Tomb Raider (2018) is a decent film and one of the better video game adaptation films out there, but that's probably because you've seen those kinds of movies (or played some games like it) before.
The beginning of the film might drag on for a bit if you're a fan of the series and has played the games before. The prologue in London establishes who Lara Croft is and her relationship with her father. Problem is they kinda go overboard with it too much, with the film providing the reveal that Trinity is the bad guys even before Lara can get to the island, which is supposed to be one of the twists in the game itself.
And of course, when Lara got to the island, it basically becomes a mix of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade and Uncharted: Drake's Fortune. Lara finds her estrangled father, but he berates her for bringing the journal that the bad guys needed to the island, then they work together to stop them and the story's MacGuffin turns out to be a deadly disease stuck in a body in a coffin which the bad guys wanted to turn into a weapon. There are several times, that you'd be forgiven if you thought you aren't watching a Tomb Raider film at the moment. At least the older TR movies starring Angelina Jolie have original stories that could stand on their own, flawed direction or otherwise.
Also, with the movie having Himiko gone under Adaptational Wimp, it also introduces a plot hole that comes with it. In the game, Himiko is responsible for the bad weather around the island that can destroy ships and strand the survivors on it, but now apparently the storm is just a natural thing in the Devil's Triangle. [[spoiler: The end of the film sees a Trinity helicopter having no trouble flying in and out of the island from above the clouds, which provides a question of why didn't Trinity just send more people and better equipments to Mathias from the air to help speed up the excavation instead of just stranding him on the island for seven years running into dead-ends again and again using just forced labors from stranded sailors.
I particularly liked the character of Lu Ren, despite his rather minor role in the film. He serves as a good sidekick to Lara and in some cases her equal in the film. Also, making Richard Croft an Adaptational Badass is a pleasant twist from the games. Mathais himself is also less of an Obviously Evil now and actually has understanding motives of doing what he does. In fact, I find myself enjoy the side characters of this film more than Lara herself.
All in all, Tomb Raider (2018) is a fun time if you're fan of the games, but don't expect anything groundbreaking in this movie. It does its best to cater to the fans of the games but sometimes go overboard with it too much, with blatant Sequel Hook moments both in the beginning and the ending of the film.
You've seen this movie before (but that isn't necessary a bad thing).
Tomb Raider (2018) is a decent film and one of the better video game adaptation films out there, but that's probably because you've seen those kinds of movies (or played some games like it) before.
The beginning of the film might drag on for a bit if you're a fan of the series and has played the games before. The prologue in London establishes who Lara Croft is and her relationship with her father. Problem is they kinda go overboard with it too much, with the film providing the reveal that Trinity is the bad guys even before Lara can get to the island, which is supposed to be one of the twists in the game itself.
And of course, when Lara got to the island, it basically becomes a mix of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade and Uncharted: Drake's Fortune. Lara finds her estrangled father, but he berates her for bringing the journal that the bad guys needed to the island, then they work together to stop them and the story's MacGuffin turns out to be a deadly disease stuck in a body in a coffin which the bad guys wanted to turn into a weapon. There are several times, that you'd be forgiven if you thought you aren't watching a Tomb Raider film at the moment. At least the older TR movies starring Angelina Jolie have original stories that could stand on their own, flawed direction or otherwise.
Also, with the movie having Himiko gone under Adaptational Wimp, it also introduces a plot hole that comes with it. In the game, Himiko is responsible for the bad weather around the island that can destroy ships and strand the survivors on it, but now apparently the storm is just a natural thing in the Devil's Triangle. [[spoiler: The end of the film sees a Trinity helicopter having no trouble flying in and out of the island from above the clouds, which provides a question of why didn't Trinity just send more people and better equipments to Mathias from the air to help speed up the excavation instead of just stranding him on the island for seven years running into dead-ends again and again using just forced labors from stranded sailors.
I particularly liked the character of Lu Ren, despite his rather minor role in the film. He serves as a good sidekick to Lara and in some cases her equal in the film. Also, making Richard Croft an Adaptational Badass is a pleasant twist from the games. Mathais himself is also less of an Obviously Evil now and actually has understanding motives of doing what he does. In fact, I find myself enjoy the side characters of this film more than Lara herself.
All in all, Tomb Raider (2018) is a fun time if you're fan of the games, but don't expect anything groundbreaking in this movie. It does its best to cater to the fans of the games but sometimes go overboard with it too much, with blatant Sequel Hook moments both in the beginning and the ending of the film.
6.5/10