The Films of Roar Uthaug

Fritt Vilt

Magic Silver

Escape

The Wave

Click here for review.

Tomb Raider (April 6/18)

Inspired by the eponymous videogame, Tomb Raider follows Alicia Vikander's Lara Croft as she embarks on an adventure to find her long-missing father (Dominic West's Richard) - with the quest eventually teaming her up with Daniel Wu's Lu Ren and pitting her against Walton Goggins' Mathias Vogel. Tomb Raider, for the most part, fares a whole lot better than one might've anticipated, as filmmaker Roar Uthaug, making his Hollywood debut, has infused the bulk of the proceedings with a refreshing throwback sort of feel that proves impossible to resist - with this vibe reflected most keenly in the picture's ongoing emphasis on old-school action sequences (ie Uthaug is clearly drawing inspiration from Steven Spielberg's Indiana Jones series here). Vikander's compelling, charismatic turn as the iconic protagonist certainly plays a key role in confirming the movie's success, and although the somewhat overlong running time results in an occasionally erratic midsection, Tomb Raider builds to a fairly engrossing climactic stretch detailing several characters' exploits within a trap-laden subterranean cave - with the third act's relative simplicity ensuring that the film ultimately stands head and shoulders above most big-budget Hollywood fare (ie there aren't any huge explosions or epic battles, ultimately).