Vikander is striking enough as Lara Croft to make the role her own, to banish memories of Angelina Jolie (and perhaps to justify further instalments) but the film itself is strictly by the numbers.
Surprise: thinking about it does not make it any less good. Vulnerable Lara is a real hero.
The rebooted action heroine channels the spirit of Indiana Jones – and creepy daddy issues – in a dull, derivative romp.
Vikander packs a punch but this Tomb Raider is a long way off the Holy Grail of the first three Indy movies.
Liberally ransacking the plots and set-pieces of various Indiana Jones movies along the way, Norwegian director Roar Uthaug (The Wave) has no sense of how to make this distinctive, running through generic action scene after generic action scene and sabotaging Vikander’s determination to take the role seriously by making the world around her either too corny or too bland.
Tomb Raider comes alive when the pressure is on and the odds of success feel impossible. But for all its effort and efficiency, it still feels soulless and more than a little old-fashioned.
Alicia Vikander makes an ace Lara Croft in this persuasively scrappy reboot.
General release. Check local listings for show times.