascinated with Indiana Jones and History Channel and Nat Geo Egypt documentaries :)

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  26. You've made this film sound far more appealing than any trailer has managed to for me. I admit, I am not really fussed about a Lara Croft reboot, much like I wasn't fussed for a game reboot either. I am glad to hear that it's less sexualised this time around and more about Lara solving a mystery and showing off her mad athletic skills. Definitely one I may check out when it's on TV.

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