Starring Alicia Vikander, Dominic West, Walton Goggins, Daniel Wu, Kristin Scott Thomas

Directed by Roar Uthaug

Warner Bros, out now

Seven years after Lara Croft’s father disappears while away on a mission to discover a famed Japanese island, the budding adventurer discovers that there’s more to the story than she initially believed.

When Angelina Jolie hit the screens as Lara Croft: Tomb Raider in 2001, I’m not convinced that anyone was that fussed about this video game to movie adaptation, and perhaps even less so for its unwieldly-titled sequel Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life two years later. Titivation from Jolie in skintight outfits aside, this felt like a franchise that had run its course. But now we have the snappily-monikered Tomb Raider with Alicia Vikander in the role, but to what end?

Because we live in more enlightened times, Croft is not the big boobs and tight shorts of old, instead presented as an independent, strong woman who’s not waiting to be rescued by anyone. But the Oscar-winning actress has little to do here but run, jump and miss her dad. I know that’s the essence of the game, but why waste such a talent with a role that involves so much running and leaping with CGI enhancement?

My biggest problems with the movie are the complete lack of inner logic and originality. At the beginning, Croft is a (not very good) boxer and rides a delivery bike, but once she hits Hong Kong she has super athletic prowess, and pinpoint archery skills, from out of nowhere. But I could probably accept that clumsy narrative aid if the story had one ounce of originality. It’s Indiana Jones by way of The Mummy, with every other jungle adventure film in between. As the traps are fired, the riddles are solved and the baddies picked off by an ancient force that didn’t want to be disturbed, the déjà vu hits the roof of the tomb in spectacular factor.

Remember the 80s when everyone jumped on the Raiders of the Lost Ark bandwagon with movies like Romancing the Stone, Ice Pirates and remakes of King Solomon’s Mines, or TV shows like Bring ’Em Back Alive and Tales of the Gold Monkey? Modern effects aside, this feels like it was made at the same time, with underdeveloped villain Walton Goggins and wasted sidekick Daniel Wu.

Verdict: Desperately trying to set up enough of an ongoing backstory to justify sequels, this movies lacks ambition or the desire to deliver anything resembling originality. Not bad enough to be a waste of time, but a missed opportunity to do something different with a popular character. 5/10

Nick Joy