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Tomb Raider (2018) - Blu-ray Review

3 beers

At least the filmmakers got the character right. Fist pumping all the way out of the theater this March, that was my big takeaway from this reboot. Finally, a Lara Croft film that felt EXACTLY like the character should. She just needed a better storyline. Maybe next time, right?

When a movie’s story engine gets jump-started by needless narration, you know you are in troubled waters. Unfortunately, that happens way too soon and too often in director Roar Uthaug’s Tomb Raider. What should have been fun and spirited in a story about the search for Himiko, the mythical Queen of Yamatai and for the final whereabouts of Lara Croft’s missing father, Lord Richard Croft (Dominic West) gets pulled undertow all too often.

"In a tale that is largely forgettable, Vikander is a total badass and that makes all the difference in making this boobytrapped adventure worthwhile."


Tomb Raider is, at times, an exciting ride as the classic video game gets the much-needed reboot in an effort to distance itself from what came before in both video game and in cinematic blemishes. It both does and does not succeed as Warner Bros blu-ray will make crystal clear. The pros are easy in that this version of Lara Croft, feeling very much like the rebooted video game, is headstrong, reckless, and every bit the daredevil we want her to be.

Unfortunately, the story is not; however, as exciting as it ought to have been, leaving too much of the narrative explained to us instead of being shown. That’s Day One stuff for its writers to have learned. But pay no attention to that and you will be fine. The good news is that Alicia Vikander, performing much of her own stunts, is absolutely fantastic as Lara Croft. She deserves a better story because, my goodness, does she ever bring it ALL to the role. She’s exciting, graceful, and – after getting her ass kicked in the boxing ring – does so much good as Croft that she erases all memory of anybody else in the role.

Occasionally, the mystery in the search for the supernatural Croft’s dad was looking for hits its stride and the inclusion of Daniel Wu as Lu Ren helps aid in Croft’s continued survival when she hits (quite literally) a wall, dangles from cliffs, and leaps from the wing of a plane. At its best, Tomb Raider beats the pants off of National Treasure. At its weakest, as is the case with villain Mathias Vogel (Walton Goggins), a rival archaeologist and member of Trinity (the corrupt organization Lara is soon at odds with), the film offers little depth in its purpose to tell a coherent story.Tomb Raider (2018) - Blu-ray Review

But, damn it, we finally get the right Lara Croft in Alicia Vikander’s engaging performance and that has a lot of value. She’s perfect in her absolute fearlessness and, yes, there are moments where this film feels EXACTLY like the rebooted game. Down to the stunts, too. Nice.

Co-starring Kristin Scott Thomas, Derek Jacobi, and Nick Frost as a pawn shop owner and gun salesman, Tomb Raider feels like the beginning of a better cinematic world. I just wished it had embraced some of the more fantastic elements of the video game and given us a world as dynamic as the dedicated performance from Vikander. She’s so good that when she picks up the bow and arrow and charges through the jungle, you just might cheer. 

In a tale that is largely forgettable, Vikander is a total badass and that makes all the difference in making this boobytrapped adventure worthwhile.

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Tomb Raider (2018) - Blu-ray Review

MPAA Rating: PG-13 for sequences of violence and action, and for some language.
Runtime:
118 mins
Director
: Roar Uthaug
Writer:
Geneva Robertson-Dworet, Alastair Siddons
Cast:
Alicia Vikander, Dominic West, Walton Goggins
Genre
: Action
Tagline:
her legend begins.
Memorable Movie Quote: "Daddy loves you."
Theatrical Distributor:
Warner Bros.
Official Site: www.tombraidermovie.com
Release Date:
March 16, 2018
DVD/Blu-ray Release Date:
June 12, 2018
Synopsis: Lara Croft, the fiercely independent daughter of a missing adventurer, must push herself beyond her limits when she discovers the island where her father disappeared.

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Tomb Raider (2018) - Blu-ray Review

Blu-ray

Blu-ray Details:

Home Video Distributor: Warner Bros.
Available on Blu-ray
- June 12, 2018
Screen Formats: 2.40:1
Subtitles
: English SDH, French, Portuguese, Spanish
Audio:
English: Dolby Atmos; English: Dolby TrueHD 7.1; English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz; French (Canada): Dolby Digital 5.1; Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1; Portuguese: Dolby Digital 5.1; English: Dolby Digital 5.1
Discs: Blu-ray Disc; Two-disc set; UV digital copyDigital copyDVD copy
Region Encoding: Locked to Region A

The AVC encoded 1080p transfer from Warner Bros is presented here with an aspect ratio of 2.39:1. The film is expertly shot and the color saturation provides minute detail puncturing, replicated here in great moments of detail, textures in the environment, and atmospheres on the surface. The mood is sharpened throughout the feature by the solid black levels. Fortunately, even costume threads are visible in this fine presentation. The transfer handles all the happenings expertly. Blacks are deep and colors, as mentioned early, are varied and supple. The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray disc of Tomb Raider features Dolby VisionTM HDR that dramatically expands the color palette and contrast range and uses dynamic metadata to automatically optimize the picture for every screen, frame by frame. Also, the Dolby Atmos soundtrack has been remixed specifically for the home theater environment to place and move audio anywhere in the room, including overhead.

Supplements:

Commentary:

  • None.

Special Features:

Embrace your inner hero when Tomb Raider arrives onto 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack, 3D Blu-ray Combo Pack, Blu-ray Combo Pack, DVD and Digital HD from Warner Bros. Pictures and Metro Goldwyn Mayer Pictures. Tomb Raider’s 4K Ultra HD, 3D Blu-ray, and Blu-ray Combo Packs contain supplemental items in which the reboot’s cast and crew reveal the challenges - and the fun – of bringing Lara Croft’s thrilling adventures of life for a new generation. We also get to enter the gym with Award winning actress Alicia Vikander as she prepares for the most physically demanding role of her career and transforms into the iconic action hero Lara Croft and a behind the scenes look at one of the film’s most exiting action set pieces. We also get a look at Lara Croft’s evolution over time.

  • Tomb Raider: Uncovered
  • Croft Training
  • Breaking Down the Rapids
  • Lara Croft: Evolution

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Tomb Raider (2018) - Blu-ray Review

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