Tomb Raider Series – Movie Review

Say what you will about Video game movies and how there can never be a good one made. Although many have been a disappointment and some looks good in idea and concept, I still wonder how it is that a popular game with a huge following and great story can fail on the big screen? I recently re-watched the Tomb Raider movies with Angelina Jolie and even though the movie has many flaws in it, I find myself liking the movie and had hoped for a third one in the series.Angelina Jolie is has her moments and she can be really good in a role and then she can be really bad, but she likes to do stunts and will do most of them herself and that is something I like about actors in action movies. Tomb Raider is based on a woman who searches for artifacts around the world, she is well off and has no fears. The first movie in the series introduces us to her character and her past so we can understand some of her motivations. I liked how they use her real dad in the movie for that role and made for a good father daughter moment. She has been spending her life searching out what had happened to her dad since he went missing and the movie ties the story into that.She lives in a mansion and works out everyday waiting for her next “job”. Laura (Angelina Jolie) discovers a hidden clock that ends up with her going on the next adventure. It’s like the modern day, female version of Indiana Jones with danger, secret maps and great action. I played the game a little, but not as familiar with much of the story in the game. If the game had never been made and we got this movie, I would have like it as much just based on the premise. There are things that happen in the movie that will make you think, how ridiculous and there is no way that would happen, but that is where people need to realize this is a movie about a video game. Sure they want to make it real and ground it to the real world, but in the end it is an adventure story that needs to have those special moments to make it fun.

In the first movie we learn about her and her past to understand her motivations and why she wants to do what she does. She gets to travel the world and use some pretty advanced resources while performing a lot of stunts and getting some cool set pieces that bring the movie to life. You will see an amazing robot that she uses for training which I was rather impressed to see. The thing was obviously a mix of CGI and real tech, but it looked great and didn’t seem out of place.

Laura has to guys that are her “servants”, but really they are more like her family that takes care of her. The programmer that makes her tech and the butler that is also the occasional sparing buddy. I like their relationship and you can tell they have a great bond. Even though she can take care of herself she does need their help and their company. This is a side of Laura we don’t get to see in the game and I liked that about the movie because it makes this fictional character real for us and someone we can relate to better.

Aside from the usual death defying action and gun battle, the movie hits every moment you would expect. Some parts are going to feel like a “I called that” moment and it’s ok, and we also get the moment where she saves the day as you would expect. Basically there is nothing that will surprise you and you will know what will come next.The Second movie in the Tom Raider series is called The Cradle of Life and with this one it brings us back to her world of archeology and crazy action with stunts that can only be done by her. Remember this is a video Game made to movie and I think they keep that alive while still trying to make this a world that can exist in our world. For the second installment we now join Laura in the adventure of seeking out the legendary Pandora’s Box and it is her mission even though she would want to have it, she needs to protect it from getting to the wrong hands. There is always a crazy guy out there ready to rule the world and willing to do whatever it takes to get the almighty power.What I like about this movie is the message that it gives us, almost similar to that of the first movie, where she needs to give up what she wants in order to save the world. She is teamed up with Terry Sheridan played by Gerard Butler who is also an old friend of Laura’s but was never able to stay within the right side of the law. She recruits him because of his background and needs his help for this mission.I think for the second installment the producers and even the actors felt comfortable knowing the first movie did well and I was able to see more liberties being taken with what they added as far as supernatural ideas and creatures.
The movie created a following from the movie and the video game players were drawn to it, but there was still a lot of backlash because it wasn’t true to the “game” and I think the fact that they pushed the unbelievable moments and characters probably made this franchise die out.

Even with the actors and trying to ground this to a reality was not enough when the monsters came out. The movie doesn’t really have a purpose to it other than having Angelina Jolie wearing skimpy clothes and have some cool action sequences. Over all the Tomb Raider series is at best a fun time if you are bored and it falls in my guilty pleasure movies list. There is a lot wrong with the movies, but there is still a lot of fun to be had.