Roar Uthaug's "Tomb Raider" review: an unsurprising blockbuster

Alicia Vikander replaces Angelina Jolie as Lara Croft. An adventurer in search of her father, she leaves her native England to join an island lost in the dangerous waters of the Empire of the Rising Sun. A simple delivery woman on a bicycle, she multiplies her abilities as a superheroine and ends up finding her father, protecting treasure and freeing slaves.

A very well-oiled cast

Alicia Vikander, a new face who hits the mark in the Tomb Raider saga. A less luscious body, less fleshy lips, a less closed face. In short, we avoid the clichés of the femme fatale. Has. Vikander presents, in his attitude, a more approachable Lara Croft. A young woman orphaned for ten years who refused the elitism of her parents. No Cambridge or Oxford, but food deliveries in London. A more joking, down-to-earth Lara Croft struggling financially with the inheritance she refuses to acquire. Identification is easy as soon as the film is opened. The actress delivers a very fair performance despite a rather incredible crescendo. All of a sudden, we find a Lara Croft worthy of a video game character who fights against molossy villains and survives incredible situations.

The father, the much sought-after patriarchal figure is played by Dominic West, discovered in the series The Wire. Associated with rather independent films, it is a face that allows to widen the audience. Added to these two actors Kristin Scott Thomas who plays Lara Croft's tutor. She remains in her recurring style of play: a rather distant woman, of a refined elegance that smells of money.

Towards a "James bond-ism"?

The inexhaustible turns of events not very credible but worthy of adventure films can be reminiscent of Indiana Jones. An archaeologist in search of lost treasure who fights all thugs with his whip and bravery. However, Indiana Jones remains a cold hero with no real qualms about his family or the people who cross his path. We are talking about a franchise with a central hero, who seeks both his family, his identity while having a civic duty. James Bond? A male character certainly, but it doesn't matter the gender. In espionage rather than archaeology, certainly, but he remains a person who saves the world. The "pretty woman" side of Lara Croft in all situations is close to Bond, James Bond. The carelessness of danger is eminently present and punctuates the actions of the leading characters. The change of actors in the same franchise accentuates the resemblance. Several actors for the same role: for James Bond, Sean Connery, Pierce Brosnan, Daniel Craig among others… For Tomb Raider: Angelina Jolie then Alicia Vikander and that's just the beginning. The end of the film suggests that a sequel is coming with a fight against "The Trinity". The next one will be mired in conspiracy theory with a woman alone against all.

Tomb Raider, released on March 14, 2018, a two-hour action movie that makes us want to do boxing without taking us into the world of Japanese myth.

Trailer Tomb Raider