Tomb Raider (2018)

Video game adaptations have had a rough time of it in Hollywood, and the Tomb Raider franchise is no exception. Lara Croft first made the leap to the big screen in 2001 with Angelina Jolie in the lead, a film that leaned into camp spectacle and made a reasonable fist of translating the games' globe-trotting excess. That version, and its 2003 sequel, were very much products of their era: glossy, knowing, and not especially interested in asking us to take them seriously. By the mid-2010s, however, Square Enix had rebooted the games themselves, positioning Lara as a younger, more vulnerable figure shaped by trauma and survival instinct rather than inherited wealth and supernatural confidence. The 2018 film, produced through a partnership between Square Enix, GK Films, and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, draws directly from that rebooted game mythology, following a young Lara who has yet to become the seasoned adventurer we know, setting off to a remote and dangerous island after the disappearance of her father.

Norwegian director Roar Uthaug was brought on to helm the picture, his most high-profile English-language assignment after making a name for himself in Scandinavia with the disaster film The Wave (2015). It was a curious but not unreasonable choice: someone comfortable with physical jeopardy and outdoor action, if not necessarily with the weight of a franchise relaunch on his shoulders. The script, credited to Geneva Robertson-Dworet and Alastair Siddons, works from a story by Evan Daugherty and Robertson-Dworet. The cast assembled around the project is genuinely strong on paper. Dominic West and Kristin Scott Thomas bring considerable theatrical credibility to their supporting roles, while Walton Goggins, a reliably watchable screen presence, takes on villain duties. Daniel Wu fills out the principal ensemble. At the centre of it all, carrying almost every scene, is Alicia Vikander, an Oscar winner (for The Danish Girl) whose range and physical commitment are well established. Those who have seen her in Ex Machina will know she is more than capable of anchoring a genre film with real intelligence and presence. For a sense of what genuinely bold action filmmaking can look like when a studio commits to it, it is worth glancing at my reviews of Mad Max: Fury Road and Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, films that set a fairly punishing benchmark for the genre. The question with Tomb Raider is whether the assembled talent and source material could be turned into something that matches the ambition of those rebooted games.

The 2018 Tomb Raider reboot aims to reinvent Lara Croft as a gritty, grounded origin story (less invincible action hero, more determined survivor) and while it succeeds in giving the character depth, the film itself never quite comes to life. Alicia Vikander brings grit, physicality, and emotional weight to Lara, portraying her as intelligent, resourceful, and vulnerable in the face of danger but I don't think she lives up to Angelina Jolie. The action scenes are decent: tight, well-choreographed sequences on a stormy sea, in booby-trapped ruins, and hand-to-hand combat that feels impactful without being over-the-top. The plot follows Lara’s journey to a mysterious island in search of her missing father, where she uncovers a sinister operation led by Walton Goggins’ sadistic villain, Mathias Vogel. There’s potential here (exploration, puzzles, ancient secrets) but the script plays everything so straight and dour that it drains much of the fun out of what should be an adventurous, pulpy ride. The tone is relentlessly serious, the visuals are drab (endless grey skies and muddy browns), and the pacing often stalls between set pieces. It’s not badly made, it’s competently shot, well-acted, and avoids many of the pitfalls of video game adaptations, but it’s also bland, forgettable, and lacking the sense of wonder or excitement that defines great adventure films. Compared to the playful energy of the original games or the campy charm of the Angelina Jolie versions, this one feels sterile. Solid but unspectacular. A missed opportunity to be thrilling, bold, or even just fun. Decent action, decent performance, but ultimately a lifeless trek through familiar territory.

That feeling of a missed opportunity is the one that lingers most for me. There are flashes here of something genuinely interesting, a Lara Croft built from the ground up, rough edges and all, the kind of origin story that could have given the franchise a real foundation. But the film keeps pulling its punches, opting for the safe and the serviceable over anything with real texture or nerve. I keep coming back to the colour palette, or the lack of one: when you drain an adventure film of warmth and visual excitement, you are asking audiences to work very hard for their fun, and this one does not give enough back in return. Vikander deserved a better script, Uthaug deserved a more confident brief, and frankly, Lara Croft deserved a louder, messier, more joyful comeback. Polished but unremarkable. The legend, as the tagline promises, begins here. It just does not go anywhere worth remembering.

Rating: ★★½  | Year: 2018  | Watched: 2025-10-20

View on Letterboxd →

Trailer

▶ Watch the official trailer for Tomb Raider (2018) on YouTube

Where to watch

Watch in the UK
Stream: MGM Plus Amazon Channel
Rent: Apple TV Store · Amazon Video · Sky Store
Buy: Apple TV Store · Amazon Video · Google Play Movies · Sky Store
Physical: Amazon UK · Zavvi

Watch in the US
Stream: HBO Max Amazon Channel · YouTube TV · Cinemax Amazon Channel · HBO Max
Rent: Amazon Video · Apple TV Store · Fandango At Home · Plex
Buy: Amazon Video · Apple TV Store · Google Play Movies · YouTube
Physical: Amazon US

Affiliate disclosure: Movies With Macca may earn a small commission on purchases or subscriptions started via these links. It costs you nothing extra.

Related on Movies With Macca

More with Alicia Vikander: Ex Machina (2015)
More from Japan: Mononoke the Movie: The Phantom in the Rain (2024) · Mononoke the Movie: Chapter II - The Ashes of Rage (2025) · Blue (1993) · The Ghost of Yotsuya (1959)
More from the 2010s: Wonder (2017) · Beautiful Boy (2018) · The Witch (2015) · What We Do in the Shadows (2014)
More action: A Better Tomorrow (1986) · The General (1926) · Hand of Death (1976) · Daredevil (2003)
More adventure: Alice in Wonderland (1951) · The Eagle (1925) · Louisiana Story (1948) · The General (1926)