March 29, 2024

Connor Bynum // Film Critic

A new trailer for TOMB RAIDER came out this week, and I must say, it is unquestionably an improvement over the initial teaser. With so many film adaptations of video game franchises that have failed time and time again to please audiences and critics alike, there’s always hope that this next attempt will be the one to turn it all around. The first trailer did not have me convinced. However, this new one does show some promise to be an entertaining ride for at least the fans of the games. Take a look at the trailer below and read on for my thoughts.

As stated before, this does look to be a major improvement from the teaser trailer that released last year. Focusing less on the story in favor of a handful of shots rhythmically edited to a repetitive bass riff, all punctuated with an inexplicable cameo from Nick Frost, didn’t exactly get the blood pumping. Yet the trailer above decides to show just enough plot points to get me interested without divulging too far into spoiler territory. Walton Goggins looks like a perfect fit for the villain in this film. I’m really excited to see what kind of horrible things he’s prepared to do to our titular heroine, but more importantly, how she’s going to stop him.

But most importantly, I’m sure that the majority of viewers interested in this movie only want to know one thing: How well does it do justice to the source material? Of course, we’ll have to wait until March 16 to know for sure, but having specific references to set-pieces from the 2013 reboot of the same name such as Lara being swept away through raging rapids and frantically weaving past trees with a parachute is undoubtedly a good sign. Also showing Lara wielding her iconic bow and arrow and climbing axe like a total boss shows that Oscar-winner Alicia Vikander is going all in for the role.

I’m not sure how much time will be separated between the mainland and island material. Since the game primarily takes place on the island, it should be interesting to see how much of its run-time is used establishing characters and plot before jumping into the action. It is also possible that the scenes in the city could be peppered throughout the film via flashbacks to give the viewer breaks between the thrills. We’ll have to wait and see.

Side note: What was up with that squirrel tail looking thing on her bike?

TOMB RAIDER is set to release on Mar. 16, 2018.

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