Tomb Raider

Alicia Vikander gets the hell beaten out of her in Tomb Raider. In this muscular, uneven, ultimately disappointing reboot of the videogame action franchise once guided by Angelina Jolie, the Oscar-winner gives a performance that’s believably, arrestingly physical—she runs, punches and jumps with aplomb. But what’s perhaps most remarkable is the vulnerability she brings to the role of globetrotting adventurer Lara Croft. No matter the gargantuan CGI obstacles thrown her way—no matter the stabbings, bruisings and concussions she endures—she reveals a steeliness tempered by the acknowledgement of the pain and terror she’s feeling at every moment. It’s Tomb Raider’s sole concession to the limits of physics and the human body, and it’s easily this impersonal film’s most likable element. Unfortunately, the one thing Croft and Vikander can’t defeat is the merciless machinery of the Hollywood blockbuster.
Previously displaying an enigmatic robotic chill in Ex Machina and then a resolute compassion in The Danish Girl, Vikander takes to action-hero mode with intelligence and even a speck of sensitivity, which can be rare for big-budget spectacles. She plays Croft as a restless soul still adrift after the disappearance of her beloved father Richard (Dominic West) seven years ago. Refusing to believe he’s dead, she stumbles upon a series of clues that lead to a hidden room, all of which point to the fact that dear old dad went on a clandestine journey and left metaphorical breadcrumbs for her to follow. Enlisting the help of a drunken ship captain named Lu Ren (Daniel Wu), she sets out to find Richard, leading to an ominous island, a deranged mercenary (Walton Goggins) and a legendary tomb that may contain a lethal curse.
With its allusions to Indiana Jones and its shameless copping of the frenetic razzle-dazzle of contemporary action filmmaking, Tomb Raider can be enjoyable junk. Director Roar Uthaug (the Norwegian drama The Wave) efficiently propels Vikander through the frame, whether she’s roaring through busy streets on a bike, about to plunge over the edge of a waterfall or desperately leaping across a perilous ravine. This reboot invests in its character arc—depicting Croft as a young woman who’s become a survivor despite longing to reconnect with her father—but not at the expense of skimping on the pyrotechnics audiences would expect from a film like this.
Ironically, in a week where online trolls have stupidly complained that Vikander doesn’t have the busty physique required to play the role—essentially demanding that a human resemble the unrealistic proportions of a ludicrous, sexist videogame design—it’s her flesh-and-blood emoting that gives Tomb Raider its life force.