Seven years after her father disappeared without a trace, Lara Croft, now 21 years old, is called into the headquarters of her father’s global empire to sign documents of ownership. Although she is barely able to pay her own rent, going to college and working as a bike courier, Lara prefers to follow her own path and pay her own way. She also refuses to accept that her father is dead. Revisiting the once-lavish estate where she grew up Lara finds the Japanese movable puzzles she and her father once played with (like a Rubik’s Cube). She nostalgically picks one up, gives it a few twists, and discovers a hand-written note that leads to a key that opens a secret room in which her father left a video.
The tape is of her father telling her to destroy a journal which holds the secret to a cave that contains a demon that can destroy the world. Instead of burning the writings, Lara decides that she must solve the mystery of her father’s mission.
Alicia Vikander is gorgeous to look at and very likable … and the movie had moments of fast-paced, death-defying stunts with race-running, high-falling, sharp-kicking, high jumping, rapid-swimming, bullet-avoidance, knife-ducking, floor-rotting maneuvering, and straight-arrow shooting, adventure … however, there was no character development, no love-interest to root for, and a non-compelling plot.
At the end there was a hint of another Tomb Raider movie to follow. Will there be? Having not seen any of the Lara Croft movies with Angelina Jolie, I can’t compare nor predict. In truth, my love for action adventure films are ones that have all the elements, i.e., Raiders of the Lost Ark, Romancing the Stone, and Crocodile Dundee, to name a few. But I do believe this movie will appeal to a younger audience.
Alicia Vikander as Lara Croft
Dominic West as Lord Richard Croft, Lara’s archaeologist father
Walton Goggins as Father Mathias Vogel
Daniel Wu as Lu Ren, the ship captain who helps Lara in searching for her Father.
Hannah John-Kamen as Sophie, Croft’s flatmate and best friend
Antonio Aakeel as Nitin, a friend to Lara.