Movie: Tomb Raider
My Rating: 3 stars
I’m getting a little tired of these movies. And, by “these movies,” I mean films about really tough, beautiful women, who are good at everything they attempt—martial arts, fist fights, fashion, survival skills, cryptography, killing and dressing elk. And, Lara Croft is the ultimate bad-ass babe—good at everything, and looking awesome while doing it. Of course, these stories are always good fun, but they’ve become so clichéd and predictable that it takes a lot of the joy out of it. But, obviously that didn’t keep me away from this movie.
I guess I just can’t resist these movies, even though they’re becoming less fun for me. I suppose it’s marketing. Tomb Raider is a well-known property. And, there’s definitely a part of me that would love to be a dangerous chick like Lara Croft. And, I guess the movie studios are counting on consumers like me (and sweaty dudes) to keep this sort of film afloat. The whole Tomb Raider franchise was definitely due for a quality reboot. That Angelina Jolie disaster from 2001 was embarrassingly corny. And, this is definitely an upgrade. It’s no longer just about Lara’s boobs. There’s really an attempt to send her on an exciting and mysterious adventure. The movie’s got beautiful actors, good special effects, great sets, a moderately complex story, and tolerable acting. But, it still felt a little tired. I know a reboot is supposed to be a retelling of an old story, but this movie relies on so many old tropes that it feels recycled.
See this movie or don’t. It’s a lot of mindless fun. But, it’d be no big loss to miss it. The story is adventurous. There are a lot of physical brawls, a lot of ravines to be jumped, lots of guns, and complex ancient puzzles. And, the actors are charming. I always like Alicia Vikander. And, Dominic West is pretty fun. Walton Goggins is always the perfect, greasy villain. And, Daniel Wu is pretty hot stuff. The movie is definitely exciting and action-packed, but it’s still well-worn territory. I suppose it’s a crowd-pleaser if you have a lot of family over, and people have really mixed taste. I like to call these “airplane movies.” So, my advice is that you use it the way these films are intended—as a tool to stave off boredom.