'Tomb Raider'
(Alicia Vikander, Daniel Wu, Walter Groggins, Dominic West, et al / 12A / 2hrs 2mins)
Overview: Lara Croft is the fiercely independent daughter of an eccentric adventurer who vanished years earlier. Hoping to solve the mystery of her father's disappearance, Croft embarks on a perilous journey to his last-known destination -- a fabled tomb on a mythical island that might be somewhere off the coast of Japan. The stakes couldn't be higher as Lara must rely on her sharp mind, blind faith and stubborn spirit to venture into the unknown.
Verdict: Lara Croft used to be a jumping, big chested, almost non-talking bimbo in the 90's - that image is now gone to never comeback and I prefer this Lara who has both intelligence and classic beauty.
Alicia Vikander gives Lara depth and personality much like Harrison Ford's Indiana Jones. She's vulnerable, hurt by her fathers mysterious disappearance 7 years ago and maybe to some extent her mothers death much earlier. But she's also stubborn and focused to survive on her own and has never lost hope that she'll once again see her father and bring him back home to rule the empire of companies he left behind.
The story is built on the reboot of the video game series but takes another way after the arrival at the destination where most of the action takes place. When the story follows the video game it has weaknesses (as so many games to movie do), but when it stands on its own it shows glimpses of coming adventures for Lara Croft that makes you want more, much because of Vikanders performance.
A very good cinematic experience!