Well here is my next review of what critics consider to be the most successful movie based off a video game to date: Tomb Raider. In my opinion, this movie worked well. I was skeptical at first when I saw the initial trailer, but I was pleased with how the movie came out. It's not the best movie in the world, but it certainly is not bad, especially nowhere near as bad as House of the Dead. This review is about the first movie, not the sequel.
Tomb Raider
Background: Tomb Raider is a game that has been centered around controversy for some time. The idea of using a female heroin was revolutionary, however it has also been criticized as a stereotypical depicting of women to satisfy the fantasies of teenage boys. Despite this, the franchise has gone through many changes in voice actors and game designers. The franchise has seen the release of twelve games and four expansion packs since its initial release, and Lara Croft has become a cultural icon outside the game. Obviously, a movie had to be made.
Storyline: The storyline of the game is kind of straight forward. You explore different locations around the world and collect artifacts. Along the way you solve puzzles and fight enemies. The movie follows this plot to a certain point. Lara Croft must find an ancient artifact that can control time before a secret religious group can use it's power for evil. My one problem with the storyline is how Lara's parents died. In the game, Lara is disowned by her still living parents. However, in the movie Lara's parents are both dead. This was more of a picking aspect for me, but it was kind of an weird change in Lara's background.
Acting: Choosing an actress to portray Lara Croft was no easy task, and I believe Angelina Jolie was the perfect choice. She certainly looks like Lara and can easily pull off her attitude as well as her physical work. The other actors as well were well chosen in their respective parts, but Noah Taylor, the guy who played Brice, came off as annoying to me.
Action/Music: There is definitely action in this movie, but this is also kind of one of the movie's faults. The games all utilize a blend of puzzle solving and action, whereas the movie focuses more on the action than the puzzles. Then again, filming puzzles might have been boring to some. Also, I was kind of disappointed with the music. In the games the music uses solely orchestrated arrangements. In the movie, there is mostly techno, but not much orchestra. I missed the theme music from the game. Other than that, the action scenes were cool and at the right times the music worked well.
Other Problems?: A lot of people were disappointed that you don't get to see a full nude shot of Lara, but it didn't bother me much. The movie did seem a bit silly at times, more or less around Brice's character. My main problem was the plot hole around Daniel Craig's character Alex West. Apparently he has history with Lara, and yet it is never fully explained what happened between them. I would have liked to see more of their personal history together as this would have made an interesting side plot.
Overall, the movie is pretty good. It's not amazing, but it's not bad at all.
