FG Sit Down Review: TOMB RAIDER – From The Console To The Big Screen

Tomb Raider is a movie that transcends both movies and video games, that’s why for this review we have our movie and video game representatives provide their insights to the movie reboot based off a long-standing video game franchise.

The iconic Lara Croft role was initially portrayed by Angelina Jolie until MGM and GK Films announced a reboot of the film with Alicia Vikander taking the Jolie’s place as the new Lara Croft. With the Golden Age of Comic Book Filmmaking rising, it’s a norm to release a comic book blockbuster every year. As for video game films, enthusiasts have been crushed year after year by Hollywood. All video game adaptations have always been disappointing and below the expectations of fans. And like every reboot, there will always be a comparison. How did the new Tomb Raider do?

A fresh new take on the 2001 film franchise, Alicia Vikander trained long and hard to achieve the Lara Croft athletic body. From crossfit to biking, all was worth it as Vikander sports her new toned body as she performs hardcore action scenes in the movie.

The storyline centers on a Japanese Death Queen called Himiko. When you’re fascinated by all things jJapanese, you’ll definitely love the plot. The gorgeous scenic views in the movie are shot in Cape Town, South Africa and London. This movie is loosely based on the latest Tomb Raider game. Lara Croft is the independent daughter of Richard Croft, a business magnate living a secret life. Fascinated by Himiko’s tomb, Richard Croft dedicated his life to decoding the tomb’s secrets, but vanished with only a few clues left for Lara to decipher. Determined to find out what happened to her father, Lara embarks on a dangerous journey to his last-known destination — a fabled tomb on a mythical island that might be somewhere off the coast of Japan. The stakes are high as Lara relies on her MMA trainings, sharp mind and stubbornness to traverse into the unknown.

Packed with action, the new Tomb Raider leaves you on the edge of your seat & gives you a fresh new take on the franchise.

Kimberly Mas
Writer — Movies, TV, Anime, and Music

Let’s admit, video games and movies haven’t had a good relationship for the longest time. It’s always been a hit or miss when it comes to adaptations whether it’s games to movies or vice versa. Admittedly, prior to the screen of this year’s Tomb Raider reboot, I have low expectations for the movie. I though its one of the attempts to expand the franchise by having a movie adaptation just for the sake of having one.

Surprisingly, Tomb Raider wasn’t just another movie adaptation based off a video game. It’s a movie adaptation done right. The movie was able to translate into the big screen what gamers have been playing in their consoles or PCs. The action packed adventure, exotic locations, puzzle solving, gun fights/fight scenes, and of course, actual tomb raiding! Tomb Raider is like a live action version of a video game cut scene. In case you haven’t played the game, cut scenes are moments in a video game that is shown after you completed a chapter or level in the game. This is the part of the game where you pause playing and watch what happens in the story.

Of course, you couldn’t have a Tomb Raider without a Lara Croft. Alicia Vikander is the perfect cast for Lara Croft. Not to be confused with the original Lara Croft who was brought to life by Angelina Jolie during the early 00s, Alicia version’s is based off of the Tomb Raider reboot released in 2013.

When the first Tomb Raider video game came out, people where mostly talking about how she looked. However, with this movie, Alicia’s Lara Croft is a refreshing take on the character. Forget everything you knew about her, this is not the Lara Croft of years past. She was able to showcase that there’s more to Lara Croft than her looks or her skills, that Lara Croft is a strong, independent, smart, and loving person. Her Lara Croft is like what Gal Gadot did to DC Comics’ Wonder Woman.

Tomb Raider is a video game movie done right. It sets the standard of what video game based movies should be like. I’m actually looking forward to where Lara Croft’s next destination leads.

I sincerely hope that this is the first of many video game adaptations from Square Enix. They have a ton of material at their helm and we could only hope what comes next.

Ryan Villanueva
Managing Editor — Gaming, Tech, Music and Collectibles

TOMB RAIDER is now showing in cinemas.

We would like to thank our good friends from Warner Brothers Philippines for the invite to the premiere screening of Tomb Raider.