The previews of the new Tomb Raider looked so good. Alicia Vikander looked to be the newest and best incarnation of Lara Croft. I was so looking forward to it.

Fast forward to yesterday. I walked out of the theater with seriously mixed feelings. Vikander is so much better as Lara Craft than Angelina Jolie. The special effects were excellent. The cast was very strong. The visuals stunning. This should have been one of the best action films in a long time. So what happened?

It was boring. I found myself constantly drifting out of the story to focus on how they made the film or why it just wasn’t working for me. Its kind of a shame when a film doesn’t live up to expectation.

I still think Vikander should be given another shot at the franchise. It didn’t suck because of her. It sucked because they worked too hard to make it like the video game franchise. There were far too many scenes that mimicked gameplay – so much so that it felt like you were watching someone play a video game without the rush that comes when you are playing yourself.

Do another, keep Vikander and hire a new writer and you have a blockbuster.

by Chris Doelle

RATING 5 out of 10

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